The 4th-year Elective Program allows you the opportunity to explore new health care, cultural and training environments or delve deeper into existing medical interests.
It provides a chance to reflect on wider issues such as the ethics, politics and globalisation of health care and the role of doctors in health delivery.
You may discover much about yourself and your hosts during your stay. Most elective experiences yield many gifts including a two way exchange of knowledge and culture.
Often students also make a make a significant contribution to the health care of the community they visit.
The most useful resource for planning and undertaking your elective is the Elective Booklet (PDF 1.2 MB).
The 4th Year Elective Program occurs in the summer break between 4th and 5th year.
You are able to choose, within some limits, the place and supervisor anywhere within the world. You also determine what your focus of learning will be and how to get the best out of your attachment.
Learning objectives can include:
Director of Electives and Internationalisation
Dr Nick Cooling
Level 3 MS1
Nick.Cooling@utas.edu.au
Telephone: 6226 4663
Electives Co-ordinator
Gina Parsons
Level 3 MS1
Electives@med.utas.edu.au
A variety of bursaries, scholarships and other sources financial assistance are available for students preparing for electives
Refer to the MBBS Prizes and Scholarships page.
The UTAS Scholarship section also has 3 scholarships relevant to medical students. They all include support for elective experiences. Refer to:
| Organisation | Bursary | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Insurance Group Australia (MIGA) | 5 grants up to AUD 3500 | All Australian medical students |
| Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) | AUD 1000 | Rural elective in Australia |
| Junior Association for the Study of Medical Education (JASME) | GBP 500 | Member of JASME (nominal fee) |
| AMSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Elective Bursary | AUD 1000 | Interest in Aboriginal health |
| IMPACT Global Health Elective Bursary (PDF 24.2 KB) Application form (MS Word 24 KB) |
AUD 400 | Elective in low resource country |
| AMSA-American Express Global Health Elective Bursary | 5 grants of AUD 3000 | Elective or volunteer activity in developing community |
| MJA, MDA National, Nossal Global Health Prize (PDF 88 KB) | AUD 1000 | Experience in a low resource country |
OS-HELP is a Commonwealth loan that assists students with study overseas. It only applies before you commence your final year. Refer to the Academic Administration page for more information.
Deciding where to go for your elective can be a daunting task. Let's face it, when you have the whole world to choose from, the choices may seem endless. There will be a few factors which will narrow down your choice:
Read about students' electives experiences.
In each clinical school there are locations that have been developed by academic staff specifically for 4th year electives. UTAS students return to these locations each year, so the UTAS name is well known and respected. There may be additional benefits in going to these locations including scholarships, waiving of fees and possibility of undertaking longitudinal community development programs or research.
Vitoria, Brazil
Contact Dr Nick Cooling
Kupang, Indonesia
Contact Dr Sean Beggs
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Contact Prof Richard Turner
Nepal
Contact Dr Bert Shugg
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Contact Assoc Prof Peter Arvier
Reykjavik, Iceland
Contact Assoc Prof Peter Arvier
If you want someone else to organise your elective (for a fee), here are some options. The advantage is that they will plug you into an established program, organise accommodation and make all the logistic arrangements. The disadvantage is that you don't have the challenge of developing the elective yourself, which is a useful skill to learn.
The School of Medicine offers a pre-departure course for all students going on elective.
An alternative, external preparation course for electives is available from Murdoch University, Western Australia. The unit, SSH208 Global Engagement, is available in semester and full-year mode, both internally and externally. It will be offered in an intensive pre-departure mode, will continue in-country through a reflective blog or wiki, and then conclude with additional intensive sessions post-return. More details are available in the Murdoch University Handbook.
Bringing the Learning Home: A resource for studying abroad (PDF 408 KB) is a recommended online study guide for in-depth preparation for an elective or other study experience abroad.
School of Medicine Internationalisation and Electives (SMILE) Program
School of Medicine Internationalisation Committee Wiki (log-in required)
