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School of Medicine School of Medicine
  1. School of Medicine
  2. Education
  3. MD & Combined Programs
  4. Curriculum
  5. Visiting 4th-Year Students
  6. Preparing For Your Elective

Preparing For Your Elective

For accepted visiting medical students, get information to prepare for your upcoming elective rotation(s). Approximately two weeks prior to your start date, our office will send an "orientation" email with additional information, including specific details regarding where and when to report on your first day, course director/administrator contacts, etc.

Accepting Your Offer - Elective fee

Once accepted, students must pay a non-refundable processing fee for each elective within 6 weeks of the rotation start date:

  • $300.00 per elective for students from US medical schools.
  • Accepted payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

Housing Resources

UC San Diego does not have housing available for visiting students through the school.

Evaluations

Evaluation of Visiting Students

  • We only provide UC San Diego evaluations for visiting students.
  • Students may download the completed evaluation from MedHub. If needed, the Visiting Student Program will submit a completed summary evaluation to the student's home school after the completion of the elective.

Student Evaluation of Course and Personnel

Visiting students should complete evaluations of their assigned elective and its personnel via MedHub. Your credentials for the system will be provided in an email.

At Your Rotation

Maps

Please be aware that some electives require travel between multiple sites. Below are links to map resources for the main campus and most medical facilities.

UC San Diego campus

Parking & Bus Transportation

Please visit UC San Diego's Transportation Services website for complete information about parking options and policies at UC San Diego locations.

If you will have a vehicle, it is very important that you park as permitted (the purchase of permits may be necessary).

  • UC San Diego sites: Student may purchase daily or monthly D permits. These are restricted to lots near Jacobs Medical Center and Bachmann Parking Structure (Hillcrest). Permits may be purchased online.
    • Note regarding parking at Bachmann (Hillcrest): A sticker for your permit is required for parking at Hillcrest and can only be received from Bachmann Parking Structure.
  • Rady Children's Hospital: There is no medical student parking at Rady Children's Hospital. However, all medical students are able to park for free at the top level of the National University parking structure. A shuttle departs from the Plaza. You do not need to show anything to access this free parking.

If you will not have a vehicle and/or plan to use the campus shuttle system or public transportation, please use the Transportation Services link above and read the information on "Shuttles" and "Alternatives/Public Transit" for available options. There is a free campus shuttle that runs between the UC San Diego Medical Centers in La Jolla (Jacobs Medical Center, Thornton Hospital and surrounding clinics) and Hillcrest.

Computer Access/ Training & ID Badges

Specific instructions for computer training/access and ID badges will be sent to you via email approximately two to four weeks prior to your start date.

  • Rady Children's Hospital: If you are assigned to electives at Rady Children's Hospital, bring your student ID from your home school. You will also be provided with a Rady ID badge.

Dress Code/White Coats/Scrubs

It is best to check with the course director/coordinator to confirm their course dress code. Generally:

  • Dress code: Medical students should dress professionally (no t-shirts or jeans).
  • White coats: UC San Diego medical students wear waist-length, long-sleeved white coats. You may bring your own, and they are also available for purchase at the UC San Diego Bookstore (on main UC San Diego campus).
  • Scrubs: For rotations requiring scrubs, students will be set up for access to the scrub service (information about access is disseminated by each respective elective).

Needlestick Information

In the event of a needlestick, follow these instructions: Needlestick Instructions (PDF)

Access to Campus Facilities (library, recreation center, etc.)/ Email

We are not able to extend UC San Diego student privileges to visiting students, nor do we issue UC San Diego email addresses as students remain enrolled at their home school and are not paying our tuition fees.

Library Services to the Community (for general public use policies)

Campus Recreation Facilities (for general public use policies)

General Information

Visiting Student Program Office Location and Hours

Office location:
School of Medicine campus on the south end of the UC San Diego main campus in La Jolla:

Telemedicine Building
Bldg #845, 1st Floor, Suite 120.01A
Map (PDF)

Office hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cancellation

If you can no longer keep your elective assignment, please contact the Visiting Student Program office as soon as possible. If you drop at the last minute, you may have prevented another interested student from taking the elective.

Questions

Email the Visiting Student Program office at visitingstudents@ucsd.edu with any questions.