Visiting Students

Duke University School of Medicine requires an approved affiliation agreement with your home institution to allow for participation in the visiting physician assistant student program and is required to be approved prior to application to the physician assistant student program. All requests to establish said agreement must be submitted by an appropriate home school representative only, via email, to Kate Holeman Visiting Student Coordinator, Physician Assistant Program, kate.holeman@duke.edu. The request should include the following:

Official Name of Institution
Location of Institution
Length of Program
Compelling educational reason to establish agreement
Home Representative and/or Institution contact information

Note: The affiliation agreement is the controlling factor for participation in the visiting Physician Assistant Program at Duke University School of Medicine. 

At this time, we are unable to accept requests for establishing affiliation agreements with international institutions, and any programs with the following accreditation status: probation and/or provisional.

The Visiting Physician Assistant (PA) Student Program enriches both the Duke University School of Medicine (SOM) and visiting PA students. Approved visiting PA students from an accredited PA Program may enroll in clinical rotations at Duke University SOM for a maximum of 4 weeks. Enrollment in preclinical courses is not available to visiting PA students. The Clinical Coordinator from the home PA Program should contact the Duke PA Program Coordinator (919-681-3161) prior to submission of any application to discuss course(s) desired, proposed dates and preceptor identification to determine feasibility.

Duke PA Program Application Requirements

• A completed Visiting Physician Assistant Student Application form
• A curriculum vitae or resume
• A letter from the student stating compelling educational reasons to pursue study specifically at Duke and not within the home program’s community/region, the preferred rotation of student, the preceptor who has been identified, and the proposed dates of attendance which are required to adhere to the Duke academic calendar
• A letter of recommendation from a Clinical Coordinator with whom the student has worked. The letter should discuss the student’s clinical abilities and compelling educational reasons for studying specifically at Duke University SOM. If the home program is non-North Carolina based, the letter should address how the requested clinical experience will be unique and could not be obtained in the home program’s community/region.

Documents must be submitted to the Duke PA program a minimum of 90 days prior to the start of the requested rotation. 

If the Duke PA Program determines that the requested clinical rotation meets criteria for a visiting student rotation and there is sufficient availability, the student must provide additional application materials to the Duke University School of Medicine Visiting Student Coordinator in the Office of the Registrar for the SOM. This must be completed within a minimum of 90 days in advance of the proposed rotation. Application and all supporting documentation is to be submitted electronically to the Visiting Student Coordinator.

Please use the link below to submit the application:

Duke Physician Assistant Program - Visiting Student Application Submission Form

Office of the Registrar in the School of Medicine Application Requirements

Visiting PA student applicants are required to provide the following documents electronically, and as a complete packet, to the Visiting Student Coordinator, at least 90 days prior to the proposed rotation at Duke:

• A curriculum vitae or resume;
• Visiting Physician Assistant Student Application
• Letter of support from home program Clinical Coordinator
• Proof of professional liability coverage in the amounts as stipulated in the approved affiliation agreement with the home institution and which provides coverage in the US. Please have the home institution provide a copy of the Certificate of Insurance/Liability Coverage. Should your home school be unable to provide this coverage or meet the minimum coverage requirements per the approved affiliation agreement, DO NOT apply, as we cannot review or accept an application that does not meet these specified limits.
• An OFFICIAL transcript from the home program;
• Proof of Universal Precautions (OSHA) training (photocopy of certificate or statement from home medical school);

This agreement is required to be approved and in place prior to application as a visiting physician assistant student. Note that the affiliation agreement process can exceed 3 – 4 months.

All applicants who are approved and scheduled for an elective(s) will be required to have all participation requirements cleared no later than 15 days prior to the approved elective start date.

Immunizations, Background Check, and Drug Test via DISA Healthcare:

Criminal Background Check
11 Panel Drug Screen - Test must be done at a LabCorp Facility
Duke University Mandatory Immunization Requirements
Current Influenza Immunization
Current BLS (Basic Life Support)

Training Modules:

Students will be required to complete training modules for the Duke Health System in the LMS and OESO systems.

Registration Fee:

Students are required to pay a Registration Fee. Domestic Students are charged $300.

Transcript Request Form:

Students must complete the Duke School of Medicine Transcript Request Form. This will allow Duke School of Medicine to provide the student's home school a copy of the Duke School of Medicine Transcript and Duke School of Medicine Evaluation Form for the students time here.

Parking Pass:

This is not a requirement but if a Visiting Student chooses to have a vehicle on campus, then the student will have to purchase a parking pass for the designated lot. The price for the pass changes yearly. The current price is $110.50 and will be raised in August. At this time the new price is not known.

