Medical electives programme

How to apply for a medical elective with us.

Am I eligible?

You must be in your penultimate or final year of medical undergraduate study at the time of your placement, as you are required to have completed your clinical training before you undertake an elective with Edinburgh teaching hospitals.

How long is the placement?

Placements are four weeks long.  Placements usually begin on the first Monday of the month, with one department only. 

How to apply

1.  Register your interest with your medical school in the first instance
2.  Once you have been selected by your medical school, you will receive an email from us (electives@ed.ac.uk) requesting that you send copies of the following documents:

• Your academic transcript 
• A reference/letter of good standing from your Dean or Head of School

Certified copies* of the following will be requested approximately six months before your placement begins: 

• Proof of English Language Proficiency (if from a non-majority English-speaking country) - see below for further details. 
• Proof of indemnity/malpractice insurance (Unfortunately Edinburgh Medical School cannot advise on insurance matters)
• From non-EU/UK applicants, a criminal record check (dated no more than 3 months prior to the elective start date) - for students in Scotland, we will require an update of your Disclosure Scotland PVG certificate.
• Immunisation and blood test record - this information will be requested via an emailed link from NHS Lothian Occupational Health around two months prior to the placement

*Certified copies can be obtained by taking your original documentation, along with photocopies, to a member of staff at your current institution and asking them to check the photocopies against the originals; mark the photocopies as true copies of the originals; sign and apply their university stamp.

Are there any costs? 

We require that all elective students join Disclosure Scotland - the cost of this is £59 (GBP).  We will send an application pack for this around six months before the start of the placement.  Disclosure Scotland will provide you with a Protection of Vulnerable Groups certificate which will cover the time when you are on placement.

Will my English be good enough?

If you are coming to us from a medical school in a non-majority English-speaking nation, even if you are taught and examined in English, you must prove that you have a suitable level of skill in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Proof of English proficiency comes in two main forms:

1. Secure English Language Test (SELT)

2. an accepted school qualification in the subjects of English Language or English Literature.

Please provide a copy of one of the following certificates, taken within two years of the start of your placement (for school qualifications, this is 3.5 years from the date of the award):

Where will I be placed?

Edinburgh Medical School teaching hospitals are:

• Royal Infirmary Edinburgh (RIE)
• Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh
• St John's Hospital, Livingston
• Western General Hospital (WGH), Edinburgh.

Fees and Expenses

Visiting medical elective students from Partnership Medical Schools are not charged tuition fees, however all elective students join Disclosure Scotland for £59 (GBP) which you must cover the cost for. You will also pay for your own travel and living expenses in Edinburgh. Please speak to your medical school if you need any support or advice on funding your elective.

Can you help with visas?

The University of Edinburgh Student Immigration Service will be able to assist you with visa questions. 

Detailed information on short-term student visas, including a checklist of all documents required, is available at the link below, along with contact information should you wish to submit an enquiry to them.   

Student Immigration Service website

Accommodation

The University of Edinburgh Accommodation Service may be able to advise you generally on arranging accommodation within Edinburgh. 

Edinburgh Medical School is unable to assist you with accommodation arrangements. 

University of Edinburgh Accommodation Service

Keeping in touch with us

When your place is confirmed, your medical school will pass your details to us. Please use your student university email address for any other correspondence with Edinburgh Medical School from then on.

We look forward to welcoming you to Edinburgh.  If you have any queries, please contact electives@ed.ac.uk. 

Erasmus students

The MBChB programme does not participate in the Erasmus Programme, so we cannot accept Erasmus students. 

Get in touch

For medical elective related enquiries, please contact us at:

Email:  electives@ed.ac.uk