MEDICAL STUDENT ELECTIVE BURSARY SCHEME

Choosing an elective overseas

"That was the most important thing that I took with me: a genuine hope that I make an actual difference to people’s lives on this elective and a determination that it wouldn’t become just another 7 weeks’ medicine which just happened to be in Africa."
Nathan Lawrence, student doctor, summer 2010

All medical students undertake an elective in their final year. The elective is an opportunity to gain clinical experience in a specialism and organisation of their choice. Choosing to do an elective overseas in a resource-poor country can add valuable additional skills not often available to health service professionals starting out in their careers.

Our aim

To support students in undertaking electives in resource-poor countries to gain broader self-directed clinical and/or research experience.

"I feel that China is a great country to see a variety of cases. The surgical expertise in China is extremely high due to the number of patients and trainees from the UK would benefit greatly from exposure to the large number of patients." Quan Yuan, Cambridge University medical student, 2008

To date, we've supported over 60 student electives in countries ranging from Iran to India, from China to the Solomon Islands. Elective topics have ranged from an examination of access to healthcare services in Ghana to development of clinical algorithms for diagnosis of TB in Sudan.

If you are a Cambridge University medical student, Addenbrooke's Abroad can help you find and fund a placement in a resource-poor country. And your final report could win the annual Addenbrooke's Abroad prize for best report on an elective in a resource-poor community.

Read this report from Nathan Lawrence on his elective in Sierra Leone during the summer of 2010.

How to apply