Registration & Records

The UW SOM Registration and Records team is here to help you schedule your courses and keep you on track to meet your degree requirements.

Please see below for information on specific topics.

Have questions? Ask us! somreg@uw.edu

Coming soon!

Away Rotation Scheduling 2025-2026

Registration & Curriculum held a VSLO webinar on Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 6pm Pacific. Please view the below webinar and slide deck.   

QUICK RESOURCES:

Away Rotations Webinar 2025 – 2026 Slide Deck

Away Rotation 2025-2026 Recorded Webinar

SUMMARY OF THE AWAY ELECTIVE PROCESS

What is an away rotation? Who can take these?

Away rotations — also called away electives, aways, or visiting electives — are short-term courses typically offered at teaching hospitals that are either an AAMC-member institution or have at least one Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited program.

Students who have completed their required Patient Care clerkships may take away rotations.

Should I take an away rotation?

This decision is based on a variety of factors, including your desired specialty, your level of certainty about that specialty, personal factors, etc. Your Specialty Career Advisor can help you determine the best answer for your situation, while your UWSOM Career Advisor can answer general questions about Away rotations. For more information about Aways in the context of specialty exploration and residency application, visit the UWSOM Career Advising Away page.

Am I required to take an away elective?

No. Away electives are not required to graduate.

Can away rotations count toward graduation requirements?

Yes! Away rotations may count for up to four weeks of elective credit toward graduation requirements if approved (see below).

How do I find and apply for an away rotation?

Use the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) Program

 Many – perhaps most – US medical schools, teaching hospitals, and health systems use a centralized application service called the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities Program (VSLO)

    • Find participating institutions – also called host institutions – here.
    • Away electives being offered by participating institutions are listed here.
    • A great starting point for students who are new to navigating the VSLO system can be found here , a step-by-step guide to VSLO is here, and FAQs may be found here.
    • You can sign into VSLO here.
    • For VSLO assistance: call (202) 478-9878 or contact them online.

Apply Directly to Non-VSLO Programs

    • If a medical school, teaching hospital, or health system does not use VSLO, go to the institution’s website to research visiting elective opportunities and to find application instructions.
    • You may also find the Extramural Electives Compendium (EEC) helpful for locating non-VSLO programs.

How Do I Get Credit for an Away Elective?

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Your acceptance of a visiting elective does not automatically add it to your schedule or enroll you in it for credit at UW SOM. You are responsible for making sure any away elective (VSLO, non-VSLO, military, international) gets added to your schedule.

THE DETAILS OF HOW TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR AN AWAY ROTATION ARE HERE. Read and follow directions carefully.

A summary of steps is here.

Visiting Institution Requirements

Host institutions vary in their requirements for visiting students. You may be asked for some, all, or one of the following:

REQUIREMENTHOW TO MEET REQUIREMENT
Compliance Requirements:

Background Check
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Drug Testing
HIPAA Training
Mask Fit
OSHA Training		Some institutions request compliance documents be uploaded directly by UWSOM. The Compliance department will monitor and upload documentation on your behalf that is required from UWSOM automatically.

Some institutions request that you upload your own compliance documents. If so, go to your eValue personal record to locate these documents and upload. You may also download documents from your Castlebranch UW71 Compliance Tracker or your UX54 Immunizations Tracker accounts.

Questions? somcompl@uw.edu
Curriculum Vitae (CV)Review the Career Advising CV resources and make updates using the template provided.

Touch base with Career Advisors at a CV Group Review Session. Sign up here.
ImmunizationsIf you need to upload your immunization record: Follow the instructions here. See the FAQ section under "Immunization Records are required for my clinical site/employer/provider. How do I obtain a copy?" Communicate with the Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) at myshots@uw.edu if you need to update any records in your CastleBranch accounts.

If you need us to sign a form: Fill out your name/clerkship info on the form, then email the PDF to somcompl@uw.edu. SOM Compliance will verify by accessing your CastleBranch account, sign the form, and return the form to you.
Letter of Good Standing (LOGS)For LOGS requests from a VSLO institution that SOM needs to upload: We are usually automatically notified of the need for this in VSLO and will upload as requested.

For LOGS you upload -or- LOGS for nonVSLO programs: Email somreg@uw.edu with the addressee name, title, physical address, and email.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR)Complete a Request for Letter of Recommendation and give it to your letter writer.
Personal Health InsuranceSince UWSOM does not require personal health insurance, you will need to provide that proof if requested by a host institution.
Personal Statement/Statement of InterestReview Career Advising's personal statement resources for assistance.
Transcript

Note: Want us to upload an updated transcript? Follow the same steps.		Order an electronic official transcript. Once logged in to Parchment (the service that provides UW transcripts), set the Delivery Destination as follows:
1. Click "I'm sending to myself or another individual"
2. Select the icon for "Electronic: Delivered by Email"
3. Enter recipient information as follows:
>>>> UWSOM
>>>> somreg@uw.edu
>>>> somreg@uw.edu
4. Click continue.

