The Privacy Office

Any person, invited or otherwise authorized to enter University of Florida patient care areas or to view patient care in any location, who is not formally associated with the University's Health Science Centers shall be accompanied and/or supervised by a University Health Science Center representative at all times. The UF representative is responsible for the actions of the visitor.

Visitors requesting to Shadow/Observe Patient Care:

We do not provide sponsor-matching services for students or other persons who wish to shadow a health care professional. If you want to shadow someone, you must find a sponsor and make all arrangements with that sponsor yourself. Please call the Admissions Office of the college where you would like to observe, to talk to someone about making your arrangements.

Privacy Requirements: Sponsored visitors may only observe or shadow during a period of 21 continuous/consecutive days. To observe or shadow for periods longer than 21 continuous days, follow the instructions for volunteers.

Sponsors should complete the Request to Observe Patient Care form to apply for approval for individual observers.
Sponsors should use the Group Roster form to simplify the process for groups of more than 5 observers coming together - complete one Request to Observe form, and then include all the names in the group on the Group Roster. Follow the instructions on the form and in the Privacy Policy and Procedure.

All sponsored visitors must complete HIPAA at UF - Privacy & Security for Visitors & Vendors and sign UF's Confidentiality Statement prior to visiting. Other requirements may also apply; be sure to check with the sponsoring department. (Note: "Signing" means registering the visitor's information in the Privacy Office database. Actual hand-written signatures are not required by the Privacy Office.)

Request to Observe Patient Care form   PDF Version   Online Version

Group Observation Roster form   PDF Version    Online Version

Please read the Privacy Policy and Procedure for Volunteering and "Shadowing" at UF.