The Office of Graduate Medical Education oversees a limited scope Observership Program. The program enables medical students (both domestic and international) and domestic physicians/scientists the opportunity to interact with our experts and observe clinical and educational activities, including various conferences, medical grand rounds, and seminars.

These programs are by invitation only. You must be offered sponsorship by an MSK faculty member to apply. Please note, there is no formal mechanism to pair potential candidates with sponsors.

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

Eligibility

Medical Student Observership Program

To be eligible for this program, applicants must:

• Be actively enrolled in a medical school (International or Domestic). Once 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 3rd or 4th 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 eligible for this 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.

Application Process

Once you have been offered an opportunity to observe a current MSK faculty member, please discuss and select dates for the proposed observership:

• As a reminder, medical students are limited to 10 days per academic year; domestic physicians: up to 3 months maximum
• At least 4 week’s advance notice is required in order to facilitate application review, but a longer advance notice may be helpful in order to facilitate approval well in advance of any required travel arrangements.

The faculty or a member of their administrative staff must initiate the application with GME:

• They must begin the process by submitting the request to the Office 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.

Accepted applicants will receive an email from the Office of Graduate Medical Education confirming their acceptance.

Additional 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. For information about our fellowships, click here. For residencies, click here.
• For information regarding research positions, please see the Sloan Kettering Institute page here.
• For information on “hands on” Medical student opportunities click here
• The Office of Graduate Medical Education does not facilitate opportunities for Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants or any other Advanced Practice Providers. Additionally, GME does not facilitate observerships for undergraduate, high school, or any other student population.
• If you have not been offered sponsorship by a faculty member, we cannot consider your application at this time.

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

For questions regarding information not covered on this pag, please contact [email protected] 

Due to the high volume of requests, we are not able to respond to every inquiry regarding the program, nor accommodate every request.