Visiting Medical Students

Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health are considering applications for visiting 4th-year medical student clinical opportunities for both Charlotte, NC, and Winston-Salem, NC, locations.

Visiting MD and DO applications through VSLO^® (Visiting Student Learning Opportunities) will open March 13, 2026 and will be coordinated through Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Learner Management Office.

We provide confidential and specialized disability support and are committed to excellence in accessibility; we encourage students with disabilities to disclose and seek reasonable accommodation when needed to meet the Technical Standards or engage in the curriculum. For more information about requesting accommodations please contact the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success (CLASS) at class@wfu.edu or call 336-758-5929. More information can be found at class.wfu.edu.

The School of Medicine requires an approved affiliation agreement with your home institution to allow for participation in the Visiting Student Program. The approved agreement must be in place at least 30 days prior to the start date of your rotation.

All requests to establish affiliation agreements must be submitted by an appropriate home school representative only, via email to affiliationagreement@wfusm.edu.

The request should include:

• Official name of the institution or school of medicine
• Location of institution or school of medicine
• Type of program (i.e., MD, DO)
• Length of program
• Compelling educational reason to establish agreement
• Home representative or institution contact information

All students who apply to the Visiting Student Program must have the following information in their VSLO^® application before it will be reviewed:

• Curriculum vitae
• Academic transcript
• Photo
• Copy of General and Professional Liability Certificate of Coverage (minimum of $1 million per instance, and $3 million in total).
• School's evaluation form
• School attestation that the student applicant has successfully completed their 3rd year and is in good academic standing
• Attestation that student has passed USMLE Step 1 or COMLEX Level 1
• An attestation confirming that visiting medical students are willing to obtain additional general and professional liability insurance if this coverage is not supplied by their home institution
• Confirmation that the student is taking electives for credit and will pay tuition at their home school during the period indicated

Some programs may require the submission of additional requirements such as:

• Letter(s) of recommendation from a faculty member with whom the student has worked in a clinical setting. The letter should address the clinical skills and abilities of the student. 
• Student's personal statement.
• Student letter of interest.
• Copy of USMLE or COMLEX board scores.

There will be additional compliance and onboarding requirements when you accept an elective rotation. More information will be provided at that time by email.

Students must be aware of the following requirements that impact the consideration of their application for a rotation:

• Accepted students may be displaced and their rotation canceled if the health system has a shortage of PPE, a surge in patients which impacts services within the health system, and/or other unforeseen conditions. 

All visiting student fees and payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. Cancellation or withdrawals must be made at least 5 weeks prior to the clinical rotation start date. Medical students must withdraw their application in VSLO^®. Visiting students must comply with WFUSM program- specific attendance policies and requirements.

All visiting students must adhere to the Wake Forest attendance policy, maximum of 2 full day absences (course leaders maintain course specific information). Our catalog becomes visible in VSLO^® on March 1 with the ability to apply to electives on March 15 until September 1. All approved visiting students must adhere to the School of Medicine Year 4 rotation schedule start dates

Wake Forest University School of Medicine students have priority for elective placements, followed by visiting domestic students from other US institutions then international medical students therefore limiting the availability of specific specialties and multiple elective opportunities for international medical students. The process for visiting international full-time students in their final year of medical school doing clinical electives is a lengthy one. Our program has limited availability, and international students are offered electives based on the availability of the clinical elective slots. Available elective slots are scheduled during a specified time annually (August 2026 – February 2027).

We require at least 180 days lead time, and an affiliation agreement must be in place 30 days prior to the start of the rotation. Additionally, the student is responsible for securing General and Professional Liability insurance coverage in amounts of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 annual aggregate if the student’s institution does not provide the liability coverage. In addition to the application and other required forms, a non-refundable application fee of $100 and an administrative fee of $2,500 is required for the four-week international rotation at WFUSM. If interested, please contact the Office of Global Health for application information.

• Will adhere to current institutional policies on masking and social distancing. 
• Adhere to institutional, CDC and North Carolina state guidelines.
• Self-monitor for illness symptoms.
• Provide information as soon as possible about exposures that may affect patients, other students, faculty or staff at clinical facilities.
• Proceed as noted below for any suspected exposures.

If a learner has a suspected illness or exposure:

• Learners will need to report potential workplace exposures and illness to our Employee Health Portal and will follow the guidance of the Student and Teammate Health staff from that point forward.

If a learner is symptomatic:

• They must not report to the clinical area
• They should notify their preceptor
• They should report symptoms through the Employee Health Portal and follow the guidance of the Student and Teammate Health staff from that point forward.