Away Rotations & Visiting Residents

Away rotations

Away rotations at SIU School of Medicine are a time limited experience that must meet unique educational goals which are not available at the local sites established by the training program. A program’s training sites are approved by the employing hospitals as an integral and recurring component of the program to meet accreditation requirements, and an agreement or contract has been established outlining the terms of this affiliation. 

There is specific protocol for requesting approval of an away rotation, which is outlined in the Away Rotations / Elective and Required Policy. Complete request packets must be received by OGME a minimum of 4 months before the start date of a proposed rotation. Many receiving institutions require an inter-institutional affiliation agreement. These are complicated, legal agreements that must be vetted by Legal Counsel at SIU School of Medicine and the employing hospital. For residents based in Springfield, the majority of institutional agreements must be reviewed by both Springfield Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. John’s, regardless of the employing hospital, which extends the review time. This process is very time consuming, so it is vital that these agreements be submitted with the initial packet. They will not be vetted through the hospital legal departments until GMEC approves the rotation.

The policy includes definitions of elective versus required rotations. The Springfield hospitals allow up to twelve away elective rotations per academic year for the entire resident body.  Springfield residents are limited to one month total of away elective rotation for the duration of their training contract. Affiliate residents should follow the guidelines of their program in regard to quantity of available elective rotations.

Visiting residents

Occasionally an SIU program will host a resident from an outside program. Read the policy carefully and consult with the Director of GME before making any commitments. Some programs host a standing visitor rotation from a specific institution. In those cases, an Institutional Agreement via OGME is required.

From time to time, departments are asked to provide an educational experience for an individual who has completed medical school but does not hold a medical license. In our system, these learners are considered to be observers (Observership Policy) only and are prohibited from providing any clinical care. They are not residents. Their time at SIU is organized by SIU HR, not OGME. If your department wants to host an observer, you will be consulted to determine whether the program can accommodate an observer without interfering with the appointed residents’ education.