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Guidelines and requirements

  • Applicants must be in their clinical years of medical school and must be fluent in English, however, TOEFL is not required.
  • Elective rotations are 4 weeks in duration and are available to students in good academic standing.
  • The maximum number of weeks a student can rotate is 12.
  • Applications must be submitted no later than 4 months prior to the start date of the elective.
  • Upon acceptance, the remaining required documents by the program must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the student's scheduled start date.
  • Participants in the program must make their own arrangements for housing and transportation.
  • All participating students are expected to wear white coats and dress professionally. T-shirts, open-toed shoes, shorts, etc., are not allowed.
  • Students are encouraged to obtain a B-1/B- 2 visa.
  • Rotations start on the first Monday of every month. Please contact our office for start dates for the months of November, December, and January.
  • FIU encourages the COVID-19 vaccine for all international medical students because of their involvement in patient care. FIU is not mandating that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, some clinical sites require all students to be fully vaccinated before starting clinical activities in their facilities.

Letter of Recommendation (LOR): The letter of recommendation is based on the student's performance. Preceptors reserve the right to write the LOR. It is the student's responsibility to request and follow up on the LOR status with the preceptor. Note that the Office of International Affairs does not assist in this process.
Depending on the preceptor's affiliation, letters of recommendation will have the hospital, medical center, ambulatory center, or private practice letterhead. Note that LOR's will not have FIU's letterhead. However, the LOR will state that the student completed the rotation through the FIU's International Visiting Medical Student program. The preceptors will also include their FIU HWCOM faculty appointment title (ex. Clinical Assistant Professor).

There are two ways for students to receive LOR's:

  1. The student has the option to decline the right to see the letter. In this case, letter is sent to the office. As soon as it is received, student is notified. The LOR will be saved on the student's file for five years.
  2. Preceptors will send letters directly to students.

The Office of International Affairs assists preceptors and students by uploading LOR's to the AAMC's portal on behalf of the preceptor during residency application. Our office also completes certification of elective completion and any other forms needed by the students.
For any further inquiries with LOR's, please feel free to contact our office at int.med@fiu.edu. 

Application process

All required documents must be submitted via email to int.med@fiu.edu.
Please contact us to confirm availability on specific rotations before submitting the application.

All applicants must submit:

  1. Application Form
  2. A curriculum vita/resume
  3. Transcripts
  4. The Clinical Rotation in Miami, FL: What to Expect? Form
  5. A nonrefundable application fee of $300.00 USD. Documents will not be reviewed until the application fee is received. Pay application fee.

If accepted, students must submit:

  1. The International Medical Student Verification Form
  2. Health Statement for International Medical Students
  3. Proof of receipt of the influenza vaccine (required for students rotating between October and March)
  4. Results of a 10-panel drug screen. Applicants may be tested for cocaine, marijuana (THC, cannabinoids), phencyclidine (PCP), amphetamines (including methamphetamines), opiates (including heroin), benzodiazepines (including Valium and Xanax), barbiturates, methadone, propoxyphene, methaqualone (Quaalude), and ethanol (alcohol). Students with positive drug screen results are not accepted d to participate in the program. These students forfeit all payments made to the program/FIU.
  5. International criminal background check ordered through the FIU HWCOM background screening website.
  6. Proof of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) certification
  7. Proof of basic life support (BLS) training certification
  8. Proof of health insurance
  9. One passport-sized photos; proper attire is required in photographs
  10. Copy of passport and visa. These documents must be valid and up to date.
  11. Malpractice insurance. Upon receipt of initial application, more information will be provided.

Application fee and cost of the program

All applicants are charged a nonrefundable application fee of $300.00 USD. Applicants can pay the fee via credit card or wire transfer. The cost of a 4-week clinical elective rotation is $3,000.00 USD. Once the rotation is confirmed, a link and/or electronic wire instructions will be sent.

Cancellation policy

Cancellations must be submitted via email to int.med@fiu.edu . Due to program demand, a penalty of 10%of the program cost will be charged per rotation cancelled. Any cancelations received 59–31 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of 50% of the program cost. No shows and cancellations received 30 days or less prior to the start of the program are subject to the full program cost and no refunds will be given. Please note: cancellation fees are based upon the date the written request is received by FIU.

Additionally, FIU shall have the right to cancel your participation in the program and you will not be eligible for a refund of any program costs, if all required program documents are not submitted at least two (2) weeks prior to your scheduled start date.

Upon acceptance, all scheduled clinical elective dates are final. Any requested changes to the schedule shall result in an administrative fee of 10% of the total program cost. No more than two (2) changes on confirmed electives will be allowed. Program fee is valid for a year from the original payment date.

Clinical electives are subject to change by the Office of International Affairs due to capacity. Students will not be penalized for clinical elective changes made by the Office of International Affairs.

Please note: The University will accept personal checks for amounts due to the University. These checks must be in the exact amount due only. The Student Financials Office will not accept checks above the amount due, third party checks or checks for cash. State law requires that a service fee be assessed on a check returned unpaid by the bank for any reason. Service fees are based on the amount of the unpaid check. Checks for $0.01 - $50.00 are charged a $25.00 fee; $50.01 - $300.00, a $30.00 fee; $300.01 -$800.00, a $40.00 fee; and a fee of 5% of the amount of the check for all checks greater than $800.00. Checks returned by the bank can be redeemed only by cash, cashier’s checks, or money orders. A personal check will not be accepted to replace a dishonored check. If a check is returned from an on-line payment, returned check fines will also be charged as per the amounts indicated above.