EHC 2016
Newsletter #2 (February 4, 2016)
Message from the Director
Ellison edits
Ellison edits
Reminder for pre-departure preparation
- VISA/ESTA documentation
Register through ESTA and make sure to bring a copy of the confirmation page with you since you will need that to enter the U.S. - Outbound and return flight information
- Please input your flight information to help us plan the airport pick-up schedule.
- We will send an email containing important details on where and when to meet us at the airport in the next few weeks. - Passport
- Please submit a copy of your passport directly to Ellison at ellison@viaprograms.org - Travel Insurance documentation
- If you have not purchased your travel insurance, please do so BEFORE departing from your home country, and bring a copy of your documents with you.
- Remember, you must have travel insurance in order to participate in MED, and you cannot purchase it once you arrive to the U.S.
Reminder of Important Dates
February 15
We highly encourage all immunization documents to be submitted by the deadline whenever possible!
Please read the Immunization Guide first, complete the quiz, then scan and upload your documents. All of the above can be found in your Progress Log.
Use English-language documents if possible. For immunization records written in your native language, please make sure that key parts (date and name of each vaccine, for example) of your document are translated into English.
Prior to submission, please double check that the scanned documents are easy to read and professional. Remember, hospital staff will be reviewing them.
Please read the Immunization Guide carefully to avoid any mistakes! Have you checked to make sure your titers have a number value AND your immunity level (positive/partial/negative) is clearly stated?
If you are experiencing difficulty in meeting the requirements mentioned above or outlined in the Immunization Guideline, then it is VERY IMPORTANT that you contact Ellison (ellison@viaprograms.org) to discuss your individual situation and make alternate arrangements for submitting your documents in as timely a manner as possible. Failure to do so could limit our ability to obtain clearance for you to shadow a physician this spring.
Orientation on February 27th & 28th
The first session will take place at Osaka Medical College on Saturday, February 27th from 14:00 - 16:30. The second session will take place onSunday, February 28th at Nihon University School of Medicine in Tokyo from 12:30 - 16:30.
While not mandatory, these sessions are a great way to obtain important program information and provide an exciting opportunity for you to meet your fellow participants as well as alumni from previous programs. Alumni will be on hand to share tips and advice with you for getting the most out of your experience in the San Francisco Bay Area this March.
Your Presentations
As an program participant, you are required to give two presentations: one to introduce your medical school, and one to introduce yourself. If there is more than one student joining from your school, you will be connected via email so that you can work on the medical school presentation as a group.
These presentations should be limited to 5 minutes in length, be conducted in English and stored on a USB drive for easy access. Since presentations will be delivered during the first few days of the program, it is highly recommended that you complete your individual and school introductions before reaching California.
For the detailed presentation guidelines, please find the email you received on February 1st.
Pre-Travel Checklist (PTC)
By now, you should have begun the Pre-Travel Checklist (PTC), an online system that has been created to help you prepare for the upcoming journey to California as efficiently as possible. The PTC outlines a number of tasks that must be completed before you depart Japan and corresponding due dates. Please mark these dates on your calendar. If you encounter difficulty completing any of the PTC tasks, please contact me or Hirona immediately and we will be more than happy to assist you.