SOM Registration will upload your transcript once we receive it.

IMPORTANT: Do not order a printed and mailed transcript as these cannot be legibly uploaded.

Tip: Check your unofficial transcript FIRST to ensure it is accurate and up to date.
USMLE Step Score ReportSome programs will accept the score report that you received from the NBME. If they require an official score report transcript from the NBME, visit the USMLE website for instructions.

Note: We are prohibited by the NBME from reporting/releasing scores.

You matched – congratulations! Let the deluge of paperwork begin!

Review the Residency Paperwork Slide Deck from the March 2023 MS 4 class meeting or check out the specifics that apply to you below.

An important first step

You will need to be registered for TTR before any residency paperwork/letters can be generated.

Where did you match?

What you need depends on where you matched.

In Washington state

  • Before graduation:
    • UW SOM Registration sends the Washington Medical Commission a Letter of Expected Graduation.​
    • This is not automatic. YOU MUST COMPLETE the Consent to Release Certification of Expected Graduation before we can send the letter.​
    • DO NOT submit the “Request for Medical School Transcripts” form from the Washington State Department of Health.
  • After your degree is posted:
    • YOU MUST ORDER your final transcript from the University of Washington online here.

Outside of Washington State

  • Paperwork needed varies by state and institution
  • If a form is required, make sure to fill out applicant information and/or signed release if required
  • Forms must be requested using the Residency Paperwork Request Form

Transcripts

Transcripts are ordered from online here from the University of Washington.

Note:  The Office of the University Registrar manages transcripts, and SOM has no control into these processes.

Pro Tip: Check your unofficial transcript on MyUW before ordering to ensure all grades are recorded correctly and your MD is posted. Unofficial copies can be downloaded by MyUW for free.

For most June 2025 grads, the MD will be posted to transcripts during the first week of July.

Forms

Have an out-of-state licensure form? Hospital form? Military completion form? Request using the Residency Paperwork Request Form.

An important note about wording on a form:

  • “Has graduated”: We cannot complete the form until your MD degree is on your transcript (see “transcripts” above).
  • “Has completed all degree requirements for the MD”: We can complete the form provided all grades have been posted and all requirements (course and exams) met.
  • “Is expected to graduate”: We can complete these forms now provided all degree requirements have been scheduled.

Diploma and Diploma Copy

Keep your address current in myUW since your diploma will be mailed to you.

Diplomas for June graduates are typically mailed in the summer.

Note: The Office of the University Registrar manages these, not the SOM. Contact the Graduation and Academic Records office with questions: diploma@uw.edu.

For more information – including how to get Certified Electronic Diploma (CeDiploma) AFTER your paper diploma is issued – go here.

Pro tip: We highly encourage you to get a Certified Electronic Diploma – it’s free!

FAQs

My residency program starts on June 1, 2025, and I need a form completed and returned to them before then. Is this possible?

It depends.  We can verify that you’ve completed requirements once all your grades are submitted to eValue or GradePage, but we can’t verify that you’ve graduated/received the Doctor of Medicine degree until the Office of the University Registrar posts your degree to your transcript in late June/early July.

My residency program can’t wait until after degrees are posted in late June / early July, and need some sort of verification now. What do I do?

UW grade posting and transcript timelines are non-negotiable, so we can provide you or your program a letter confirming expected completion of graduation requirements and/or expected graduation, with estimated timelines if necessary. Request such a letter using the Residency Paperwork Request Form.

I submitted a “Request for Transcripts” form from the Washington State Department of Health but my transcript wasn’t sent. Why?

The Washington State DOH “Request for Transcripts” form is not a valid way to request transcripts. You must order transcripts directly from the Office of the University Registrar instead. Any “Request for Transcripts” forms received by our office will not be processed.

What can I do to help along my residency paperwork?

Make sure you are registered for Transition to Residency in Spring 2025. In addition, you can check your clinical grades on your Clerkship Graduation Audit (this report refreshes overnight). The Clerkship Graduation Audit also tells you if you are on track to graduate. May sure you are checking with your clerkship administrators to ensure you have completed all rotation requirements and final grades are submitted by the department.

Is there a way to expedite getting my diploma, or ordering my diploma to be sent to my residency program?

The UW Graduation and Academic Records Office typically generates Doctor of Medicine diplomas sometime in July or August, but it could take as long as 3 months after graduation. Contact diploma@uw.edu with questions.

Who can I contact for NPI registration?

Check with your residency program.