Student Electives

Addenbrooke's Abroad assists the placement of many Cambridge University medical student for their electives in resource-poor countries.

Elective scheme information for Cambridge Clinical Students

All Final Year medical students undertake an Elective Placement as apart of the clinical course.

The seven week elective provides an opportunity for additional clinical experience, at the student’s choice and organisation.

Students may choose to arrange a local elective or to travel further afield. The basis is that of a free exchange of ‘wandering scholars’; the Clinical School and associated regional hospitals offer free tuition to incoming elective students from other universities who reciprocate.

Aim

To give students the opportunity to gain broader self-directed clinical and/or research experience of their choosing in a different cultural and social environment and work within a different health care system.

Assessment

1. At the end of the Elective, students should have demonstrated through a 1000-word report that they have:

• chosen their projects and placements appropriately;
• been responsible for the arrangements, using initiative where necessary;
• completed the project (clinical and/or research) as defined in the initial submission.

2. Reports from supervising consultants’ comment on whether students have conducted themselves appropriately as ambassadors of the University and Clinical School.

For further information about the scheme, contact the Stage 3 Co-ordinator in the Clinical School’s Education Division, lej30@medschl.cam.ac.uk.

In number of placements during 2008 in resource-poor countries was as follows:

In 2008, Addenbrooke’s Abroad supported 10 students with bursaries.

• Ali Alim-Marvasti: Tehran Hospital, Iran. Download report.
  
  
• Kristie Bewers: Nkoma CCAP Hospital, Malawi. Download report.
  
  
• Thomas Cope: Southern Regional Hospital, Dangriga, Belize and Punta Gorda Hospital, Punta Gorda, Belize. Download report.
  
  
• Rachel Gottschalk and Catherine Grilli: St Anthony’s Hospital, Volta Region, Ghana. Download report.
  
  
• Ashok Kar: Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Apia, Samoa, South Pacific
  
  
• