Medical electives

We run an elective programme for medical students in their penultimate or final year of study interested in a clinical placement at St George's Hospital.

These placements give you the opportunity to explore a particular medical specialty in a different healthcare environment as part of your degree.

The elective process

Our elective placements are four weeks long and start on the first Monday of the month.

The elective programme opens for applications twice a year. Applications need to be submitted either in May or November depending on when you would like to start your elective:

For example, if you would like to attend an elective in August 2026, you would apply in May 2026.

Please note: The application round is for applicants to complete the online application form and make the payment required. Application attempts made outside of these times or arranged with any consultant or academic without making an application will not be considered. If you have already approached an individual, you can mention this on your application.

We offer a wide range of elective opportunities at St George’s, a teaching hospital which provides both local secondary level care and regional specialist care.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply to a medical elective if you meet all the following criteria:

• At the time of your requested elective, you are a medical student in your penultimate (second to last) or final year of study (therefore, you can apply in the application round before your penultimate year as long as your requested elective would take place once you had started your penultimate year)
• The medical school you currently attend appears on the World Directory of Medical Schools website
• You have passed all of your assessments to date
• You have DBS (police check) and occupational health clearance from your current institution, which can be confirmed via the Medical Elective Verfication form below
• You meet our English Language requirements (see below)
• You have the appropriate immigration permissions.

How to apply

1. Complete the application form (link will be available when applications open). You can select your speciality(s) from the list below (subject to change):
   1. Acute Internal Medicine
   2. Breast surgery
   3. Cardiology
   4. Dermatology
   5. Emergency Medicine (only available from March to July)
   6. Haematology
   7. Nephrology
   8. Obstetrics
   9. Orthopaedics
   10. Orthogeriatrics
   11. Paediatrics
   12. Plastic surgery
   13. Psychiatry
   14. Renal transplant
   15. Respiratory
   16. Urology
2. Pay the application fee via our online shop (link will be available when applications open). The application fee is non-refundable. More information can be found under the heading ‘Cost’ below.
3. Ask your university to complete the Medical Elective Verification form.  This form includes certifying your passport. Please ensure you take the original copy and the photocopy you will upload to your application with you when this form is completed. This form also asks your current institution to confirm that you have completed a police check (DBS) and have Occupational Health clearance as part of your current programme of study.
4. Gather the following documentation and email them to elective@sgul.ac.uk:
   1. Current photographic identification and any relevant visa pages.
   2. The completed Medical Elective verification form (above).
   3. Evidence of meeting our English Language requirements – not applicable for those applying from a UK medical school.
   4. Official (interim) academic transcript to date.

After applying

Once you have applied, we anticipate communicating our decision to you within 8 weeks.

Applications are reviewed by both City St George’s, University of London, and St George’s Hospital. St George’s Hospital makes selections based on your personal statement and in line with how many placements each speciality has to offer each month. We make every effort to accept as many elective students as possible, but we cannot guarantee that your application will be successful. Applications are reviewed in the order received on a first come first served basis for the speciality in question.

Cost

Elective placements cost £800 which covers the administration costs of your admission (application fee), and your time spent at St George's Hospital (placement fee).

To pay the application fee, follow the link to our online shop which can be found under 'How to apply' when the application round is open.

Your placement fee is not due to be paid unless you have been accepted onto an elective. A second link to our online shop will be included in your offer letter.

English language requirements

All medical elective student must meet our English Language requirement in one of the following ways:

• Study at a UK medical school
• Obtain an IELTS (International English Language Testing System: Academic) score of 6.5 overall with 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in all other components (certificate must have been issued within the last two years to be considered valid)
• Meet one of our other published English Language requirements
  • The medical elective placement falls within group 2.

Student testimonials

The School of Health and Medical Sciences shares its site with a hospital. I really appreciated this feature because it allows students to immerse themselves in the hospital environment right from the early years of their education. I had the chance to observe patients with rare syndromes I had never encountered before.

- Bianca Borsato from Italy

The consultants and registrars I shadowed were always very eager to teach me. I also had the chance to attend some of the multidisciplinary teams meetings, which were a great way to see how the NHS works and how healthcare professionals can work together in the best interest of the patient.

- Thiago Schneider Martins from Brazil

It was a fascinating experience to learn about the differences in healthcare provision. Being placed in an environment with entirely different cultures has made me more aware of who I am relative to others and has provided an opportunity for deep self-discovery. This amazing experience will shape my future.

- Yoshiho Sakamoto from Japan

Frequently asked questions

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