Hello,

I was wondering how doing your CORE rotations at U.S. medical schools (ACGME accredited, but non-affiliated hospitals, of course) would affect your ability to obtain licensure in CA (one of the hardest and most particular states) or any other state? This isn't a question that has been brought up at all on this forum, as I guess most U.S. medical schools won't accept Carribbean students for CORES, but I still would like to know. As well, is there a list of current ROSS affiliated hospitals, including ACGME sites available to download? Thanks.

-Sony (happy Ross student)

Yes, cores can be completed outside your schools networks. I verified this with the Medical Board of California Foreign Medical School Liason, Pat Park. There are some rules regarding licensure so do your research carefully. Since you are inquiring about California, I will paste their law onto this post. Sorry this may be long. Also, Ross does allow students to do cores outside their network if you know of a hospital that will let you.

Taken from the Medical Board of California Business and Professions Code Section 2089.5 CA Codes (bpc:2080-2099)

2089.5. (a) Clinical instruction in the subjects listed in
subdivision (b) of Section 2089 shall meet the requirements of this
section and shall be considered adequate if the requirements of
subdivision (a) of Section 2089 and the requirements of this section
are satisfied.
(b) Instruction in the clinical courses shall total a minimum of
72 weeks in length.
(c) Instruction in the core clinical courses of surgery, medicine,
family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and
psychiatry shall total a minimum of 40 weeks in length with a minimum
of eight weeks instruction in surgery, eight weeks in medicine, six
weeks in pediatrics, six weeks in obstetrics and gynecology, a
minimum of four weeks in family medicine, and four weeks in
psychiatry.
(d) Of the instruction required by subdivision (b), including all
of the instruction required by subdivision (c), 54 weeks shall be
performed in a hospital that sponsors the instruction and shall meet
one of the following:

(1) Is a formal part of the medical school or school of
osteopathic medicine.
(2) Has an approved residency program in family practice or in the
clinical area of the instruction for which credit is being sought.
(3) Is formally affiliated with an approved medical school or
school of osteopathic medicine located in the United States or
Canada. If the affiliation is limited in nature, credit shall be
given only in the subject areas covered by the affiliation agreement.

(4) Is formally affiliated with a medical school or a school of
osteopathic medicine located outside the United States or Canada.
(e) If the institution, specified in subdivision (d), is formally
affiliated with a medical school or a school of osteopathic medicine
located outside the United States or Canada, it shall meet the
following:
(1) The formal affiliation shall be documented by a written
contract detailing the relationship between the medical school, or a
school of osteopathic medicine, and hospital and the responsibilities
of each.
(2) The school and hospital shall provide to the division a
description of the clinical program. The description shall be in
sufficient detail to enable the division to determine whether or not
the program provides students an adequate medical education. The
division shall approve the program if it determines that the program
provides an adequate medical education. If the division does not
approve the program, it shall provide its reasons for disapproval to
the school and hospital in writing specifying its findings about each
aspect of the program that it considers to be deficient and the
changes required to obtain approval.
(3) The hospital, if located in the United States, shall be
accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, and
if located in another country, shall be accredited in accordance
with the law of that country.
(4) The clinical instruction shall be supervised by a full-time
director of medical education, and the head of the department for
each core clinical course shall hold a full-time faculty appointment
of the medical school or school of osteopathic medicine and shall be
board certified or eligible, or have an equivalent credential in that
specialty area appropriate to the country in which the hospital is
located.
(5) The clinical instruction shall be conducted pursuant to a
written program of instruction provided by the school.
(6) The school shall supervise the implementation of the program
on a regular basis, documenting the level and extent of its
supervision.
(7) The hospital-based faculty shall evaluate each student on a
regular basis and shall document the completion of each aspect of the
program for each student.
(8) The hospital shall ensure a minimum daily census adequate to
meet the instructional needs of the number of students enrolled in
each course area of clinical instruction, but not less than 15
patients in each course area of clinical instruction.
(9) The division, in reviewing the application of a foreign
medical graduate, may require the applicant to submit a description
of the clinical program, if the division has not previously approved
the program, and may require the applicant to submit documentation to
demonstrate that the applicant's clinical training met the
requirements of this subdivision.
(10) The medical school or school of osteopathic medicine shall
bear the reasonable cost of any site inspection by the division or
its agents necessary to determine whether the clinical program
offered is in compliance with this subdivision.

When you do your rotations at "non-affiliated" sites, Ross actually creates an affiliation with them (albeit possibly temorary). THEN they aren't un-affiliated anymore.

-M

__________________
MitchDC/MD
RUSM 2006 Graduate

thanks tennisman and mitchdc. this is all very interesting! actually, i read on the student copy of the hospital list for Ross that we may not participate in any core rotations at any non-affiliated hospitals in Florida. does this include the ones that Ross "temporarily" creates? Is this set in stone and can anyone shed some light on why this is?

is it true we can't do cores at non-affiliated hospitals in florida? what about pennsylvania?

the florida rule is not new.... but merely newly enforced by the state. this rule is even for 4th year electives. any hospital in florida will not let you rotate for even an elective if there is no affiliation agreement.

__________________
Dr. Scott
Internal Medicine
PGY-2

VMD Moderator

but if you set up the agreement? it needs to be an individual one for EACH student..

and its state law in PA - foreign students can't rotate through any hospitals there

__________________
Research[x]....Night Float [x]
Procedures[x]......Radiology[x]
Vacation[x]......VA wards []
Night Float[x]..Renal []
CCU [x]..........Halfway to PGY-3!! []

same in tx...you cant do cores at non affiliated hospitals...im not sure about electives

__________________
If you want to do something, then you will find a way.
If you want to do nothing, then you will find an excuse.

You can do electives at some of the hospitals in Texas. Check out the website for the school you're interested in and look under "Visiting students". Most will let international students rotate for electives.