VSLO® Program Updates

Last Updated: September 18, 2025

Message from the VSLO Team

Dear VSLO Colleagues, 

It’s been a busy start to the month! We held our Visiting Student Learning Opportunities^™ (VSLO^®) Advisory Committee meeting and are now concluding a week of modernization demonstration and review sessions. We are grateful for the participation of nearly 200 VSLO Home and Host users in these sessions. 

As shared previously, institution users will be able to access the modernized system to review and confirm that their data and institutional user privileges have been accurately transferred prior to students accessing the new system. 

As the launch date for the modernized VSLO software gets closer, we want to share key dates for your awareness:  

• Institution users and students will not have access to the system starting Monday, Nov. 10.
• Institution users will gain access to the new system on Tuesday, Dec. 9.  
• Students will have access on Monday, Dec. 15, contingent upon receiving invitations from their Home institutions.

We look forward to sharing updates about the VSLO program and showcasing the modernized system during our presentation at Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting, taking place in San Antonio, Texas from Saturday, Nov. 1 through Wednesday, Nov. 5. We hope you will join us for the VSLO Service Update on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7 a.m. (see registration information below). We will also be offering daily demonstrations of the new software. Check in at the AAMC Market Square in the Convention Center for the exact timing and location of the demos.   

Thank you, 

The AAMC VSLO Team     

VSLO Program Updates

New Data Retention Policy 

Please be aware of our new VSLO data retention policy as we prepare for the transition to the new system. In the modernized software, institutional users will be able to access three calendar years of their institution’s application data. Institutions are responsible for following their own data retention policies if they need to retain or archive application data beyond the period it is available in the VSLO system. Read the full Data Retention Policy for more details. 

Prior to Monday, Nov. 10, institutional users are encouraged to review the Reports Overview job aid and follow the outlined steps to access and download any data your institution would like to retain outside the three-year calendar window of data available in the VSLO system. 

Watch the New VSLO Modernization Video 

The VSLO program is enhancing its system for institutions and students. This new video highlights some of the modifications that will optimize the experience for everyone. Streamlined, flexible, and transparent. This new VSLO system is coming on line this December. Watch the new video.

Connect with the VSLO Team During our Office Hours 

As your teams meet your academic year milestones, we are eager and ready to support you. We invite you to join us for VSLO office hours where you can bring questions and topics of interest that have come up for your teams over the past academic year, or that you are discussing as you plan for the upcoming season. You can register for VSLO Office Hours on our website. 

The September and October sessions are focusing on the key steps needed to prepare for and take part in the system modernization and specifically, address any questions about preserving your data ahead of the new data retention policy implementation. 

AAMC Resources for Medical Educators

Coaching Learners During Medical School Training: Faculty Reflections on the Coaching Experience 

Research has shown the impact that coaching medical trainees has on the coaches’ professional development and relationships. However, this research has not specifically investigated the evolution of this impact. In a new Academic Medicine article, authors conducted a longitudinal qualitative research study to follow faculty as they developed their role as coaches of medical students during a four-year coaching experience. Read more. 

Additional Articles of Interest

ACALM Releases Guidance on New Licensure Pathways for Physicians 

The Advisory Commission on Additional Licensing Models (ACALM) has released new guidance for state medical boards, legislators, and employers working on new licensure pathways for physicians who have already trained and practiced medicine outside the United States. Accompanying the recommendations is a toolkit to help implement these recommendations. Read more. 

Upcoming Events

NRMP^® Transition to Residency Conference: Changing World, Changing Vision 

Join the National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) at its annual Transition to Residency conference from Oct. 11-12 in Washington, DC at the Westin DC Downtown. The theme of this year’s meeting – Changing World. Changing Vision. – allows attendees to collectively explore how regional and national initiatives are informing and impacting medical education and how undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education are evolving to respond to change. Visit the NRMP conference website to learn more and register.

Registration Open for Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting  

Have you registered for Learn Serve Lead 2025: The AAMC Annual Meeting, taking place in San Antonio, Texas from Saturday, Nov. 1, to Wednesday, Nov. 5? This annual event draws thousands of attendees from across the academic medicine community to connect with thought leaders and spark conversation on critical issues impacting medical education and patient care. Attendees will have access to all programming, including plenary sessions, the Voices of Medicine and Society lecture series, and 110+ breakout sessions. Register now. 

Save the Date: 2026 AAMC GSA-GDI-OSR Joint National Meeting 

Join us from April 16-18, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Florida for the 2026 AAMC Group on Student Affairs (GSA)-GDI-Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) Joint National Meeting. This annual meeting brings together leaders, learners, and professionals dedicated to advancing the student experience and improving the teaching and learning environment in academic medicine for three days of timely engaging conversations, peer-to-peer networking, and more. The call for sessions and poster proposals is open. Submit your proposal before the deadline on Monday, Sept. 22.  

About the VSLO Program

The AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO^®) program enables medical and public health students to pursue short-term learning opportunities in locations away from their Home institutions.

View Program Updates

Contact VSLO Support

We encourage VSLO users to subscribe to our listservs for timely updates and more. Please send us a blank email to join our Global or U.S. Network Listservs.

We appreciate your candid feedback as it helps us identify and prioritize any resource or system enhancements. Please contact the AAMC Support Center or call 202-478-9878 if you have any questions. Representatives are available Monday - Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.