Visiting Residents

We value the diversity that visiting residents/fellows bring to our program, and we want to make sure that house staff from other institutions have every opportunity to come to Vanderbilt and experience what we have to offer. Visiting rotations are subject to approval by the appropriate Program Director.

Program coordinators working with visiting residents, please see the Program Coordinator Manual.

Instructions for house staff interested in a visiting rotation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

To be eligible for a visiting rotation, you must be in an ACGME-accredited training program and must qualify for licensure or exemption from licensure under the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners requirements, in addition to satisfactorily and punctually completing the requirements outlined below.
Please note this important timeline:

  • The Program Coordinator of the VUMC program with which you desire to rotate must initiate a contract /program letter of agreement process at least 90 days before your desired start date. Therefore, you must communicate with her/him, as well as the Program Director, well before the desired rotation. (If your institution has a preferred format for such contracts and/or requires a PLA, please send it to the VUMC Program Coordinator for receipt at least 90 days in advance for negotiation and final signature.)
  • Your application and supporting documents (items 1-6, below) must be submitted to the Vanderbilt program at least 95 days beforehand (to allow a 90 day processing window). You should submit this information to the appropriate department for approval from the respective Vanderbilt Program Director.
  • You must check in with the GME office in person on day one of your rotation.

To allow a 90 day processing window, you must provide all of the following to the Program Coordinator of the VUMC program at least 95 days in advance of the rotation start date:

  1. A completed and signed visiting resident application - Click here for application. This will need to be approved by the VUMC Program Director. The application requires your NPI number. If you don't have one, you can apply for one at the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) website.
  2. A reference letter from your Program Director stating whether you are in good standing in an accredited training program.
  3. Documentation that your institution will continue to provide your stipend along with benefits, liability and health insurance (can be in the same letter as above).
  4. A copy of your liability insurance policy; the minimum is $1 million per occurence/ $3 million aggregate.
  5. If you are in a residency/fellowship in Tennessee and do not have your own medical license, a copy of the letter of exemption from licensure (your program or GME Office will have this). Note: If you are not in a Tennessee residency/fellowship and do not have full TN medical license, VUMC will request an exemption from licensure for you.
  6. If applicable, a copy of a valid ECFMG certificate and Visa.

    You must complete the following at least 30 days in advance:
  7. Immunization Form. This form must be completed by a healthcare provider other than the perspective visiting resident/fellow and sent to the Program Coordinator of the program with which you will rotate.
  8. Background Check consent. Sterling Talent will contact you with a web link to initiate your background check after the above items are received in our office and approved by the Program Director of the VUMC department in which you wish to rotate. In addition to the standard background check, VUMC will also check your information against the following databases:
    • Office of Inspector General/Excluded Individuals - In order to comply with federal law, VUMC will check all visiting house staff against the Office of Inspector General's list of individuals excluded from federal healthcare programs. Any visiting house staff identified as excluded must be terminated from the visiting residency training program and home institution will be notified.
    • National Practitioners Data Bank (NPDB) - All visiting house staff will be checked against the NPDB.

We hope that you have a wonderful experience while you are here and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Lisa (615-322-4916 or lisa.king-rowan@vumc.org) or our office email (gme.office@vumc.org).