The Visiting Observer program is primarily for medical students, residents and medical professionals. Others may be allowed to observe but only in clinics, not in the operating rooms (OR). Additionally, some faculty may be observed only in the OR but not in the clinic, or vice versa. No one under 18 years old is allowed to observe. All observers must be hosted by a specific faculty member in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

Stanford’s visiting observer program only allows one period of observing during a 12-month period and that period cannot be more than 30 consecutive calendar days, total, per year, per person.

Stanford cannot provide visas for visiting observers. Typically, visiting observers come on a visitor visa or a business visa.

Currently there is no fee to be a visiting observer in our department.

Please see a list of clinic locations

Adult operating room (OR): 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, 3rd floor, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Pediatric operating room (OR): Lucile Package Children’s Hospital at 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Visiting observers should confirm with host faculty which location they will be observing at prior to selecting housing.

No, Stanford does not offer any housing for visiting observers and the cost of accommodations is very high. We recommend trying Airbnb.com and vrbo.com to find lodging to rent. Also, there are many nearby hotels but they are expensive. Some housing options are listed on Stanford’s website.

Please visit our faculty webpage and their areas of specialization to determine whom you would like to observe. Then you can request the opportunity to observe them. When you complete the observer request form, you will select a division or divisions and then select faculty member. 

In order to request the opportunity to observe, you must submit this form.

The requested faculty member’s administrative associate will respond and coordinate all the steps of the approval process after the faculty member agrees to host you. The admin associate will explain what forms and medical records are required and manage scheduling. THIS FORM IS A REQUEST ONLY. You will be notified whether the requested faculty member is available to host you.

After being notified that a requested faculty member is available to host you, and your start and end date have been confirmed, all visiting observers must be approved by (1) Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) Compliance Department, (2) receive a medical clearance from SHC Occupational Health and (3) be approved by the clinic and/or operating room in which they will observe. The admin associate for the host faculty will manage all of the steps and will send you another form through which you will provide all the required documents and records.

It typically takes at least four weeks from when a visiting observer provides all the required documents and medical records until a final approval is received.

Proof* of the Following Vaccines Is REQUIRED for Clearance to Observe in Operating Room and Clinics.

*Acceptable proof is a copy of official medical records with observer’s name and birthdate and official stamp or doctor’s logo and date of vaccine or test. All non-English records must be accompanied by a translation. The translation does not have to be “official”.

If the observer is a physician practicing in the USA, they may provide a letter from their institution’s occupational health department listing all the required tests and vaccines.

Please use this link to see a list of required medical records: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_2329yrkst-DcfmgGNE2mZPjZ2XGURHVhC0GoLDdleQ/edit#gid=0