The policies, procedures and guidelines in the Washington University School of Medicine Bulletin exist to assist students, faculty and administrators with doing the business of the university in ways that are effective, consistent and compliant and to provide a safe, effective and supportive environment in which to learn, teach and work. The following policies are especially important for visiting medical students:
- Clinical Supervision Policy for Medical Students on Clinical Rotations »
- Duty Hour Policy for Medical Students on Clinical Rotations »
- Professional Behavior for MD Students »
- Abusive Conduct Policy »
WUSM strongly encourages students who feel they have experienced mistreatment—and those who feel they have witnessed mistreatment of a student—to report it immediately, without fear of retaliation. Review the Student Mistreatment Reporting and Monitoring Policy and SAFE website for more information about how to report a concern.
Health & Safety
Visiting students should also be aware of the following health and safety guidelines prior to arriving on campus:
- COVID-19 Exposure & Illness Guidelines »
- Needle Stick and Blood and Body Fluid Policy and Procedure »
All visiting medical students will be given a resource card upon their arrival that will provide contact and procedure information. It is recommended that students keep this resource card with them at all times.
Absences
Students are expected to participate fully in all activities during the elective rotation. Students are encouraged to notify course leadership teams about any planned absences so that clinical assignments can be developed to minimize the educational impact of such absences.
In the unusual event that a student is unable to attend a required activity, the student must have a discussion with the relevant course director(s) prior to the missed activity or as soon as possible afterwards if the absence is due to sudden illness or emergency. Students unable to attend a team activity—including those scheduled during clinical assignments—should also notify their team members by email with as much advance notice as can reasonably be expected under the circumstances.
Assessment
All visiting medical students will be assessed using WUSM’s assessment form. All elective rotations at WUSM are graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. The assessment form also provides space for the course director to offer narrative feedback about a student’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Once the assessment form is completed by the course director after a student’s rotation, it will be returned to the Electives Office and then sent to the contact listed in the student’s VSLO application.
Assessment forms are not due until four weeks after the end of a rotation and are not considered delinquent until six weeks after the rotation end date. Students who need assessment data from their WUSM rotation for their Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) or to meet graduation requirements are advised to schedule with these deadlines in mind.
Due to the volume of visiting students, WUSM cannot stamp, sign, or apply the university seal to any assessment paperwork.
Visiting medical students should not contact course directors directly with questions about assessment, as all visiting student assessment is coordinated by the Electives Office.
The WUSM Visiting Student Program undergoes continuous review and improvement, and requirements and processes are subject to change. This page was last updated on November 20, 2023.