OHSU Hospital is the quaternary care center for Oregon and one of only two level 1 trauma centers in the state. Our fast-paced, high-acuity emergency department offers students the opportunity to work with some of the best residents in the country as well as nationally acclaimed faculty educators. Sub-Interns are assigned a variety of shifts in both the adult and pediatric emergency departments and also take part in student-specific didactic and simulation sessions. They can expect hands-on experience honing their skills with point of care ultrasound, common ED procedures, and taking ownership of the clinical care of emergent patients. Additionally, rotating students who are considering EM as a specialty have the option of being paired with a resident mentor and attending resident-led social events, all while exploring the beautiful city of Portland.  

Visiting students can apply for EMED 709A Sub-Internship in Emergency Medicine. Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) utilizes the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO, previously known as VSAS) to receive visiting MD and DO student applications. For more information regarding VSLO, please visit the VSLO website or contact 202-478-9878.

We do accept requests for days off and will do what we can to accommodate your special needs while rotating. However, the schedule is quite complex with several variables, so requests should be kept to a minimum.

No, EMED 709 is a 4-week rotation with no exceptions. In order to receive the optimal EM experience, and to participate in all of the labs and didactics, we ask that if you are interested in the course that you plan to stay for the full 4 weeks.

No, due to the structure of the rotation we do need all students to follow OHSU's rotation dates in order to participate in all of the events over the duration of the rotation.

Please reach out to our clerkship coordinator Rebekkah Anderson (anderebe@ohsu.edu) to inquire about your specific case. In particular, we recognize that many DO institutions don’t offer a neurology core, so we will waive that requirement if that is the case for your home institution.

Students who complete the EMED 709A Sub-Internship in Emergency Medicine course will be offered an interview with our residency program. Rotating with a sub-specialty such as pediatric emergency medicine, toxicology, or ultrasound does not guarantee a residency interview.

Applications are screened and students are selected based on applicant competitiveness and date/time of application submission (you are at an advantage if you submit your application as soon as we start accepting them). Students who are not initially offered a spot in a rotation are automatically placed on a waitlist, and there is often a fair amount of movement on the waitlist over the following months.

Unfortunately, OHSU does not have housing for students. We can, however, provide students with a list of resources of housing options in the area.

Oregon Health & Science University’s Department of Emergency Medicine is committed to recruiting resilient and diverse student rotators. We recognize the maturity, resiliency, and unique perspectives that students who have experienced significant adversity can bring to a program, and we want to facilitate those students completing visiting student rotations with us. We are therefore pleased to offer the OHSU Emergency Medicine Adversity Scholarship, which is a $1500 scholarship that will be offered to qualified students who are planning to pursue emergency medicine as a career and who have experienced significant adversity in their lives. This scholarship is intended to offset costs of travel and lodging during an EM visiting student sub-internship at OHSU. More information about the scholarship may be found on the OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine Adversity Scholarship page.