What is an Elective Placement?

The elective placement gives you the opportunity to see, and participate in, the practice of medicine in an unfamiliar setting, particularly where scientific, social, economic or cultural standards are diverse. You may wish to explore a field of medicine of particular interest or choose one that is not covered in depth as part of the core curriculum.

The majority of students will usually decide to go abroad and we encourage that. However, this is not a prerequisite and you can certainly undertake your elective in the UK instead.

If you decide to stay in the UK including locally in Manchester it could be a good opportunity to explore a specialty that you are considering in more detail. If you are finding the year challenging academically or personally, you may wish to consider spending your elective locally so that you can be provided with appropriate support.

All elective placements require formal approval by the School, therefore please ensure that you read and understand the requirements for this carefully.

All University of Manchester students applying to study overseas are subject to the University’s travel approval process and there are a number of requirements, including full risk assessment, that are required in order to obtain approval for travel.

Choosing an elective

If you decide to go abroad you may wish to consider travelling with a fellow student or small group of students especially if you are travelling to somewhere remote and/ or where English or another language that you speak isn’t regularly spoken.

You are responsible for choosing and arranging your own placement. You may wish to use the following (and any other available ) sources of information to make sure that you give yourself the chance of having as good an experience as possible

• Online reviews
• Feedback from colleagues who have travelled there in previous years/ other institutions
• Results of any training/ clinical surveys or visits e.g. UK GMC training survey/ CQC

As well as finding as much information as you can about the placement you should also consider the surroundings including where you might stay (e.g., is there accommodation provided?) and what the nearby facilities/ transport links are.

Educational Aims of Elective

As part of the application process you will need to present an educational case for your elective by setting out your aims and objectives for the placement.

If you have any doubt regarding whether or not your elective will be approved, you should always contact the School’s Clinical Delivery Team via the dedicated electives contact email: medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk  in the first instance.

We expect you to have considered first the guidance contained within this page and on 1Medinfo, to determine if your planned elective fits within the expected rules, before making contact.

Local Electives

As outlined above, some students will choose to do their elective abroad or elsewhere in the UK. However, some students choose to complete a local placement in one of our NHS partner Trusts or Community practices. Whilst this is a local elective placement, you will still be required to follow the relevant application and sign-off processes.

Please note that the School’s Community Placements team doesn’t fund or arrange electives in local GP practices, but there are some opportunities offered via the Team, for students that are able to self-arrange a GP elective:
Community Electives | 1 Med Info

Elective Dates and Deadlines

All students in Year 4 of the MB ChB Programme will undertake their elective for a 4-week period at the end of Year 4 . The Elective period is scheduled for June 15th – July 10th, 2026. Please note that placements outside of the programme dates for the Elective period will not be approved.

We recommend, where possible, that students complete their elective in one 4-week block. However, when there is a particular reason to do so, e.g. a highly desired placement is only available for 2 weeks, students may split their elective between two different institutions as long as a minimum of two weeks is spent at each institution. Please take into account additional logistical considerations e.g. ease of travel between locations if you are pursuing this option.

There will be a deadline for students to submit their plans via the University MyPlacement system and details of this will be confirmed on 1Med.

Failure to submit your application before the deadline may mean that you do not receive approval in time to undertake your planned elective.

Planning your Elective

You are responsible for planning your own elective placement.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred destination, you should write to the hospital/potential host organisation. Some hospitals will have a more formal application process and may require specific forms to be signed and verified by the School. If this is the case, please contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk in the first instance. Some countries (USA, Canada and Australia, for example) may require at least 12 months’ notice, so early planning is advised.

However, please take caution not to make any large, non-refundable financial commitments (i.e. application fees, travel expenses or other costs) early as travel situations can be subject to change at short notice.

Please ensure that you are aware in advance what the placement organiser’s terms and conditions are concerning application fees and reimbursement in the event of cancellation.

Please note that some institutions may ask us to sign contractual forms before accepting our students. Such contracts are often complex and have generally been discouraged by the University’s  Contracts Office as the placement is a direct arrangement between you and the placement provider. If you are unsure, please contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk in the first instance. We will follow recommendations given to us by the Contracts Office, but please note this process can take considerable time and is not feasible on a large scale. Therefore, it is preferable for you to choose elective placements without the need for contractual arrangements with the University.

You can plan to undertake your elective in any clinical setting, as long as it is approved by the School. Some students may wish to carry out some clinical research during their elective. We will support this provided that at least 50% of the overall elective period involves clinical exposure (i.e. patient-facing time). Please note that a research component will only be approved if the host organisation already has ethics approval for the research in place. If you wish research to be considered, please contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk in the first instance for approval.

