Visiting Clerkship Stipends
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine welcomes students from diverse backgrounds from the Class of 2023 to apply for senior elective rotations during the 2023-2024 academic year. Students will be matched with a faculty and resident advisor during the clerkship to provide mentorship and networking opportunities for rising fourth-year medical students. Students will also be connected with members of the Northwestern McGaw Underrepresented Residents & Fellows Forum.
Based on a holistic review of applications, we provide stipends of up to $1,000 (for students rotating at NMH and Shirley Ryan) or up to $2000 (for students rotating at LCH) to help defray the cost of an away rotation for those qualified students who bring diverse perspectives to our training programs. Considerations include geographic location, those underrepresented in medicine as defined by the AAMC, from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, first-generation college students, military veterans, students with a disability, and anyone committed to addressing health inequities and social determinants of health.
Please contact visitingstudents@northwestern.edu with any additional questions.
Eligibility Requirements
Prospective students for the Visiting Elective Program for Students Underrepresented in Medicine:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Must be pursuing a medical degree at an LCME- or AOA-accredited medical school.
- Must be in their final year of medical school.
- Must be in good standing at their medical school.
- Must have completed all core clerkships in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and surgery.
- Must apply to rotate up to and including Block 20. Block 21 students may be considered pending available funds. Block 22 and all blocks afterwards are not eligible for the stipend.
Application Information
All required visiting student application materials must be submitted via VSAS in addition to this application. This application should be uploaded to VSAS under “Supplemental Documents.” This application must be complete and uploaded to VSAS before you submit your VSAS application. Please note that we cannot consider supplemental applications received after you are notified of an acceptance to an elective.
Students applying for the Stipend are encouraged to apply no less than three months in advance to assure adequate processing time for the supplemental application. Please refer to the visiting students website for further information.
Acceptance
Acceptance to the Visiting Elective Program for Students Underrepresented in Medicine is contingent upon acceptance to the Visiting Student Program for a U.S. Applicant.
Clerkship Testimonials
As a fourth-year visiting student, my month-long rotation allowed me to see just how well-polished the residents were – their leadership, clinical knowledge and skills made me want to train here. I was also able to get a glimpse of the diversity at Northwestern – not only among residents but in the patient population as well. Northwestern is committed to developing initiatives that allow residents to contribute to the recruitment of a diverse campus.”
Nery Porras, MD, Emergency Medicine Resident, '21 GME
I can honestly say the visiting student program is the reason why I chose to attend Northwestern for residency, and receiving the diversity stipend made that rotation possible. The program afforded me the chance to experience firsthand the city of Chicago, the hospital campus and the residency program itself. The stipend also showed me the importance that Northwestern places on recruiting and supporting efforts to improve diversity by putting monetary support directly behind those efforts.”
Courtney Furlough, MD, Vascular Surgery Resident, '22 GME