Visiting Student Elective Scholarship (VSS) Program

Overview 

The Visiting Student Scholarship (VSS) program aims to encourage visiting 4th year medical students to gain valuable learning experiences in Vermont with a focus on students who are able to demonstrate their commitment to the Larner College of Medicine’s Tenets of Professionalism, UVM's Our Common Ground values, and improving health care delivery to underserved areas and populations.. The program is designed to increase awareness of opportunities in academic medicine in Vermont and provide clinical exposure during a month-long rotation at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), a level one trauma center serving a patient population of more than one million people.

Visiting Student Elective is a 4-week clerkship designed for 4th year medical students who intend to pursue a career in emergency medicine (EM).  The elective is offered from June through December each year.  

The Scholarship program funded through the generous donations of Emergency Medicine faculty members provides a $2,500 stipend to visiting students to support travel and housing during the elective.

Students will work exclusively at the UVM Medical Center Emergency Department (UVMMC ED) in Burlington, Vermont.  This is the primary site for the new UVMMC EM Residency, and sees approximately 68,000 (adult and pediatric) patients per year.  

During the elective, students will work approximately 13 clinical shifts (distributed over days, evenings and overnights, pediatric evening shifts, including 2 weekends).

Students participate in weekly didactics on Thursdays from 12-5pm, including the EM grand rounds, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) rounds, and simulation training.  Students will become part of our ED family on their month and join our residents and faculty to attend an evening journal club dinner at an attending’s home. 

For each clinical shift, students will be paired one-on-one with a UVM faculty member. Students will work directly with EM faculty (medical students only present patients to faculty -- they do not present to residents). Students consistently rate our course highly given this one-on-one teaching! Students rotating have ample opportunities to participate in many procedures within the scope of EM.

Our Ultrasound faculty are internationally renowned, and work directly with each group of students, both on shifts and in the simulation lab.  Students will gain hands-on experience with POCUS with talented teachers and other common Ultrasound guided EM procedure.

Medical Students and Resident

Mentorship

Students will benefit from working alongside our dynamic faculty who come from a broad range of backgrounds and have unique academic interests. Mentorship and advising opportunities include a question and answer session with our Program Director, case-based teaching from our Associate Program Directors, and mentorship from faculty with a variety of subspecialty training and interests including: 

  • Point-of-Care Ultrasound
  • Pediatric EM
  • Global Health
  • Toxicology
  • Research
  • Rural Medicine
  • EMS
  • Wilderness Medicine
  • Medical Education
  • Simulation
  • Informatics
  • Emergency Neurology
  • Sports Medicine
  • Critical Care

Course Dates

Rotation dates follow the Larner College of Medicine academic calendar. 

  • June 2 - June 27, 2025
  • June 30 - July 25, 2025
  • August 4 - August 29, 2025
  • September 1 - September 26, 2025
  • September 29 - October 24, 2025
  • October 27 - November 21, 2025
  • November 24 - December 19, 2025

Clerkship Directors

Clerkship Co-Directors: Laura Mulvey, MD & Adam Bloom, DO

EM Clerkship Coordinator

Debbie McDonald 

Thank you for your interest! In addition to your VSS application, you must apply for the elective via VSLO .


The UVM Larner College of Medicine believes that a strategic investment to increase access to residency programs will build a strong pathway for future residents and faculty. Our college is proud to offer scholarship opportunities to help support medical students who may face circumstances that would traditionally limit participation in visiting rotations.

Eligibility

The scholarship is available to:

  • 4th year medical students who are in good academic standing at a U.S. LCME accredited allopathic institution (are enrolled in medical degree-granting programs) or students who are in good standing at a U.S. COCA accredited osteopathic institution (are enrolled in a DO-granting program).
  • Students who have completed all core clinical clerkships before participating in the program.

Selection Criteria

Successful applicants will be those who are able to demonstrate their commitment to the Larner College of Medicine’s Tenets of Professionalism and how their unique lived experience will advance quality in medicine and improve health care delivery to underserved areas and populations. Applicants must submit a personal statement (no more than 500 words) addressing 1) their interest in the UVM Larner College of Medicine, including specialty and career goals, and 2) their personal history (of activity) including how their unique lived experiences will contribute to high standards in medicine and the elimination of health disparities.

Feedback and Evaluations

Students will receive feedback from their attending after every shift, with goals set for each subsequent shift. Students will be evaluated based on clinical performance, participation in didactics, and specific feedback from attending faculty regarding attitude and approach to learning.  The SAEM exam at the end of the clerkship will also be factored into the student’s final grade.  A Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) will be completed for all our visiting students and will be a committee letter written and signed by the Clerkship Directors, the Program Director, and the Associate Program Director.  Grades for purposes of the SLOE will be Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail.  Grades for transcript purposes will be based on each student’s home institution grade options.