Urology Medical Student Electives

Overview

We welcome medical students from Baylor College of Medicine and U.S. medical schools to rotate with our department and gain experience in Urology. BCM students can see the M.D. curriculum for foundational and clinical course options. We offer clinical experiences for BCM students through:

  • NICER: shadowing experience in Operating Room and clinic
    • Visit the Blackboard Student Affairs page for instructions and forms
  • Ambulatory Clinical Rotation (ACR)
  • Clinical Electives in Urology
    • Four-week experiences, available after completing core clerkships.
      • MEURL 501 Clinical Urology.
      • MEURL 504 Evaluation & Treatment of Male Reproductive Disorders.
      • MEURL 505 Urologic Oncology.
    • Two-week experience: MEURL 200.
      • Exposure to spectrum of adult urologic conditions and treatments.
      • No course pre-requisites.
      • Ideal option for early exposure during intersession or other opening even during clerkship year.
    • Visit the Course Catalog for details
  • Research Elective in Urology: Four-week experience mentored by adult or pediatric urology faculty

BCM contact: For more information email UroEducation@bcm.edu

Visiting Medical Students

Baylor College of Medicine welcomes U.S. fourth-year medical students enrolled and in good standing to apply for a four-week visiting student elective. The Department of Urology hosts visiting students in summer and early fall each year.  

Students participate in clinical activities and didactic learning with residents and faculty, across our residency sites, with a typical rotation including one week of adult urology at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, one week of pediatric urology at Texas Children Hospital, and two weeks of adult urology at either the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center or Ben Taub Hospital. They are encouraged to participate in weekend or evening call as well during the rotation. They are asked to present a brief presentation to the department in the final week of the rotation.

Full information on procedures and policies can be found on the BCM page for Visiting Medical Students.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, rotations for visiting students in Clinical Urology (course title MEURL 501) will be offered for visiting students in:

  • July 6 – July 31
  • Aug. 3 – Aug. 28
  • Aug. 31 – Sept. 25

Applications will be accepted through the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) system, which the BCM Registrar will make available for students to view on Feb. 23, 2026. Students may begin submitting applications in VSLO on Feb. 27, 2026.

We anticipate reviewing applications and making initial offers by mid-March 2026. VSLO allows 1 week for a student to accept an offer (without exception). We will continue making offers on a rolling basis after that, depending on rotation availability.

The deadline of 45 days prior to rotation start date applies to the requirement for accepting and completing steps in VSLO.

We ask that students apply to all dates they can attend and rank their preference of rotation dates to allow for maximum ability to place students in rotations.

We invite students who are interested to email Ellie Garza and Aqsa Khan at uroeducation@bcm.edu for information and details.

We welcome your signal of interest by email, ahead of the VSLO opening date, but cannot make any decisions or offers outside of VSLO.

Required elements to apply, via VSLO, include 

  • Medical school transcript
  • USMLE score report
  • Brief Letter of Recommendation
  • Brief statement of interest in BCM Urology (one paragraph)
  • Response to having a VA badge (active or inactive) at another VA Medical Center *VA badge not required but access considered for placement across sites.
  • Proof of immunizations, including COVID-19 vaccine
  • Criminal background check
  • Completion of home institution’s core clerkships

You will be asked to rank your preference of months, of the months you apply. We do try to balance students across the months based on multiple factors.

A few key instructions:

  • All students (BCM and visiting) MUST follow the BCM rotation calendar. Students should only apply to blocks for which they know that they will be able to attend the full rotation according to the BCM’s Academic Calendar. No exceptions.
  • For VSLO process and application, prospective medical students should not contact the department/elective coordinator. All inquiries should be directed toward the BCM Office of the Registrar.
  • Once accepted to a rotation, the elective coordinator will be your point of contact for specific instructions and hospital onboarding.
  • All visiting medical students are required to attend Visiting Student Orientation with the Office of the Registrar on the first day of the clinical elective rotation. No exceptions.