The University of Tasmania School of Medicine offers clinical elective placements to visiting students in their penultimate or final year of University in Australia or overseas.
The school is committed to the internationalisation of medicine and as such welcomes students from around the world.
Students can experience placements in hospitals affiliated to our 3 clinical schools. Tasmanian Health Service hospitals are the primary teaching hospitals for the University of Tasmania School of Medicine. There are times that we may not be able to accommodate students due to capacity, as such applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Enquiries please contact electives@med.utas.edu.au
General
- Applicants must be currently enrolled in a recognised medical program and have a minimum of 1 year of clinical experience at the time of placement commencement (not at the time of application).
- Applicants are not permitted to contact hospitals or medical professionals directly to make elective placement arrangements. All coordination is to be completed through UTAS Medical School.
- All requested documentation must be in English.
- All requested documentation must be provided no later than 4 weeks prior to placement, or the elective placement may be at risk of cancellation.
- Applicants are responsible for all costs associated with travel, accommodation and living expenses.
- UTAS School of Medicine reserves the right to cancel a medical elective if there are concerns regarding the validity of the information provided by an applicant or should unsafe or unprofessional conduct occur during the elective.
- Elective students are subject to the same screening and immunisation standards as UTAS students and required to provide supporting documentation of this.
Placements
- Electives are offered for 4 – 12 weeks in duration.
- Applicants may apply to have their elective split in to a maximum of 2 disciplines.
- Placement availability at our sites is limited.
- If you are applying for a placement in the following calendar year, availability will not be known until October of the current year.
- The placements are for electives only, and the Medical School is unable to provide summative assessments or formal teaching sessions as part of these electives. The Medical School, however, may extend invitations for visiting students to attend tutorials.
- The Medical School cannot guarantee the availability of clinical placements and may not be able to source a place for every applicant.
Fees
- Applications will be processed only once the application fee has been received.
- Students from our partner Universities are exempt from application and placement fees.
- The AUD$50 application fee is non-refundable whether or not we are able to match you to a suitable discipline, site and time or if the placement is cancelled or withdrawn by the student.
We can offer elective placements in each of our clinical schools, information for which can be found here –
Hobart Clinical School – Royal Hobart Hospital
Launceston Clinical School – Launceston General Hospital
Rural Clinical School – North West Regional Hospital in Burnie & Mersey Community Hospital in Latrobe
Current availability of placements can be found at Incoming Elective Placements in Tasmanian Health Service 2024.
We welcome enquires on the availability of clinical disciplines.
Applications are processed on a rolling basis and can be accepted no earlier than 6 months and no later than 4 months before your requested commenced date.
Applications for 2025 will not open until 1st July 2024. Any applications received prior to this date will not be processed.
Required Application Documentation and Eligibility
Please complete the application form – Inbound Medical Elective Application
The following documentation must be submitted by email to electives@med.utas.edu.au with your application.
- Official Academic Transcript
- UTAS Elective Authorisation Form completed by your home institution
- Curriculum Vitae
- English Language Proficiency (if studies are not in English)
- Application fee of $50 – Payment portal (The preferred method of payment is via credit card. On this page, please select College of Health and Medicine > Visiting Students Elective Program.
Please allow between 2- 8 weeks for your application to receive an outcome. Students are encouraged to contact Electives@med.utas.edu.au for a status update.
Following receipt of your offer letter you must submit the following compliance documentation
- Tasmanian Working with Vulnerable Children check
- UTAS Health/Immunisations form/TB
- Police Check from your home State
- Copy of ID such as Drivers licence or passport
- A high-resolution headshot with a plain background
Students attending our partnership universities, are exempt from any application and placement fees.
Application Fee: $50
Placement Fees:
- 0-4 weeks - $750
- 5-8 weeks - $1000
- 9 weeks + – an additional $150 per week
Please note: we will not be able to continue processing your application until the application receipt is received.
The $50 application fee is non-refundable whether or not we are able to match you to a suitable discipline, site and time or if the placement is cancelled by the student.
To secure your placement, the placement fee is to be paid no later than 3 weeks prior to your elective term commencing.
The preferred method of payment is via credit card on the University of Tasmania payment portal. On this page, please select College of Health and Medicine > Visiting Students Elective Program
If you are from overseas you may be required to apply for a visa to enter Australia.
The University of Tasmania cannot provide information to international students regarding visas. For more information about the type of visa you require, or the conditions of your visa, please contact the Department of Home Affairs.
Please note: The University of Tasmania will not act as a sponsor for students who wish to undertake their elective in Tasmania.
It is the student's obligation to ensure they have the correct visa for the placement.
Can I apply with a friend?
We will attempt to place students travelling as a group together, but this cannot be guaranteed. Please make a note of who you are travelling with in the last section of the online application form.
Is there accommodation supplied?
Students need to arrange their own accommodation. Suggestions for accommodation can be provided upon request.
What happens once I submit my application?
Once we have received your application we will send an acknowledgment email. It can take 6-8 weeks to process the application, however this may take longer depending on staffing demands.
Can the school complete a form required by my University once I do my elective?
Yes, this form can be completed to confirm your attendance and can include you have the same rights and responsibilities as a local student. For anything further than this, please email with attachments of your documentation.
Enquiries please contact: electives@med.utas.edu.au
Experience Tasmania
As you prepare to study with us, find out some more about what makes our island place so unique, beautiful and exciting.
If you’ve found out about our university, there’s a good chance you’ve heard stories about Tasmania. An island with the cleanest air in the world, offering natural beauty everywhere, amazing produce and food, and a laid-back way of life. Well, it's all true.
