Information for Faculty & Student Volunteers

Faculty

UCF Faculty or UCF Volunteer Faculty:

Step 1: 8 weeks prior to the event, have the student you are working with fill out the Community Outreach Information Form and email to Paula Sagarino.

Step 2: Paula will email you a letter of assignment or a Professional Liability Questionnaire Form to establish liability coverage. Please fill out the form and email it along with your CV to Paula Sagarino. no later than 2 weeks before the event.

Faculty Not Working at UCF/No Volunteer Appointment:

Step 1: Apply to Volunteer Faculty Office no less than 8 weeks prior to the event and inform the student you are working with when the application is submitted. To complete your online application, please visit https://forms.med.ucf.edu/Volunteer.

Step 2: Volunteer Faculty Office will notify you once your appointment letter is complete. Please sign and return the letter.

Step 3: Once your Volunteer Appointment has been established, fill out the Community Outreach Information Form and email to Paula Sagarino.

Step 4: Paula will email you a Professional Liability Questionnaire Form to establish liability coverage. Please fill out the form and email it along with your CV to Paula Sagarino no later than 2 weeks before the event.

To volunteer at KNIGHTS Clinic, follow the steps listed here.

Students

If you’d like to participate in an activity that’s already established, please fill out the Extracurricular Clinical Activity Approval Form and email it to Soraya Smith. 

If this is a new activity that’s never been done before, ensure you complete the steps below:

Step 1

Meet with the faculty member you are working with or with the Office of Student Affairs and Dr. Simms-Cendan (room 409J) for approval.

Step 2

Fill out the Extracurricular Clinical Activity Approval Form and email it to Soraya Smith. 

Step 3

For service learning activities, submit a reflection on the activity by the end of that academic year. You can email to Soraya Smith a reflection (i.e. essay on what you learned, how the activity changed you, etc.) or it could be something related to that activity, for example, some students create handbooks for health fair activities that can be passed on to underclassmen.

Interested in volunteering at the KNIGHTS Clinic?  Click here.

If your service is abroad, review the information below carefully and complete the requirements:

While international medical experiences offer amazing learning opportunities and adventure, they should not be undertaken without adequate investigation. This includes insuring the trip will be educational, well-supervised and respectful of the limits of medical students at various levels of training, sensitive to the needs of the community, and, of course, safe. Students are expected to be academically sound and have no deficiencies in coursework to obtain approval. The following are the steps needed before students undertake any international medical travel, including travel with groups outside the UCF COM and during vacation time. Plan to complete the steps below at least 8 weeks before you travel.

Step 1

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Simms-Cendan (room 409J). Know the dates and location of travel, the sponsors of the trip, and the purpose of the trip.

Step 2

Check the US State Department website for travel advisories.  Consider registering your travel through their STEP program. Understand that the UCF COM cannot endorse any travel to countries where the US Department of State has issued a travel warning. A Travel Authorization Petition will be required for countries who were previously listed under the Travel Warning in the old State Department advisory system. Only the below restricted destinations need provost approval prior to departure:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel The West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,  Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen.

Restricted Travel- Travel to destinations under a US State Dept Travel Warning (not alert).

• All graduate and undergraduate students must file a Travel Approval Petition for all restricted countries.
• All faculty and staff must file a Travel Approval Petition for all restricted countries IF not listed on the exemptions list, here.
• The online form requires a NID and NID password and is designed to assess the traveler’s experience and expertise in the higher risk destination. It therefore must be completed by the traveler themselves.

Check passport and VISA requirements.  Some countries require that a traveler’s passport be valid for at least six months beyond the dates of the trip.  Contact the embassy of your foreign destination for more information. Foreign embassy and consulate contact information can also be found in our Country Specific Information pages.  Order appropriate travel documents here.

Step 3

Follow-up appointment with Dr. Simms-Cendan. Bring passport copy, VISA copy, emergency contact information, travel itinerary, and proof of insurance coverage. 

Travel Registry- A data base of traveler information and itinerary that is referenced for emergency response and institutional reporting. Please register your travel here.

All students, faculty, and staff must register each international trip taken as university business (conference, research, study abroad, etc.) including those approved via restricted travel.

• This is not an approval process but an information gathering mechanism.
• The registry consists of 6-8 questions and an itinerary.
• The registry requires a NID and NID password so therefore must be completed by the traveler themselves.

Once you register your international travel with UCF, you will be invited to enroll in a comprehensive web-guide to traveling internationally.

Print your student travel assistant card. You should carry this card with you at all times during your trip.  These are new UCF regulations. Please confirm with Dr. Simms-Cendan once this step is completed. 

Read and initial a copy of the AAMC guidelines for medical students providing patient care abroad.  Fill out and sign the Approval for International Travel and Liability Release forms, and have the Extracurricular Clinical Activity Approval Form signed by Dr. Simms-Cendan.  If you are a 4th year student planning an international elective, you must download the Petition for Special Clinical Study for International Clerkship and have it signed by Drs. Simms-Cendan and Verduin.

Step 4

Have the Extracurricular Clinical Activity Approval Form signed by Dr. Verduin. (This is not necessary if you are a fourth year student taking this for academic credit). Have the International Elective form signed if you are a fourth year student.

Step 5

Schedule appointment at COM student clinic to receive vaccines or prophylaxis as needed here.

Step 6

Scan a copy of all your documents, especially passport information, and e-mail it to yourself in case of theft or loss while you are abroad.

Step 7

Have a great trip!

On your return, please send in photos for the photo page. No pictures of patients please! Also, please submit a blog for posting so that other students can read about your experiences.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!

STEP Program

We strongly recommend that you register with the U.S. State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and advice from the local embassy.

Visa, Entry, Exit requirements

To learn more about your destination’s Visa, Entry, Exit requirements we recommend you start here. While applying for a visa in person is generally less expensive, there are many services that can assist for a fee. While we cannot recommend one over another here are a few to consider:

https://www.visahq.com/ | https://www.travisa.com/

IN AN EMERGENCY

• Contact the local “911” List of Emergency Numbers Around the World.
• If you have an emergency abroad and need to reach UCF personnel immediately, please call the Emergency Abroad Hotline at 1-407-823-0595.
• For medical referral, evacuation, repatriation or other services provided to UCF community members on sponsored travel please call the travel insurance provider at 1-630-694-9764.