Dartmouth Visiting Student Program

Welcome to The Dartmouth Visiting Student Program (DVSP) webpage. DVSP was established to support the educational goals of individuals who have been systematically excluded from medicine, socially, economically, educationally disadvantaged, and others whose backgrounds and experiences diversify our clinical fields. At Dartmouth, we are committed to cultivating and preserving a community that fosters the development of a diverse workforce and an inclusive community that advocates for equity in our workforce and among our patients.

Dartmouth is offering 4th year medical students from LCME accredited schools who are interested in pursuing residency training at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center the opportunity to participate in a four-week clinical rotation in Fall 2024. DVSP is designed to give students from underrepresented communities the experience of rotating at New Hampshire’s only academic medical center and the state’s largest health care system. Visiting Students will attend resident didactics, activities, and conferences, including core curriculum and rotation-based clinical case conferences.

DVSP Program goals

  • Attract trainees/employees from underrepresented communities to academic medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock
  • Enhance the educational experience of Geisel Students, Dartmouth Hitchcock housestaff, and Geisel faculty by increasing interaction with trainees from diverse backgrounds
  • Support medical students who are committed to addressing issues of health equity
  • Provide outstanding care through direct patient care experiences

DVSP Program description

  • DVSP brings students of diverse backgrounds and interests to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock clinics for a 4-week elective or subinternship
  • Clinical opportunities for electives and subinternships include but are not limited to Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Palliative Medicine, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Gastroenterology and Surgery
  • Visiting students will have the opportunity to partner with current Geisel students as well as housestaff and faculty with similar interests
  • Visiting Students will be offered programming in collaboration with Geisel Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement as well as the Dartmouth Hitchcock Office of Graduate Medical Education

Visiting Student Benefits

  • Inclusion in resident didactics, activities, and conferences
  • Mentorship by residents, faculty, and residency program leadership
  • Career guidance and advising by faculty and DH leadership
  • Opportunities for social networking and building relationships with residents, faculty, and DH staff while exploring the Upper Valley

Program details

  • DVSP will award a $2500 expense reimbursement to Visiting Students to help defray the cost of flights, the $200 standard VSLO application fee, transportation, meals, and housing expenses
  • For AY ’24-25, the DVSP program is offering opportunities for students to apply for a spot in one of three separate 4-week blocks:
    • September 23rd to October 18th. Deadline for application submission, Friday, July 15.
    • October 21st to November 15th. Deadline for application submission, Friday, August 12.
    • November 18th to December 13th. Deadline for application submission, Friday, September 9.
  • Housing accommodations may be found through the following:

DVSP will do our best to assist with housing and arrangements, including possibly finding local hosts.

Application Criteria for the DVSP program

  • At the time of the elective or subinternship at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, students must be enrolled in their final year of an MD or DO degree at an LCME-accredited institution or COCA-accredited osteopathic medical school that is located within the United States
  • Applicants must be in good academic standing
  • Applicants must have completed all the necessary requisite core clerkships for the elective or subinternship as determined by each Department
  • Submission of a personal statement in which applicant explains:
    1. Interest and reasoning for pursuing training at Dartmouth Hitchcock
    2. Lived experiences that will contribute to building a more diverse, inclusive community
    3. Academic or clinical background that will enrich the learning of their colleagues and mentors and improve the care provided to patients
  • Applications will also be evaluated within each department where the elective or subinternship resides
  • Applicants will provide a Curriculum Vitae
  • Students will be notified separately via email of acceptance to the DVSP program.
  • In addition, students are required to complete the traditional VSLO process for a visiting rotation, which can be found at: Geisel 4th Year Elective Program.
  • Dual acceptance to both the DVSP program and to the specific receiving department via VSLO is required. Acceptance to a receiving clinical department through the VSLO program does not serve as notification for acceptance to the DVSP program.  Similarly, acceptance to DVSP does not guarantee acceptance by the receiving clinical department. Lastly, acceptance to the program does not guarantee subsequent acceptance to any of the DH graduate training programs for residency.

Students interested in applying may contact the Office of Clinical Education at Geisel by emailing: Clinical.Education.Office@Dartmouth.edu