For Visiting Observers
Stanford does not provide a visa for visiting observers. Typically, they come on a visitor or business visa.
Currently there is no fee to be a visiting observer in our department.
Stanford does not provide housing for visiting observers.
Our visiting observer program only allows for a period of no more than 30 consecutive calendar days, total, per year, per person.
Many individual faculty members in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery are willing to host doctors and medical students to observe their work with patients in clinics and in the operating rooms.
The prospective visiting observer needs to contact a department faculty member directly to request the opportunity to observe, providing an explanation of their interest. If the faculty member agrees to host a visiting observer, the faculty member’s administrative associate will coordinate all the steps of the approval process; let the visiting observer know what forms and medical records are required; and manage scheduling.
After being accepted by a faculty member, all visiting observers must be approved by Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) Compliance Department, receive a medical clearance from SHC Occupational Health and be approved by the clinic and/or operating room in which they will observe.
It typically takes at least three weeks from when a visiting observer provides all the required documents and medical records until a final approval is received.