Physician Assistant Student Elective Rotation

This two weeks (2) to three (3) months elective rotation is for PA students interested in a career in cancer care.  Rotations are available in various specialties including medical, surgical and radiation oncology, as well as other disciplines involved in the care of cancer patients.

Students will be mentored by clinical PAs, nurse practitioners and/or physicians. Students will experience firsthand the care given to patients by multidisciplinary, interprofessional cancer care teams.

Eligibility Requirements

MD Anderson has affiliation agreements with nearly 100 PA schools across the United States. Students from these programs are invited to apply. Once a student is accepted into the program, an active affiliation agreement must be on file with MD Anderson. Please check with our office to determine if your PA program is affiliated with MD Anderson. If an agreement needs to be initiated or renewed, the process takes up to 120 days.

It is highly recommended that PA students plan their elective rotation during the later period of their clinical training. At a minimum, students must have 16 weeks of clinical rotations, including four weeks in medicine and four weeks in surgery rotations (General Pediatric - required if requesting a Pediatric rotation) before participating in an elective at MD Anderson.

Applying

Applications are accepted quarterly and students are selected based on the competitiveness of their application and preceptor availability.  Student applications will be evaluated in the following areas:  academic excellence, passion for oncology, volunteerism, interest in working at MD Anderson and interest in postgraduate training.  Reference forms submitted by a student's program are also considered.

For specific details regarding the application process, please review the following documents:

• Student Elective Rotation Descriptions (pdf) 
  • Please note:  The Pediatrics and Critical Care (ICU) rotations have very limited placements.  New rotations now being offered are in Interventional Radiology and with our Nocturnal Teams.
• Student Elective Rotation Application Process (pdf)

Please contact the Office of PA Programs at paponc@mdanderson.org to begin the application process or if you have any questions.

Application Rotation Period

*Please note: Applications requesting rotation dates outside of the application periods below will not be considered. 

December - February (Application period February 1 - May 1)
March - May (Application period May 1 - August 1)
June - August (Application period August 1 - November 1)
September - November (Application period November 1 - February 1)

COVID 19 UPDATES:  Rotating clinical trainees are no longer required to undergo COVID testing at MD Anderson prior to a rotation.  If a trainee tests positive for COVID prior to the start of their rotation, the trainee must quarantine for 7 days and bring a letter from their home program attesting that the trainee has not experienced any COVID symptoms within 24 hours.  This letter will be used to determine if a trainee is cleared to start the rotation.  A negative COVID test is also recommended.

FAQs

The following are helpful resources once students are accepted into the program that may answer common questions before and during a clinical rotation at MD Anderson:

• Pre-Rotation FAQ (pdf)
• Day 1 of Rotation FAQ (pdf)