UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Dean's Office

Observerships

UCSF BCH Oakland welcomes potential shadowing experiences for additional development. The process for approval to shadow will depend on the host's status, the applicant's level of prior training, and the applicant's affiliation. In all cases, the observer would only shadow their host on a short-term basis, would be prohibited from any direct patient contact, and would not have access to any institutional systems. Observers at BCH Oakland must follow both UCSF guidelines and BCH Oakland policies regarding shadowing experiences to be considered.

Observers are only possible if hosted by a UCSF faculty member, and therefore, the process must be initiated and managed by the faculty member's academic home department. BCH Oakland, as the clinical site does not handle any administrative aspect of the observership request. The academic department has the authority to approve any proposed observers and may have department-specific policies about who can observe. Faculty are advised to check with their academic departments prior to initiating any paperwork or forms. Approval from one academic department is not transferable to another academic department and requires a separate application.

The following are relevant to all observerships hosted by a UCSF faculty member.

Process chart (requires UCSF MyAccess)
Application form

Process map of BCH Oakland observerships to be followed by academic departments

Instructions for departments: Completed and approved applications are required for badging request approval from BCH Oakland. The BCH Oakland Graduate Medical Education and Medical Staff Offices will review and approve the applications for their respective applicants per the Process Chart. All other UCSF observership applicants must submit the completed Application via DocuSign to the Dean's Office as a Reviewer and the Associate Chief Medical Officer, as the Approver, after proof of a satisfactory background check has been provided by UCSF HR. Once the application has been approved, departments can then proceed to the badging process.

For additional guidance and questions, please contact [email protected].