3.10: Malpractice Liability for Medical Students

Stanford assumes the financial responsibility for medical malpractice liability incurred by registered medical students when participating in any clinical activities as part of their formal educational program at the Stanford University Medical Center, or at other Stanford-approved medical facilities. However, it is very important that Stanford medical students be certain they are protected when participating in clinical work in special situations. Therefore, students should consult the School of Medicine Registrar’s Office if they will be:

  1. taking a clinical clerkship at another hospital or medical school in the United States while not paying tuition and not registered as a medical student at Stanford.
  2. taking a clinical experience in a foreign country while not paying tuition and not registered at Stanford.
  3. participating in any volunteer clinical work away from Stanford.
  4. working in a private physician’s office.
  5. participating in any clinical activities not at Stanford that are not covered in (1) through (4) above.

Students participating in these activities may not have medical malpractice coverage through Stanford. Stanford reserves the right without prior notice to modify its practices with regard to financial responsibility for medical malpractice liability.

updated August 2023