- Professional Service
VSLO® Program Updates
VSLO Modernization for the 2025-2026 Season
The AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) program is enhancing its system for institutions and students. These modifications—based on user-feedback—will optimize the experience for everyone.
With these modifications, Host institutions can now make electives visible within an open catalog, increasing transparency and flexibility for Home and Host institutions and helping applicants better develop their away rotation strategies. Host institutions will also be able to see one application for all date requests for an elective versus multiple separate applications, streamlining the application review process.
Streamlined, flexible, and transparent. This is the new VSLO system.
VSLO System Modernization Update
Our scheduled system outage is currently underway as we work to migrate institution data to the new VSLO platform. Due to the complexity of the data transfer, we have made the necessary decision to delay the new VSLO system launch to ensure the best performance for our users.
Key dates for your awareness:
- Institutions will gain access to the new system on Monday, Jan. 12 at 11 a.m. ET.
- Students will have access on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. ET, contingent upon receiving invitations from their Home institutions.
If you have students with applications or elective offers impacted by the current transition, our team can assist them with identifying the appropriate contacts at Host institutions. For any offers that may have expired during the transition, Host institutions will be able to re-send offers beginning the week of Jan. 12.
The AAMC VSLO team and our IT partners are working tirelessly to prepare for a successful launch in the coming weeks, and we are confident you will experience an improved platform able to deliver exceptional support to the community.
The VSLO team will be here to support you with training, job aids, office hours, and timely resources during this transition. Please see our FAQ page for additional information.
VSLO System Modernization Training for Institutions
Visit the Demonstrations and Training for Institutions webpage to register for live Home and Host institution modernization system training.
VSLO Program Bulletin
Last Updated: December 18, 2025
Message from the VSLO Team
Dear VSLO Colleagues,
As we shared with you last week, the new Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) system is now scheduled to launch Monday, Jan.12 for Home and Host institution users. Additionally, students will have access beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20 if they have received an invitation from their Home institution. Please bookmark the VSLO Program Updates page to access all details in preparation for this transition.
We encourage you to review our training dates and register for the sessions that best fit your schedule. The first training will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and will consist of 60-minute sessions highlighting key updates and new features in the modernized VSLO system. We will be offering three types of training opportunities for institution users based on their institution’s role(s):
- Home Institution Training: Modernized VSLO System Training
- Host Institution Training: Catalog Management in the Modernized VSLO System
- Host Institution Training: Application Processing in the Modernized VSLO System
In addition to institution training, we will also be hosting two student training sessions to review the modernized VSLO system. Please save the dates for the student training events, which will be held on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. ET and Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. ET. Registration information will be posted later this month on the VSLO Student page. We hope you will encourage your students to join both of these trainings.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the VSLO program. Happy holidays and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year. We are excited to continue our work together in 2026!
Thank you,
The AAMC VSLO Team
VSLO Program Updates
New Student Requirements Resource to Prepare for Applications
We created a requirements resource document that contains Host institutions’ requirements from academic year 2024-25 catalogs in the VSLO system for students to reference prior to their system access beginning Jan. 20. A few notes about this resource:
- Students can filter by “State” and “Institution Name” to view a Host institution’s requirements from the previous academic year.
- Elective-specific requirements are not captured in this resource.
- The data is provided as a guide to assist students; Host institutions may modify or add other requirements to their catalogs in the upcoming season. Students are encouraged to confirm these requirements once invited to access the new VSLO system.
Students who have not yet received an invitation to the VSLO system can only access this new requirements resource through this link.
This resource was emailed to institutions and students on Thursday, Dec. 11.
AAMC Resources for Medical Educators
Academic Medicine: The Landscape of Transition to Residency Courses in the United States: Results of a National Survey
This study examined the current landscape of transition to residency (TTR) courses in the United States. Most medical schools have a TTR course, but aspects of the course vary. Future directions to improve the national TTR experience include the creation of standardized content, validated assessments, and collaborative research examining the impact of TTR courses on interns and the programs to which they match. Read more.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, Jan. 13: Webinar on Navigating Away Rotation
The VSLO program is collaborating with the AAMC Group on Student Affairs to host a webinar, Navigating Away Rotations: Understanding the Advantages and Maximizing the Benefits, on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET. Away rotations play a major role in specialty decisions for medical students, yet the process can be overwhelming for both students and Home institution advisors. This webinar will offer practical insights into choosing, preparing for, and making the most of your away rotations. Panelists will describe key advantages of completing away rotations and share tips for planning, selecting, scheduling, and succeeding in your away rotations. Register now.
Save the Date: 2026 AAMC GSA-GCEC-OSR Joint National Meeting
Join us from April 16-18, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando for the 2026 AAMC Group on Student Affairs (GSA)-Group on Collaboration, Engagement, and Community (GCEC)-Organization of Student Representative (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. Stay tuned for registration details.
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.
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.