Away Electives
All electives completed at any outside institution must be at least four weeks in length in order to receive elective credit. If a program only offers two-week electives, it is possible to be approved as long as you complete two consecutive two-week electives and receive only a single evaluation; this scenario must be approved by the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in advance of applying.
There are four types of away electives in which students can enroll. Please review this list prior to making your selection in One45:
| Away Course Prefix | Description |
|---|---|
| AWAA | an away elective at a hospital affiliated with a U.S. medical school NOTE: Approval through VSLO does NOT guarantee approval through OASA since VSLO is accepting applications for non-medical school affiliated programs. Must notify OASA once accepted through VSLO to officially enroll in the away rotation. |
| AWAB | military electives and any away elective at a U.S. hospital not affiliated with a medical school |
| AWAC | an away elective with a physician in private practice |
| AWAD | an away elective outside the U.S (subject to review of the US State Department Travel Warnings) |
If you are uncertain about the appropriate classification, please ask OASA.
How to Apply to Away Rotation:
You will apply for most away electives through the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) portal.
Special Instructions for VSLO Upload Transcript Request Form completion:
- Email Veve Fisher in the Office of the Registrar to request the upload of your official transcript to VSLO.
For away programs that do not participate in VSLO, consult AAMC’s On-Line Extramural Electives Compendium for their elective catalogs and contact information.
How to Enroll in Away Elective:
You must officially enroll in PRIOR to leaving for an away rotation. Retroactive credit will not be granted.
- AWAA Electives: As soon as you are accepted for an away rotation, submit an enrollment request via the MS4 Portal. Include the following information with the request to officially enroll in the elective:
- Name of Program
- City, State of Program
- Name of Rotation
- Dates of Rotation
- AWAB, AWAC, AWAD Electives: Must be approved at least 30 days in advance by submitting a Special Project Form to Nicole Dubuque in OASA.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the completion and submission of the MMS MS4 Clinical Elective Evaluation Form by their visiting program at the end of the rotation.
For away electives that have dates that do not coincide with the MMS block schedule, you may split a vacation month around the away elective, or you may be able to find a MMS elective that will allow you to accommodate the away rotation.
Medical Liability Insurance:
You are covered under The University of Texas System Professional Medical Liability Self-Insurance Plan with standard limits for medical students set at $25,000 per claim and $75,000 as the annual aggregate. Some institutions may require malpractice coverage that exceeds our standard limits. To purchase increased limits to meet needs of up to $2,000,000 per claim and $5,000,000 aggregate email the following information to Nicole Dubuque in OASA:
Subject Line: Medical Liability Insurance
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Name of Program
- City and State of Program
- County of Program
- Specialty Area
- Dates of Rotation
- Required Limit Amounts (e.g. 1M/3M)
There will be a per-month fee for the added coverage, which ranges from $42 – $300 depending on the location of the externship and the required coverage limits. Payment for additional coverage must be made to OASA before the away rotation begins. If payment is not received prior to the start of the rotation, a $20 fee will be charged per month.
Note Re: Foreign Electives (AWAD):
Requests for foreign electives will not be approved if the U.S. State Department has issued a Travel Warning for the region in question. Furthermore, approval may be rescinded up to three days prior to start date if a travel warning is issued. Travel Warnings are issued by the U.S. State Department to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country potentially dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government’s ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.
For more information regarding U.S. State Department Travel Warnings, please visit their website.