Please note that students who have been either unsatisfactory in 2 clinical placement blocks, unsatisfactory in block 8, or who have not completed all mandatory prescribing skills and UPSAs by the end of block 8,  will be required to undertake a mandated local elective as their remediation. Their base year lead will meet with them and discuss the arrangements which will be tailored to allow them to complete the required remediation.

See progression flowchart on Year 4 Learning in Clinical Placements page.

Supervision

You cannot be supervised by a family member/ relative on your elective. If a family member is a colleague in the department but not your supervisor you need to declare this on your elective application. They cannot be in a position of authority over your supervisor as this is a potential conflict of interest.

Financing your Elective

You will have to pay for your elective yourself. These costs may include, but are not limited to travel, accommodation, sustenance, the placement itself, insurance, vaccinations, visas, DBS checks and various other expenses. There are external grants that can be applied for, and these will be advertised to all students on 1MedBuzz. The Medical Schools Council also has a list of potential bursary options that may be open to you. Some students may be eligible for Turing Scheme funding and students who are in receipt of the NHS Bursary may be able to claim some expenses associated with the placement via the Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses process.

Application for Approval of Your Elective

Once you have arranged your placement you will need to notify us of your plans and request formal approval via My Placement – this applies to both UK and overseas placements. There are a number of steps requiring completion, of which you will be advised once the process opens.

You must nominate your elective supervisor in advance of your placement. The supervisor should be a doctor of consultant level or engaged in independent practice – i.e. not a trainee or resident. This information must be included in your application. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, you should not have a family member or a personal/family friend as a supervisor. If you are aware of any reason why your potential supervisor could be placed in a situation in which a conflict of interests may emerge, you must contact us via medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk. Failure to declare a potential or actual conflict of interest will be treated as a professionalism issue, which could result in a referral to the MB ChB Concern Review Panel for consideration under the Faculty Fitness to Practise Procedure. If in doubt please ask.

Approval of Elective

You must have formal approval for your Elective before travelling. This is only granted through My Placement. If you undertake an Elective without the appropriate permission, you will be considered as absent from the Programme without permission.  If you do so, you may be referred for consideration under the Faculty Fitness to Practise Procedure and any time you have spent on placement may not be counted and may affect your progression on the Programme. Additionally, you will not be covered by the University’s Travel Insurance Policy. Please note, we reserve the right at any time to withdraw support and/or approval of your application.

Once your placement has been approved you will be given notice of this through the My Placement system and via email. The plans that are logged on the My Placement system are what we will expect you to undertake during your Elective. If these plans change, for any reason, you must contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk  immediately for approval.

Failure to notify the Programme of a change in any part of your elective placement will be considered unprofessional and will be followed up accordingly.

Administrative assistance with Elective Applications

Sometimes placement providers may ask for a letter from the University confirming your student status, a DBS check, or for other documents to be signed. Students should refer to the information on 1MedInfo or contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk if these are required.

Please note that in the case of DBS checks:
– You should apply for these well in advance to allow sufficient time for processing
– The cost of the DBS check will need to be paid for by the student
– Should the DBS check come back with information on the disclosure, this would be treated in the same way as any declaration/disclosure made during the Programme (see Disclosure and Barring Service Clearance).

Insurance

See Travel Insurance for Overseas Placements

Visas

Check visa requirements for your destination and any stopover points. Make photocopies of your visa and any other useful documentation. Ensure you are aware of how long it will take to get a visa. Please also check in advance with your placement provider what type of visa is required for your placement and ensure that you have obtained the correct visa to carry out your elective, as requirements can vary.

You can read more on the FCDO’s ‘Foreign travel advice’ section. Simply select your destination and click on ‘Entry requirements’.

If you are an international student studying on a Student visa which is sponsored by the University of Manchester, please note that your Visa issued by UK Visas and Immigration for your medical course will not automatically cover you for placements abroad. It is your responsibility to research any visa requirements for the country you are visiting specific to your citizenship, and apply for any additional visas well in advance. You are also subject to any UKVI sponsorship regulations and engagement checks on the Programme whilst abroad.

See: UK Visa Requirements for International Students

Managing your Health on Elective Placement

Any student with an ongoing health condition should consider the location of their elective carefully in order to ensure that they can access the required support and medication in that country, the potential impact of the different environment on their health, and that they are fit to travel.

For safety reasons students whose health condition is classified as unstable, serious or difficult to manage, will require University Occupational Health review in order to gain travel approval.

All students should follow the University’s Health Needs Self-Assessment and take the necessary steps.

Failure to disclose a serious health condition prior to departure will invalidate the student’s travel insurance and will be considered a professionalism matter.

