Research Visitor Process
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology actively seeks enthusiastic and dedicated students interested in furthering our mission of improving care through exceptional research.
To better connect student research inquiries with available opportunities within the department, we kindly request that you fill out our Student Research Participation Inquiry Form, which can be accessed below.
Please note that due to the high volume of requests that we receive, we are unable to accommodate everyone. Additionally, due to institutional guidelines we are only able to offer research opportunities in the form of paid positions (if available) or if you are receiving school credit for the experience. This guidance does not apply to WashU medical students. A member of our team will respond within 2 weeks of form submission.
Individuals seeking postdoctoral research opportunities should visit the University’s Career Opportunities website.
Clinical Visitor Process
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology accepts a limited number of individuals per year seeking clinical visitor opportunities, whether as a hands-on experience or observership, through the University’s Visiting Learner process. Clinical experiences may take place in the outpatient and/or inpatient setting, depending on the request. The majority of clinical experiences will be seven days or fewer, however in some cases we may provide opportunities up to eight weeks in length for affiliated students.
Eligibility
The following individuals may be considered for shadowing opportunities within our department:
- High School Students (18+)
- WashU Undergraduate Students
- Undergraduate College Students, other Universities
- Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Students (Affiliated Students)
- WashU and BJC Employees
- International Physician with an Active Visa
Students in a nurse practitioner or physician assistant program seeking hands-on experience for credit must have an affiliation agreement on file to engage in hands-on activities. All other eligible individuals approved for a visiting role will only be permitted to shadow/observe.
At this time we are unable to accept the following individuals for shadowing opportunities:
- High School Students under the age of 18
- International Physicians without an Active Visa
Medical students in their final year from domestic medical schools who are interested in completing a visiting rotation within our department must follow a different process mandated by our Office of Medical Student Education. Please visit our visiting medical student website for more details.
WashU Medical Students interested in shadowing our physicians outside of their assigned clinical rotations, please contact our Education Coordinator Rayna Mittler.
Individuals in an active domestic Graduate Medical Education (GME) training program who are interested in rotating with our residency or fellowship programs must follow a different process mandated by our GME Office. Please visit our visiting residents and fellows website for more details.
Timeframes
Observers for 7 Days or Less
Generally, we will only allow clinical visitors when our medical students are not in the clinical environment. Exceptions may be made under certain circumstances and with prior approval from our team. The timeframes in which we will allow clinical visitors during 2025 are as follows:
- January 1 – January 10
- February 24 – March 7
- April 21 – May 2
- June 16 – July 11
- August 25 – September 5
- October 20 – October 31
- December 15 – December 31
Affiliated Students
Our department may allow a limited number of affiliated students (nurse practitioner, physician assistant) per year. We must prioritize the learning of our medical students, residents and fellows, which limits how many affiliated students we may be able to accommodate per year. Due to the nature of these experiences and the credit hours required, we understand that these experiences would occur outside of the timeframes listed above for general observers. Please submit your rotation dates with your application and our team will be in touch as to whether we can offer a women’s health experience within our department.
Process
Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria listed above may submit a request for a visiting experience by submitting the application linked below. Application processing by our department and Human Resources (HR) takes a minimum of six weeks, therefore applications must be submitted at least eight weeks before the requested start date.
All applications will be reviewed by our department, and the individual requesting the experience will receive an email with notification of acceptance or denial; acceptance is considered as pre-approval for a visitor role. Upon pre-approval, our department will initiate our standard workflow which includes certain paperwork to be completed by the individual and physician preceptor, based on the specific experience requested. All completed paperwork will be reviewed by HR. Individuals are not approved for the visitor role, and therefore cannot engage in the requested activity, until HR provides notification of final approval.
For clinical experiences spanning greater than one week (7 days), a background check and drug screen (BCDS) may be required. The cost for these screenings is approximately $100 and must be covered by the visitor*. The BCDS request will be initiated by HR once all paperwork has been submitted. If the individual has completed a background check or drug screen within the last twelve months, it may be accepted by Human Resources if it meets University standards; please submit any screenings done within the last twelve months with your initial paperwork.
*Employees engaging in shadow/observation activities may not require a new BCDS if the University already has one. If an employee is shadowing for work-related purposes and does not have a BCDS on file with the University, the department may cover the cost of screenings.
Application
Applications will open for 2025 soon!
Questions?
Please contact us at obgyn-clinicalvisitors@wustl.edu.