NOTE TO ALL INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: It is very important for you to know that if your request cannot be accommodated, you will receive a response within two weeks of receipt of your documents. However, if you will be accepted, you will NOT receive formal acceptance materials until approximately four months before your anticipated date of arrival.

To request clinical training at Tulane University School of Medicine, please review the following information carefully, noting specifically whether your area of interest and your schedule can be accommodated at Tulane. Visiting students MUST come according to Tulane fourth year block dates.

http://www.som.tulane.edu/acad_cal_2007-8.html

No visitors will be accepted between the end of the May block and the beginning of the June block.

Please be advised that in order for us to begin to process your request, we must first receive the items listed below. All forms are in PDF format and require the downloading of Acrobat Reader if you don't already have it.

1. A completed application form.
2. A letter from your Dean or his authorized representative or delegate stating that you are entering your final year of training ("practical year") and that you are a student in good standing with your faculty. This letter must also verify that you have completed the equivalent of our third year curriculum, i.e., clerkships in Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Psychiatry/Neurology. The Dean's letter must further verify that you have passed your preliminary examinations and that you have a fluent command of both spoken and written English.
3. A copy of your Curriculum Vitae with a small picture attached.
4. Two letters of personal recommendation from clinicians with whom you have served during your clinical training.
5. Proof of personal health insurance coverage or a statement that you agree to purchase it for the entire time period when you are in the United States. Insurance must be purchased prior to arrival.
6. A completed Foreign Admission Data Form for our International Student Center. (A completed Foreign Admissions Data Form for our Center for International Students & Scholars. The information on this form is needed to issue the invitation letter which will enable you to apply for a B-1 Visitor's Visa to pursue your rotation. THIS FORM MUST BE TYPED. Failure to type the form may cause misinterpretation of biographical and address information and may cause difficulties when you apply for the B-1 visa and enter the USA. If you are transferring from another university within the United States, you must be sure that you have permission to stay in the USA for the length of the Tulane rotation.
7. A signed statement that you are in possession of sufficient funds to cover your expenses while in the United States (Statement of Support). (All international students are required to provide this statement to ensure our federal government that they are not likely to become a public charge and/or to resort to unauthorized employment in order to support themselves while they are in the United States.)
8. Certification of required immunizations and negative TB screening .
9. A signed Statement of Responsibilities indicating that you understand what is expected of you during training.
10. Completion of bloodborne pathogens safety training is required during registration after you arrive at Tulane.

On the application form, please indicate the exact dates when you would like to train at Tulane. You must be in a rotation for 20 days in order to get credit for a clinical clerkship.

If your application and documentation are in good order and we obtain departmental approval, you will be accepted to train at Tulane University School of Medicine. Students are placed into rotations within the department requested; however, specific rotations cannot be guaranteed. Students CANNOT create their own schedules after their arrival. You are given the opportunity to change your schedule as long as the change is made before the tenth of the month preceding the beginning of the rotation.

It should be noted that only students in their final year (practical year) of medical school are accepted for training, and international visiting students are permitted a maximum of four months unless they are accepted through a formal exchange program. If you arrive for training and have not begun your final year, you will NOT be allowed to train.

Rotations Not Available To International Students

The department of Neurology and Pediatrics will no longer accept international visiting students. The department of Orthopaedics will only allow international visitors to stay for one rotation (one month). Anesthesiology, radiology, and dermatology positions are open to international visitors; however, Tulane students usually take all available positions. Obstetrics and Gynecology accept students from American medical colleges only, due to the large number of applicants. The Department of Surgery and the surgical subspecialties accept a limited number of international students (two per month); however, those departments must review the student's curriculum vitae before making a decision. Therefore, students should make a second choice since positions are so limited.

International students can no longer take Emergency Medicine at Charity Hospital in New Orleans while registered at Tulane. This is a course offered through the Louisiana State University School of Medicine; therefore, LSU requires international students to register through LSU in order to take that rotation. If a student registers through LSU, he/she will not be a Tulane student and cannot be covered by Tulane's malpractice insurance. LSU does not provide malpractice insurance; therefore, the visiting students must show proof of their own personal malpractice insurance before taking the rotation. Tulane cannot include training through LSU as part of your rotations; therefore, if you have a specific number of rotations required at one institution, you will not be able to meet your university's requirements.

Malpractice And Personal Health Insurance

The university provides malpractice insurance coverage for international visiting students, but all students are responsible for their personal health insurance. Upon your arrival, you will be required to show proof of personal health insurance.

The US does not have socialized medicine. If you are injured at the hospital (i.e., needle stick or other exposure to blood borne pathogens), you are not considered an employee, and as a student, you will have to file on your own personal health insurance for coverage of treatment just as our full-time students do.

Housing Information

Upon acceptance, housing is reserved for you at Tulane's Deming Apartments, which is connected to the hospital and medical school by covered walk ways. If you do NOT need housing, please note that in your cover letter sent with application materials. For specific housing information, please email William Couret at wcouret@tulane.edu. If you plan to arrive in New Orleans earlier than your training date, please notify Mr. Couret. Short-term housing is difficult to obtain in New Orleans. Most facilities require at least a year's lease. You can expect to pay approximately $600 per month for housing. Visitors must pay their own living expenses.

Required Attire

During clerkships at Tulane School of Medicine, students are required to wear short white medical jackets, not long ones. Upon arrival, students who do not have one may purchase one in the bookstore of the medical school for approximately $35.00. The Office of Student Affairs has a limited number of white coats which can be "rented" with a five dollar deposit and a ten dollar cleaning fee. The deposit will be refunded when the coat is returned.

Processing Fee And Charges For Rotations

With their application and necessary certification forms, applicants are required to send a $300.00 money order or travelers cheque expressed in U.S. funds, representing a non-refundable application processing fee. Do NOT send cash. Bank checks are acceptable only if they are in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. Bank. This fee must be sent before your application will be processed. Upon acceptance, students will be charged an additional $300 per month for each rotation scheduled. Students from formal exchange programs will not be charged. Once you are accepted, you are expected to pay for the number of months scheduled. If you need to shorten your period of training, you must notify the Office of Student Affairs by email at least two months before your arrival date in order to get a reduction in costs.

Visa Requirements And Procedures

Upon acceptance, the Tulane Center for International Students & Scholars will be requested to mail you a letter which will facilitate your visa application process and inform you of the services that the Center offers to Tulane's international community. At registration time, you will be required to show your B -1 Visitor's Visa and valid Form I-94 ( this will be given to you by the Immigration officals when you enter the USA). International students are not permitted to start clinical training until they comply with these requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you correspond regarding your application, please indicate the dates you requested for study. Your documents are filed according to your date of arrival. If possible, please give an email address on your application so that we can get in touch with you quickly. It is very difficult to send international faxes.