How to Upload Board Scores to Vsas

By Vamsi K. Kancherla

As your clerkship yr comes to an end, you lot may have considerable difficulty deciding upon your career choice and may elect to practice some rotations during your 4th twelvemonth at your home establishment. This, however, doesn't tell you much about how your residency experience will exist at another establishment. Below, we will review the main reasons for why medical students practise 4th year clinical "away" electives, draw the office of the Visiting Pupil Awarding Service (VSAS), and outline the timeline for setting these upwardly.

It is important to stress that regardless of the reason(s) for spending a month at another institution, these are in a sense "audience" months (i.e., a 30 twenty-four hour period interview). It is imperative to be on your best behavior and highlight your strengths at all times. When you get out, they should miss you!

What are the advantages?

1. If y'all are interested in going to a specific institution or region of the U.South., it may benefit you to spend a month at that institution so that yous can demonstrate your intelligence, motivation, and enthusiasm.
2. Sure specialties accept become incredibly competitive and have thus led many students to exercise "audition" months at schools on par with, beneath, and/or above their academic credentials. This happens most frequently in Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, ENT, Urology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, and Dermatology. This strategy is often employed to recoup for academic deficiencies (such every bit low lath scores and/or poor 3rd year grades).
3. Going to some other establishment or ii can allow you to be better informed about a specialty. Your impression of orthopedics or pediatrics at institution "x" tin can be very different from that of a different establishment. It is important to realize that residents, kinesthesia, institution facilities, etc. can sway your stance about a specialty. Hence, a second or third exposure tin either refute or confirm your gestalt.

What is the disadvantage?

1. Performing poorly, even if you look bully on paper, does not bode well for matching at that program. It is imperative to consider how yous have done clinically on your previous rotations and enquire yourself "am I okay with exposing myself to other programs?"

The VSAS is a "common application" service that allows medical students to apply for these audience months at other schools. This service reduces paperwork and streamlines the decision making process betwixt the student and host institution.

The following outlines the application procedure:

• Asking VSAS Authorizations: Ask the academic office at your medical schoolhouse who handles this process. That individual will provide you lot with the potency to begin your application.  Each authorization equates to one away elective. You can asking more than one if you choose (upwardly to a limit that is pre-adamant by your medical school).
• Next go to the VSAS "Institutions" tab to review which institutions you lot are interested in. Each school will have application requirements, fees, deadlines, etc.
• Consummate and Certify your VSAS Profile
• Upload & Assign Supporting Documents: This volition include a photo, CV, Immunization records (these are uploaded later applications are submitted through VSAS), and transcripts (your school will upload).  Supplemental documents: students may upload other supporting documents, or there may be additional documents the host institution volition require you to consummate.
• Employ to Electives: Use the VSAS search class to determine which electives you are interesting in applying for. Y'all will have to arrange them in order of preference at each institution.  At the cease, you will take to enter your credit bill of fare data and submit your application.  You pay for each institution, non each constituent. Beneath are the VSAS fees

$35 1st establishment fee
$15 2nd establishment fee
$15 tertiary institution fee
$65 TOTAL fees

• Your medical schoolhouse will verify your application before it is released.
• Tracking: You can have/decline offers, change your application, driblet accepted offers, or withdraw your awarding.  Make certain to check your email often every bit you will receive correspondence virtually the progress of your application.

It is important to understand that not all schools participate in VSAS. If yous are interested in a school that doesn't participate in the plan, you should search online for contact information for the residency program coordinator at the institution of interest. They typically will be able to provide you with their application, requirements, deadlines, etc.

The optimal time to remember nearly "abroad" electives is around January-February of your third year. It would benefit yous to become bones paperwork (immunization records, photograph, CV) together by early on Jan so that your application can be submitted in a timely style. The ultimate goal of VSAS is to assist y'all visit other institutions and then that y'all can become more informed about your career pick and maximize your chance for a successful friction match.

Bibliography

https://world wide web.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/about_vsas/

https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/faqs/

https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/119290/article_for_host_institutions.html

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Source: https://firstaidteam.com/2012/03/23/visiting-student-application-service-vsas/

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