VSLO® Program Updates

NEW: Best Practices for Processing Visiting Student Applications

The AAMC Group on Student Affairs’ Committee on Student Records (COSR) recently sent institutional colleagues best practice recommendations for processing visiting student applications. A letter was also sent to students to share key recommendations for a successful away rotation season. That letter can be accessed on the VSLO Student Resources page.

The VSLO Program Welcomes New Host Institutions

We would like to welcome the following Host institutions, and look forward to their contributions to the robust set of opportunities available to students in the VSLO application service: 

• BayCare Health System 
• Doctors Hospital at Renaissance  
• Intermountain Medical Center  
• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital  
• Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center  
• McLeod Regional Medical Center 
• Memorial Hospital Gulfport  
• Sutter Coast Hospital 
• Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center  
• Willis Knighton Health 

VSLO Student Training Part 1: Application Overview

This one-hour training provides students with an in-depth overview of the VSLO application service. It covers the application process from beginning your elective search all the way through tracking your submitted applications. Watch now.

VSLO Student Training Part 2: Resources, Data, and Next Steps

This one-hour training provides students with an overview of VSLO resources and data, addresses common student questions, and guides students through tasks and scenarios they may encounter in the VSLO application service. Watch now.

VSLO^® Applicant Checklist

This resource will help applicants keep track of tasks they need to complete while applying to electives in the VSLO application service.

VSLO Student Infographic

The VSLO student infographic provides information to assist students (and advisors guiding students) through the process of developing individual away rotation strategies. The infographic illustrates a range of data points, including specialty data, average time between application submission and elective start dates, cadence of student and Host institution activity in the VSLO application service, and more. 

Explore more VSLO student resources on our webpage.

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Message from the VSLO Team

Dear VSLO Colleagues,

We enjoyed connecting with many of you last month at the 2026 AAMC Group on Student Affairs (GSA)-Group on Collaboration, Engagement, and Community (GCEC)-Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) Joint National Meeting, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Educating Leaders 2026 annual conference, and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) meeting. 

At these conferences, we shared early-season data on student activity in the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities^™ (VSLO^®) application service. March 2026 stood out with18,000 applicants, marking the highest monthly applicant volume in the program’s history. MD and DO student activity has remained consistent for several years, with MD students applying to an average of nine unique electives, and DO students applying to an average of 15 unique electives.

In this phase of the application season, Home institutions have released student applications, and Host institutions are now reviewing and making decisions on those applications. We would like to remind Host institutions of the importance of making decisions and informing students in a timely manner. When notified promptly about Host decisions, students can make more strategic decisions about their next career steps. The VSLO Program Updates section below provides links to job aids you may find useful during this busy season. Thank you for your personal and professional commitment in ensuring a smooth and success away rotation application season.

Finally, we would like to inform the VSLO community of an upcoming leadership transition. Robin Carle, senior director of the VSLO program, will be leaving the AAMC at the end of May. We would like to thank Robin for her years of commitment to improving the VSLO program, and we extend our best wishes to her as she embarks on the next phase of her journey.

The core VSLO team will remain unchanged, but Dana Dunleavy, PhD, senior director of Career Exploration Services and Selection R&D (ddunleavy@aamc.org), will lead the VSLO program moving forward. Dana has worked with the transition to residency community for more than a decade. She has led innovation in the Electronic Residency Application Service^® program, Careers in Medicine^® program, and the Residency Explorer^™ tool – and she’s excited to have the opportunity to work with the VSLO team and all of you. 

Sincerely, 

The AAMC VSLO Team

VSLO Program Updates

VSLO System Modernization 

We are still working towards the fall 2026 launch of the modernized VSLO system. There will be ample training opportunities for you to familiarize yourself and your teams with the new platform ahead of the next away rotation season. Stay tuned! 

Host Institution Tips for Processing Applications 

As Host institutions review and process incoming applications, the following job aids may be helpful. They highlight important actions and timely references, including: 

Requesting a Resubmission of a Requirement: This job aid provides instruction on how to request that a requirement be resubmitted.  

Editing a Decision: This job aid provides instruction on how to edit a decision on an application. 

Host Application Statuses Glossary: This document provides a glossary with definitions of the various statuses displayed to Host institution users.   

Reports Overview: This is a summary of the reports available in the VSLO application service. 

Reminder that Puerto Rican Medical Schools are U.S. LCME Accredited 

As Host institutions begin processing applications, we want to remind you that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and the following four Puerto Rican medical schools are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education: 

• Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine
• San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
• Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine
• University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine   

Students at these LCME accredited medical schools are eligible to apply for electives offered in any U.S. Network catalogs open to their medical schools. 

Submit Your Opportunities to the Visiting Scholars Resources Database 

We invite institutions with research opportunities (not eligible for listing in a Host institution’s catalog) and those offering unique academic, professional, and financial resources for visiting students to submit their opportunities to the Visiting Scholars Resources Database. Submit your opportunities and resources. 

AAMC Resources for Medical Educators

AAMC and ELFI Announce New Collaboration to Support Medical Student Borrowers 

The AAMC and ELFI have announced a collaboration, the MedLoans^™ borrower benefit program, to support medical students facing urgent education funding gaps. This initiative comes in response to recent federal legislation that significantly reduced the amount of federal loans available to medical students, creating new challenges for many aspiring physicians pursuing careers in medicine. 

U.S. Physician Workforce Data 

The U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard provides the most current data available about the physician workforce across specialties in a series of interactive dashboards. The U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard combines data previously published in two separate AAMC workforce studies reports, Physician Specialty Data Report and State Physician Workforce Data Report. Access the reports. 

Upcoming Events

Using Restorative Practices to Navigate New Realities in Academic Medicine (IDEAS) 

Staff, students, and faculty are routinely stepping away from our institutions for leaves of absence. Whether attending to personal matters or addressing an academic or professional lapse, they typically return to work or school with very little opportunity to either reconnect with their peers or reorient to the demands of their roles. Reentry and reintegration processes grounded in restorative practices offer impactful, sustainable, and humanistic practices that transform the way people step away from and return to our communities.

This webinar will describe the restorative framework for reentry and offer some concrete actions for establishing values-aligned practices for bringing people back into our institutions. Register now.

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 AAMC Support

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.