Travel Health and Vaccinations

For all students travelling abroad you need to be well-prepared in advance of travelling. You will be aware that there will be diseases in other countries that you would not expect to encounter here. Information on general health risks and preparation is available on the FCDO’s ‘Foreign travel advice’ section. Simply select your destination and click on ‘Health’. Also see Fit for Travel

You should consider the risks when planning your elective and should take all the necessary precautions, including receiving all relevant vaccinations for your destination country. Please see the dedicated section on 1Med, dealing with your health whilst on or planning your elective, including risk, prevention and management of possible HIV infection.

Whilst on your Placement

Remember that you are responsible for the accuracy of information provided from the time of submitting your application through to the completion of your elective. Political situations can, and do, change rapidly, so it is your responsibility to keep abreast of the FCDO and AIG travel advice right up to the point of departure. As stated above, we reserve the right at any time to withdraw support and/or approval of your application. If this happens, you must not travel to your elective under any circumstance.

Please bear in mind that whilst you are on elective, you are representing The University of Manchester and the Manchester MB ChB Programme. Generally our students are well regarded and it’s wonderful when organisations write to tell us how well you have integrated into teams and worked to support patient care.

However, please note that we will take appropriate disciplinary action for any student who brings the University or themselves into disrepute. In addition to this we expect all students who undertake an elective to pay adequate and detailed attention to the health and safety rules in the local environment. It is your responsibility to ensure that the safety of the patients you deal with and your own personal safety are given sufficient priority in all activities you undertake. Furthermore, the moral, ethical and legal framework within which you operate must also be treated with the utmost regard – it is your responsibility to ensure this.

Risk of Elective placement being cancelled/withdrawn

You must be aware that infrequently, it may be necessary for your elective placement to be withdrawn by the School. Circumstances where this would apply, but are not exclusive to, would be when the FCDO and/or AIG issues updated information advising against all travel to a particular country. The School of Medical Sciences cannot authorise travel to a country where the FCDO is ‘advise against all travel’ or where there exist significant/extreme risks identified by AIG that the University determines cannot be mitigated. This may occur before or during your placement. Should this occur during your placement, the Placements and International Programmes and Medical Electives teams will provide you with the necessary support.

Students who receive exam results whilst on elective placement that result in exclusion from the programme, or whose results mean that they are required to repeat the year, may normally continue on their elective placement however this is assessed on a case-by-case basis and is at the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Medical Studies. In these cases, University travel insurance would continue, however students who are Turing-funded should be aware that a reduction of their placement length might impact on their eligibility, if they have not yet reached the minimum 14 days.

Attendance and Satisfactory Completion of Elective Placement 

When you are undertaking an elective, you must have your supervisor(s) complete the  MB ChB Elective: Supervisor Assessment Form, available through 1Medforms. The form is used by your supervisor to assess both your attendance and performance. If you are undertaking an elective locally you must still ask your supervisor to complete this. The form must be completed within 2 days of the last day of your elective placement. If you have any problems submitting the form, please contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk.

Failure to satisfactorily complete and submit your elective supervisor assessment form(s) may jeopardise your progression to Year 5. If you do not submit the form, this will be taken to mean that you have not completed your elective and that you have not satisfied the attendance requirements necessary for completion of Year 4.(See: Progression from Year 4 to Year 5) . 

If you are Unsatisfactory in your elective or don’t complete your elective assessment form, having been satisfactory in previous placements ,you will have a maximum of a two week remediation period during the summer holidays. If you still fail to submit the form at the end of this period you will be awarded Unsatisfactory for the elective placement which will result in failure to progress to Year 5.

Any students who are already remediating a previously unsatisfactory block (s) during their elective will need to complete a more detailed elective sign off form. Any students in this group who  have an unsatisfactory outcome will not progress to Year 5. See Programme handbook for full details of progression requirements: (See: Progression from Year 4 to Year 5) . 

Students must not plan or expect to be signed off for less than 100% attendance. However, as with any other clinical placement, if there are mitigating circumstances meaning that you are not able to satisfy this requirement, these will be taken into account when deciding whether/how much time needs to be made up. Please note that travel time to/from your elective is not viewed as a mitigating circumstance and must be considered when arranging your placement.

If there are any important updates regarding electives, an announcement will be made on 1Med and we will update the Electives page on 1Med. All questions and queries will be handled, in the first instance, by the School’s Clinical Delivery Team which oversees the electives process. The final decision regarding your elective rests with Academic Programme Lead for Year 4 on behalf of the Associate Programme Directors for Teaching and Learning.

If you have any problems whilst on your elective, we are here to support you,  please contact medical.electives@manchester.ac.uk for advice (see Contacts), or in the case of emergency, use the University’s Travel Insurance Contact Details (See Travel Insurance)

We hope you have a wonderful time.