Medical Student Programs

Thank you very much for your interest in the UCSF Emergency Medicine medical student rotations.

UCSF will be running the Visiting Student Program for the 2025-2026 cycle and will be following guidelines set by the Coalition for Physician Accountability’s Work Group on Medical Students Moving Across Institutions for Post Graduate Training.

Visiting students may start applying to our rotations in VSLO on February 10, 2025, and our department will start accepting students on or before March 31, 2025, with a rolling admissions process until all of the spots have been filled. We are accepting visiting students for the following blocks:

• June 2 - 29, 2025
• June 30 - July 27, 2025
• July 28 - August 24, 2025
• September 1 - September 28, 2025
• September 29 - October 26, 2025

Application deadline for EM Sub-I Rotation (EM 140.01): April 1, 2025

• We recommend submitting your application as early as possible in March/April. Applying after the deadlines limits your chances of acceptance to our program.
• Please track the status of your VSLO application and ensure that your medical school releases your application to our program.

Application information & resources

• For information on applying to the UCSF rotations as a visiting student, please visit the UCSF SOM Visiting Students website.
• For information on our Visiting Elective Scholarship Program (VESP) for students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have experienced a disadvantaged path to medicine, please visit our scholarship page.
• For information on applying to the UCSF Fresno EM rotations and electives, please visit the UCSF Fresno Medical Students webpage. 

Visiting Student Testimonials

• “I really appreciated how hands-on this sub-I was. I learned so much about ultrasound for example and had various opportunities to practice various skills such as suturing and pelvic exams. The schedule was very organized. I always knew where I was going and what my shifts were. I appreciated how much of a culture of teaching there was. The didactics were especially helpful and relevant. The skills I learned in them, I was able to directly apply to patient cases in later shifts. Excellent sub-I overall. I'm very thankful for how much I've learned and consolidated.”
• “​​I had an excellent experience in this clerkship. Major strengths included outstanding faculty and residents with a passion for teaching as well as ample opportunities in the ED for students to get involved. I also greatly appreciated how attendings and residents often asked me what my goals and career interests were and helped tailor the experience to make the most of my learning.”
• “I always felt like an integral part of the team. My residents and attendings made every effort to hear my presentations together, give feedback on the fly on my A/P, and give me feedback at the end of the shift. Great mix of patients with my learning objectives taken into consideration when choosing which patients I should see next.”
• “I had a fantastic clerkship experience! The faculty and residents went above and beyond to teach, provide feedback, and to provide opportunities to get involved in traumas and challenging cases. I really appreciated the independence to perform FASTs during traumas, pulse checks during codes, and to take the ultrasound with me to bedside to scan the patient before even presenting. There was a great balance of independence at the level that would be expected of an intern while still feeling very supported and like I had multiple team members to ask questions if I got stuck on anything. The didactic sessions alike were very helpful and well put together!”