Agreements, Observational Experiences, International Experiences

Program Letter of Agreement (PLA)

A Program Letter of Agreement (PLA) is a written document that addresses the educational expectations that has been agreed upon by the Program Director and the faculty supervisor at the participating site which residents/fellows have required educational experiences. PLA’s are NOT legal agreements. The purpose of a PLA is to protect the program’s residents/fellows by ensuring an appropriate educational experience as outlined between the Program Director and Site Director is under adequate supervision and meets the educational arrangements.  PLAs are required by the ACGME Common Program Requirements (CPR: section I.B Participating Sites). 

PLA Template (for internal use only)

All PLAs must be submitted to gme@wustl.edu (signed by Program Director and Site Director) for review and approval.

Agreements will not be reviewed/processed from March 1 to August 31. Submissions may begin August 15. Submissions for educational experiences beginning in September must be submitted by February 28. Please allow a minimum of 12-16 weeks for review and approval.

An Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIAA) must exist between the Sponsoring Institution (WUSM/BJC/SLCH) and participating site before a program can develop and initiate an offsite rotation or PLA.

Letter of Agreement (LOA)

A Consortium Letter of Agreement (LOA) is primarily developed for off-site hands-on elective or focused experiences within the United States.  A Consortium LOA is typically developed to cover a particular trainee in one of the GME Consortium training programs who wishes to engage in clinical experiences for a defined period of time (eg: 4 week electives).  The Consortium Letter of Agreement Template should be used to submit a request to generate an agreement.

Consortium LOA Template (for internal use only)

All LOAs must be submitted to gme@wustl.edu upon completion for review and approval.

Agreements and visitors will not be reviewed/processed/onboarded from March 1 to August 31. Submissions may begin August 15. Submissions for educational experiences beginning in September must be submitted by February 28. Please allow a minimum of 12-16 weeks for review and approval.

Visiting Residents/Fellows interested in hands-on elective experience at WUSM/BJH/SLCH

Once Consortium Program Director approval is obtained, the Sponsoring Institution should generate an agreement for Consortium review. WUSM/BJH cannot supply malpractice and will not accept personal malpractice coverage that is supported by trainee. Same rules and deadlines apply as stated above. Visitors will not be allowed from March 1 to August 31.

Observational Experiences

Consortium Resident/Fellow External Observation Experience

External observational experiences may not require an agreement but should be reviewed and approved by GME prior to allowing the experience.  The accepting institution generally provides guidelines for observational experiences. Observational experiences, research opportunities and classroom work must not include ANY hands on clinical experiences with patients.  Licensure and malpractice coverage is generally not needed for these experiences. ALL off-site experiences MUST be reported in New Innovations and appropriately reflect the timeframe and location for approved experiences.

Visiting Resident/Fellow Observational Experience

All requests for visiting resident/fellow observational experiences must be approved by the Program Director of the program of interest. Once Program Director approval is obtained, please notify the BJH GME office (gs-gme@bjc.org). Observational experiences must not include ANY hands on clinical experiences with patients. Visitors will not be allowed from March 1 to August 31.

International Rotation Experiences

Residents and fellows who wish to engage in international rotations can apply by following the steps below. Program Director and GME approval is required. Please direct any questions/comments/concerns to Caline Mattar, MD

  1. Four months prior to anticipated international rotation
    • Program Director must complete the Qualtrics Survey. Documents required with submission:
    • Resident/Fellow must complete the Qualtrics Survey. Documents required with submission:
      • Program Director Endorsement Form
      • Copy of Visa (if applicable)
  2. One month prior to anticipated international rotation
    • Resident/Fellow must complete the Qualtrics Survey. Documents required with submission:
      • Signed Statement of Responsibility
      • Signed Professionalism Agreement
      • Proof of Registration in MyTrips database
      • Proof of health and evacuation insurance enrollment through Geoblue and International SOS. Disclaimer: to obtain coverage for the rotation, residents and fellows are required to signup for Geoblue in the student category.
      • Proof of Completion of the GME Global Health Pre-Departure modules in the WU-Extended Learning Platform. An invitation to the course will be sent after submission of the first Qualtrics form.
    • Program Coordinator must enter rotation information in New Innovations.

After the PLA submission, a formal agreement will be established between GME and the international site. If the resident/fellow is on a visa, additional approvals will be necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact gme@wustl.edu at anytime throughout the process. We are here to help!