School of Medicine & Health Sciences

Planning Your Fourth Year and Beyond

Resources for students planning or entering the fourth year at UND. These resources will help students plan a successful future by offering information on resume building, application process, interviewing, and more.

Away Elective Procedures:

Searchable Database of All Away Electives in the United States

Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO or also called VSAS)

Formerly known as VSAS, VSLO is the centralized application process many schools use for visiting medical student rotations.

Global Health Learning Opportunities (GHLO)

GHLO is the standardized application process for international electives offered through AAMC (Similar to VSAS for domestic away rotations). For more information, contact Dr. Zelewski.

UND is a GHLO home school. We will send UND SMHS students to other institutions but will not be accepting applications for visiting students to our school through GHLO.

UND SMHS Electives

International Elective Procedure

Accepted Electives for Credit

  1. UND sponsored electives (ie: Peru exchange)
  2. GHLO sponsored rotations. See details regarding GHLO below.
  3. Rotations approved on an individual basis by the Office of Student Affairs. These rotations must:
    1. Have the proper level of supervision available for the medical student.
    2. Have a supervisor who is able to fill out the SMHS 4th year elective evaluation form (preferable electronic).
    3. Have a policy or procedure regarding the health and safety of the student in event of a needle stick or splash exposure.
    4. Have learning objectives for the student while on the rotation.
    5. Meet the travel requirements specified below.

Travel Restrictions and Requirements

  • UND SMHS will not approve the travel of a student to an area with a US State Department travel warning which discourages all but essential travel to the area. Other US State Department warnings will be reviewed on a country by country basis and may prevent approval of the elective.
  • International electives must be registered with the UND International Center. The student must contact Emily Dougherty one month prior to your rotation.
  • The student must be registered with the US State Department's STEP program prior to departure.
  • The UND SMHS malpractice insurance does not cover a student's experience while on an international rotation. If malpractice insurance is required while on the rotation, the student must purchase this independently.
  • All UND students studying abroad are required to purchase the Culture Insurance Services International (CISI) Health Insurance which specifically covers international health issues that most domestic health insurance does not cover for health related issues outside of the US ($40 per month).
  • The student will be required to receive vaccinations recommended by the CDC for their international destination prior to travel.
  • The student must have a passport which is valid 6 months after the expected return date, carry a copy of the passport in a separate safe location and leave a second copy with a trusted source at home.
  • The student is responsible for determining whether they also need a Visa for travel on the international elective.

Prior to travel, the student must complete: edx: BUx: GlobalHealthX The Practitioner's Guide to Global Health.

  • The Practitioner's Guide to Global Health Parts 1-3
  • Do not need to pay for certificate, but must submit a screenshot of your completed progress page.
  • Part 1, ideally completed 6-12 months prior to departure.
  • Part 2, 1-3 months prior to departure.
  • Part 3, immediately prior to departure.

Fees

The student is responsible for the $45 GHLO application fee, any fees associated with passports, visas, travel, travel and health insurance, room and board, tuition if charged by the institution they are doing the rotation through and any other incidental costs incurred during the rotation.

  • Please check with your personal health insurance prior to getting travel vaccines as these are often no longer covered.

Credit for Rotations

  • To receive credit for the rotation, the student must complete all pre-rotation requirements as specified above.
  • Upon return, the student will complete a written reflection on their experience discussing differences seen in healthcare between their international site and home and relating their experience abroad to their future career and the impact the international rotation has had on their planned practice of medicine.

Specialty Colleges and Societies

Finding Residency Programs

Applying For Residency

Applications

The Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS) is the standardized system almost all residencies use to receive applications.

The personal statement is your chance to get the residency program's attention when reading your application.

  • One page in length
  • Gives information about your unique characteristics and why you are a good candidate for residency
  • Gives information on why you are choosing your specialty
  • Opportunity to discuss your future goals

These example personal statements are provided as examples only. Please do not copy anything from these for your personal statement as this will be considered as plagiarism.

You should have at least 3 letters of recommendation for your applications. The letter writer needs to be familiar enough with you to write a detailed letter. Please check to see if your specialty requires a chair letter (letter of recommendation from the UND SMHS academic chair of your department).

You are able to designate which letters go to which programs when applying.

All letters uploaded to ERAS must be uploaded by the faculty writing the letter or their designee. If your letter writer is unable to upload their own letter, please contact your campus office for a list of designees.

Some specialties require standardized letters of recommendation.

After the Interview

You must register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) as well as ERAS to participate in the main match.

SOAP is the process used if you are not offered a position in the main match process.



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