Graduate Medical Education–

Eligibility & Application

Stanford University Medical Center accepts visiting residents from ACGME-accredited programs in the United States and Canada. "Observerships" are not allowed.

Eligibility Requirements

US/Canadian Medical Graduates:

International Medical Graduates:

Application Procedure

Visiting Residents wishing to spend elective time at Stanford Hospital & Clinics or the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital should apply at least one month before the start of their visiting rotation directly to the department or division in which the training will take place. Approval is at the discretion of the department or division. (All Visiting Rotations to Stanford must be a minimum of 2 calendar weeks consecutively).

A letter of good standing* from your residency's program director must be submitted to the Stanford department to which you are applying. The letter must include a statement that your salary and benefits will be covered in full during your stay at Stanford.

You must also submit the following documentation along with the letter:

Stanford Program Directors/Coordinators: Please forward a copy of the letter of good standing, the Program Letter of Agreement, and all other required documentation from the Visiting Residents Checklist (PDF) to the Department of Graduate Medical Education (HC435 / MC:5207) one month prior to the start of the rotation.

Effective January 1, 2008 a fee of $350.00 will be charged to the Stanford Department that submits an application for a visiting resident to the GME Office less than 30 days prior to their start date. This fee is to cover costs incurred by the Department of Graduate Medical Education in processing the application.  

* Visiting residents from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Kaiser Santa Clara do not need a letter of good standing from their program director. All other documentation is required.

Epic Training

All residents visiting Stanford Hospital and Clinics are required to complete online Epic training (Epic is the EMR system used throughout Stanford Hospital and Clinics).

Once the training has been assigned, you will receive an e-mail from Debbie Valdez, in the GME Office, containing further instructions. It can take up to 48 hours after completion of training to gain access to Epic. It is imperative that you complete this training as soon as possible to ensure you are able to access Epic on the first day of your rotation.

If you experience any trouble accessing and completing your Epic training, send an e-mail to

Upon Arrival

You are required to report to the Department of Graduate Medical Education and complete registration forms on the first day of your elective rotation.

The Department of Graduate Medical Education will arrange for issuance of your physician number, access to the on call quarters (if needed), and forward the registration information to Finance in order to qualify for IME payments.

Please Note: You MUST bring your photo ID badge from your home institution and wear it at all times during your elective at Stanford Healtchare. You will not be able to commence the elective without your ID badge. For LPCH appointments, please contact your Program Coordinator for LPCH badging information.

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