NEW ELECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
OUM accepted into global network of rotation sites
Oceania University of Medicine students will soon have access to an impressive new set of elective rotation sites thanks to its acceptance into the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities® (VSLO®) program of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The program enables medical and public health students from its affiliated sites to pursue short-term learning opportunities in locations away from their home institutions.
“This is a very exciting development for us because it opens the door for OUM students to do their elective rotations at any of 84 institutions in 30+ countries, including at noted US institutions, like Baylor and Yale,” says Chris Dudley, OUM’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration and Student Affairs.
In joining this prestigious group of global institutions, OUM and TTM Hospital will in turn host students from other medical schools. These elective opportunities may be offered to pre-clinical, clinical, or final-year students, as determined by the host site. OUM/TTM becomes the program’s first South Pacific location. In addition, there are sites in South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the US.
Completing electives through the VSLO program will provide OUM students with opportunities to:
- explore a new geography or specialty,
- gain exposure to different patient populations or cultural settings,
- improve their competitive edge on internship and residency applications, and
- learn about different approaches to healthcare and contribute to the global community.
“We are really excited about this opportunity for our students and the University overall. Once we are officially linked to the VSLO system and trained, we will let everyone know so our students can begin to find rotations,” says Dudley.
An important detail for our students to know: Visiting student rotation slots in Samoa will be assigned on a space-available basis, only after OUM students are placed into their TTM rotations.
“I think that Samoa is going to become a popular place for students from other medical schools seeking rotations. One, for the intriguing location and two, for ‘hands on’ experience that they may not have access to at their home schools,“ adds Dudley.
For more information, visit the VSLO program on the AAMC website and keep an eye on the Moodle Newsfeed.
