Medical Student Eligibility Requirements

(Revised  5/10/2012 

Whether an allopathic, osteopathic, or international student requesting a visiting rotation, medical students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

The student

• is (or will be) a senior student at the time of the rotation(s)
• is a current registered student of
  • a US allopathic school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)
  • an osteopathic school accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or
  • an international medical school whose admission requirements are equivalent to those of US allopathic medical schools*
• has passed the USMLE Step 1 exam or comparable COMLEX 1 exam**
• has been immunized against measles and rubella, has completed the hepatitis b vaccine series, and has taken a TB skin test within the past year
• has both malpractice and personal heath insurance coverage that is in effect while the student is away from that institution
• is currently certified in CPR
• has undergone a recent background check (at their matriculation or more recently) and
• has completed HIPAA compliance and security training.

*The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners determined that it will recognize off shore international medical schools whos admission requirements are equivalent to US allopathic medical schools.  Graduates from off shore international medical schools whose admission requirements are not equivalent to US allopathic medical schools will not automatically be eligible for license, unless they have been licensed in another state.  The UT College of Medicine Chattanooga and its programs have determined that they will only consider offshore international applicants for student rotations or residency/fellowship application whose shools meet these same requirements -- so they would be eligible for medical license in Tennessee after completing residency.  If your school does not meet these requirements, we not consider your application.  Currently four offshore schools have been identified which meet the equivalent admission requirements:  American University of the Caribbean, NOVA, Ross University, and St. George's University. 

**Note:  Some departments will only accept students who have completed USMLE Step 1 (Emergency Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Surgery).  Internal Medicine prefers applicants who have passed USMLE instead of COMLEX.  Pediatrics and OB/GYN will consider applicants who have taken either USMLE or COMLEX; however, only those who have passed on 1st attempt. 

Visiting students must be in good standing in the final year at their home institutions and must be authorized to take external electives. Currently, students who are regularly enrolled in another medical school and paying tuition at that school are not charged tuition at The University of Tennessee for brief elective periods. This policy may change in the future, and the school reserves the right to charge tuition at any time.

Note:  If you school already requires a criminal background check, whether applying via VSAS or our paper application, the UT College of Medicine requires that you submit a copy to Ruby Bland at the main medical school campus in Memphis.  You can email Ms. Bland with any questions about the criminal background check at rlbland@uthsc.edu.  Her phone # is (901) 448-5697, and her mailing address is:

Ruby Bland, Academic Scheduling
UT Health Science Center
College of Medicine
930 Madison Ave., Suite 836
Memphis, TN 38163

If your school does not require criminal background checks and your Dean's Office is not familiar with how to request one, you can go to the following website to obtain a criminal background check for medical students: https://client.verifiedcredentials.com/tnacd/default.cfm.  The visiting student will be responsible for the cost of the background check.  If your medical school is not listed in the drop down list as you follow the directions, select UT Health Sciences Center - Memphis/College of Medicine.