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Students from International Medical Schools

The following departments do not accept students from International Medical Schools:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Emergency Medicine - until further notice
  • Family Practice
  • Internal Medicine
  • Neurosurgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Otolaryngology
  • Pathology
  • Radiology
  • Surgery

* Due to the high volume of applications, the following departments will only consider accepting International Visiting student applications for December - June electives:

  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Pediatrics

The following department(s) will only consider accepting International Visiting student applications for January - April electives:

  • Dermatology
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology

Forms

Eligibility

Students from other medical schools are not permitted to enroll in clerkships. Students who have already earned the equivalent of the MD degree at the time of application or by the time of the start date of the elective are not eligible to apply.

SUNY Downstate welcomes qualified international visiting medical students into the senior elective program. Students who will have completed their core clinical clerkships by the date of application are eligible to apply. Applicants must be in good academic standing at their home school, must have their school's approval to participate in the desired elective and must have health and liability insurance coverage and be HIPAA and OSHA certified.

General Information

All electives courses at SUNY Downstate and its affiliated institutions are part of the official curriculum of the College of Medicine. Qualified visiting students may be accommodated in elective spots that have not been filled by our students. Elective rotation dates must coincide with the scheduled dates of SUNY Downstate Medical Center's elective periods.

  1. The International Visiting Medical Student Application (Revised Dec. 1, 2009) must be completed in its entirety for each elective you wish to take. A non-refundable processing fee of $175 for the application and $100 for the second application in the form of check/money order in USA currency only must accompany the application. The check/money order must be made payable to "SUNY Downstate Medical Center". A maximum of two aplpications may be filed by each international visiting student application. You are limited to listing a maximum of three elective choices per department.

    DEADLINE FOR OUR RECEIPT OF THE APPLICATION IS FOUR MONTHS PRIOR TO THE STARTING DATE OF THE ELECTIVE.

  2. A completed International Visiting Student Application Checklist (Revised 11/11) must accompany your application.
  3. Medical School Dean's Recommendation, which must bear the imprint of your school seal and the signature of y our school's dean.
  4. Faculty letter of recommendation from a faculty member who has supervised you in one of the core clerkships.
  5. A current official transcript of courses completed must accompany the application. The transcript must include clerkship grades for core clerkships (Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Neurology). For applicants from India: Official marks or Division class must be indicated for each core clerkship.
  6. A statement from you which states why you wish to take the elective.
  7. Your curriculum vitae (CV or resume). In addition, attach a statement to your CV which indicates your USA travel plans - that is, if you will be taking electives at other medical schools in the USA or other USA travel plans (visiting relatives, tourism, etc.).
  8. A photocopy of your Step 1, USMLE score report (we now require a Step 1 score as part of the application).
  9. A photocopy of your Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report (we now require the TOEFL exam).
  10. PROOF OF MALPRACTICE/ LIABILITY (must be equal to or greater than $3 million/$3 million aggregate and each occurence) AND PERSONAL HEALTH INSURANCE IS REQUIRED. (SUNY Downstate Medical Center does not provide student health or liability coverage for visiting students).
  11. You must also submit a passport sized photo.
  12. In addition to the above, the Visiting International Medical student must also complete an application for a "Letter of Eligibility" from the New York State Board of Medicine. This process should be initiated at least three months prior to the date you wish to take the elective. Approval to begin the elective at SUNY Downstate is contingent upon our receipt of an approved Letter of Eligibility from the New York State Board of Medicine. If your documents are in order, you are granted permission to take a maximum of 12 weeks (84 days) of electives in the State of New York. You must mail NYS Letter of Eligibility at the same time as you mail your Visiting Student Application.
  13. Health clearance must be completed in order for the student to be permitted to register.

    SUNY Downstate Health Statement Form for Visiting Students

  14. All international visiting students must present the following documents upon arrival:

    a. Passport        b. USA visa      c. I-94 card

  15. All students accepted to attend our Institution for electives are required to complete the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Education Program. A User ID and the on-line website will be forwarded to you along with your letter of acceptance. Completion of this requirement is mandatory.
  16. All students must attend OSHA Training at Downstate Student Health Services the Friday before the start of the elective.
  17. You are required to have a SUNY Downstate ID Card before you can start your elective. You can only obtain your ID card by reporting to the Office of the Registrar prior to the start of the elective and obtaining the form required to obtain the ID card.

    Course directors will not permit an International Visiting Medical Student to begin an elective until the department has received confirmation that the student has registered through the Office of the Registrar and has provided all requested documentation, including the "Letter of Eligibility" and all other forms have been received and satisfactorily completed.
    • FROM THE REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Evidence of Eligibility Students must present the teaching hospital a short term "Letter of Eligibility."Penalty Section 6526 provides that "any medical student who is performing a clinical clerkship similar function in a hospital and who is matriculated in a medical school which meets standards satisfactory to the department (State Education Department), provided such practice is limited to such clerkship or similar function in such hospital" may practice medicine without a license. As indicated above, the Commissioner's Regulations provide that only duly accredited medical schools and those which have been reviewed and approved by the Department for the purpose of placing students in clinical clerkships, meet standards satisfactory to the Department. Foreign medical students engaged in clerkships in this State without proper authorization or in a facility other than a teaching hospital are in violation of Education law.
  18. Visiting students MUST apply through the Office of the Registrar for all electives.
  19. SUNY Downstate does not issue student or visiting scholar visas (obtained through an I-20 or IAP-66) for students accepted as an International Visiting medical student. Non-citizens of the United States may apply for a B-1 visitor visa through their local United States Embassy or Consulate on their own. Students are responsible for assuring their compliance with all applicable US immigration and Department of Homeland Security rules and regulations.
  20. Visiting students are not permitted to contact the course directors directly. ALL inquires MUST go through the Office of the Registrar.
  21. Please review the provided material thoroughly and select an elective program carefully.

Additional Instructions

Inquiries and requests for the "International Visiting Medical Student" program should be directed to:

Office of the Registrar
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 98
Brooklyn, New York 11203
Facsimile: 718-270-7592
Email: visitstudent@downstate.edu

Note: If you are applying for two electives in two different departments, you should do the following:

  1. Fill out one application form but enclose two checks ($175 for the first elective; $100 for the second).
  2. Enclose the documents (one copy of each is sufficient):
    a. Dean's Letter
    b. Official Transcript
    c. Photocopy of your Step 1score, USMLE
    d. Photocopy of your TOEFL score
    e. Your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
    f. NYS Letter of Eligibility
    g. Checklist
  3. If you are applying to two electives in two different departments you will need to submit two faculty Letter of Recommendation forms, one for each department.
  4. You will need to write two different statements about why you wish to take the elective in each department.

Notification or approval or denial

All component of the application should be mailed in one package. Applications will not be processed until all completed component parts have been received. Please note the application deadline. Students will be notified of approval or denial, as soon as they are approved, at least 4 weeks prior to the start date of the requested elective.

Withdrawal and Cancellation

Students who withdraw their application less than 2 weeks prior to the start of the elective may have a letter of complaint sent to the Dean of their medical school.

Students who are unable to obtain a visa in time to start the elective are permitted one rescheduling to another month. An approved elective may be rescheduled only once. Only one elective may be rescheduled.
A second cancellation will result in a minimum of 9 months before a new application will be accepted.