These requirements will also be referenced in the acceptance letter and email provided to approved and scheduled students along with Duke specific information on how to establish your profile with CastleBranch.  All costs for these required services via DISA Healthcare are the responsibility of the approved visiting student.

Visiting students are required to follow the Duke elective calendar:

March 1 – March 25, 2027

March 29 – April 22, 2027

May 31– June 24, 2027

June 28 – July 22, 2027

Emergency Contact Information

Blood/Body Fluid Exposure Hotline: On Site 115, Off Site 684-8115(e.g. needle sticks)

Policy for Medical Student Exposure to Infectious and Environmental Hazards

https://duke.box.com/s/pnwplelv7y5zs5sja64cyhdc0ed3ucji

Duke Police Department: 684-2444

Emergency from Duke Phone: 911

Severe Weather Policy for School of Medicine

The School of Medicine will handle the cancellation of classes in the following manner:              

All School of Medicine students will follow the Provost's decision in regards to cancellation of classes. If classes are canceled, students should not report for any medical school activities (classes, labs, clerkships, clinical assignments, etc.)  Course directors, mentors, and faculty are aware of this policy so that individual decisions should not be made.

These decisions can be determined by calling 684-4636 (INFO) or by visiting the School of Medicine, Office of the Registrar’s website, registrar.mc.duke.edu, and the DukeAlert site, http://emergency.duke.edu.

Please note that 684-INFO and http://emergency.duke.edu are considered the official communication for inclement weather announcements. 

Internship Interviews

It is the recommendation of the School of Medicine that a student miss no more than three days in any four-week course/clerkship/elective. It is, however, at the discretion of the course instructor to determine the number of allowable days a student can miss for the purpose of interviewing. The student must give the instructor of the effected course sufficient notice of his or her intention to be away for an interview so that a mutual determination can be made as to the best time to be absent. This ensures that the learning experience in that course is in no way jeopardized. Students must confer with the instructor to complete missed time and work in a timely manner. Students must complete missed time within the same semester that they were enrolled in the course in which they are making up time. 

Shadow or Observer Experiences

Duke University School of Medicine does not have an established program which permits periods of shadowing and/or observership for medical students or medical graduates. Experiences such as or similar to shadowing and/or observership for a medical student or medical graduate may be possible, but would be approved and coordinated through a specific department (ie: Pediatrics, Medicine, etc). You may wish to contact the department in which you have interest to inquire of such opportunities. You will find contact information for departments on the Academic Departments, Centers, and Institutes page.

Communication

Email is the official mode of communication for the visiting medical student program. Notification of application acceptance and/or denial will be provided via email. Official acceptance letter and supporting documentation will be provided via email notification to all approved and scheduled students. Failure of approved visiting medical students to provide requirements by stated deadlines stipulated in the letter of acceptance and/or email acceptance notification will be withdrawn from the scheduled elective(s) and the visiting medical student program. 

Application approval does not assure that elective scheduling will be confirmed, nor does it assure that you will be placed in your preferred elective(s) as all scheduling is contingent on space availability.  Elective scheduling for approved visiting medical students will take place only after registration for the same elective period(s) has been completed for Duke medical students.  Registration periods are subject to change and as such, may result in a delay of scheduling for approved visiting medical students.  Applicants should direct questions to the Visiting Student Coordinator., Kate Holeman

Duke Technical Standards: Approved and scheduled visiting medical students are expected meet Duke Technical Standards as outlined in the Duke University School of Medicine Bulletin.

Visiting medical students are expected to adhere to the same rules, guidelines and Professional Code of Conduct as Duke University School of Medicine degree candidates. 

Duke University prohibits discrimination and harassment and provides equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex or age. Duke’s non-discrimination and harassment policies can be found at  https://web.duke.edu/equity/harassment.html

Off-campus housing website: https://offcampushousing.duke.edu/

DukeList: www.dukelist.duke.edu

RotatingRoom: www.rotatingroom.com

Visiting Student Program Coordinator: Kate Holeman, kate.holeman@duke.edu

The goal of Duke University SOM is to educate health profession students in an environment that provides mutual respect between student and teacher, psychological safety, and learner support, while maintaining the highest standard of professionalism to allow the delivery of patient centered care and research. We are committed to creating and maintaining a positive learning environment for all learners that is respectful and appropriately attentive to their learning needs and free from retaliation by teachers, peers and any SOM/health care professionals and staff that could be interpreted by learners as mistreatment. Please use the following link to report any mistreatment Learning Environment and Well-Being.