The Department of Graduate Medical Education’s Observership Programs give medical students (both domestic and international) and domestic physicians/scientists sponsored by a Memorial Sloan Kettering faculty member the opportunity to interact with our experts and observe clinical and educational activities, including various conferences, medical grand rounds, and seminars.

Medical Student Observers are limited to 10 days per academic year. Domestic Clinical Observers are allowed a maximum of three months.

Eligibility

To be eligible for our programs, applicants need to either be actively enrolled in medical school (either domestic or international) or employed as a physician at a healthcare institution within the United States. If you are employed as a physician at a healthcare institution outside of the United States, you may be eligible for our International Clinical Observer program through the Bobst International Center.

Medical Student Observership Program

To be accepted into the program, applicants must:

• Be actively enrolled in a medical school either within the United States or Internationally. If you have graduated from medical school, you are no longer eligible for this program.
• Please note: observerships are entirely “hands-off” and no academic credit is granted. If you are a third or fourth year medical student interested in a “hands-on” experience, please view our medical elective program for visiting U.S. and international medical students.

Domestic Clinical Observer Program

To be accepted into the program, applicants must:

• Have completed their schooling and be a practicing physician, dentist, PhD, or related healthcare professional employed at a healthcare institution within the United States.
• If you are employed as a physician at a healthcare institution outside of the United States, you may be eligible for our International Clinical Observer program through the Bobst International Center.

How to Apply

To apply for either of GME’s Observership programs, you must:

• Contact an MSK faculty member to discuss having them sponsor your visit. You can find the office contact information for a faculty member you wish to connect with on our website. Please call their office phone number to confirm if the sponsor you hope to connect with is accepting observers – they can also provide email addresses.
• Discuss and select dates with the faculty member (medical students: no more than 10 days per academic year; domestic physicians: up to 3 months maximum)

If the faculty member agrees to sponsor your visit:

• They must begin the process by submitting the request to the Department of Graduate Medical Education
• You will then receive an email with an invitation to complete the online application.
• You will be asked to provide basic information as well as upload supporting documentation (including a Health Attestation) as part of your application
• All communication must go through the office of the sponsoring physician – please do not reach out to GME to inquire about the status of your application.

The approval process typically takes 4 weeks, and we may request revised documents. Accepted applicants will receive an email confirming their acceptance to the Observership Program from the Department of Graduate Medical Education directly.

Related Information

• Physicians and dentists seeking formal residency or fellowship training with “hands-on” patient experience must be formally enrolled in a Memorial Hospital Graduate Training Program. Interested applicants must contact the education coordinator in the department of their specialty for information.
• Applicants interested in a Clinical Rotation need to contact the Departmental Coordinator and/or Program Director associated with the training program you are interested in rotating with. For fellowships, click here. For residencies, click here.
• For information regarding research positions, please reach out to either the Department in which you wish to conduct research, a faculty member, or Sloan Kettering Institute.
• Nurse or nurse practitioner observers must apply through the Office of Nursing Professional Development & Continuing Education directly through the Department of Nursing.
• Physician Assistant observers should reach out to the Department of Advanced Practice Providers
• Other licensed professional observers should apply through the department associated with their specialty (e.g., PT/OT students/professionals should reach out to the Department of Neurology)
• Medical students interested in “hands-on” opportunities can check out our Summer Research Fellowship and Elective Program

Please note: Travel, housing, food, stipends, and/or allowances will not be provided for Clinical Observers. The Department of Graduate Medical Education does not provide certificates of completion or verify observerships.

For more information on clinical observerships, please contact [email protected]

Due to the high volume of requests, we are not able to accommodate every request.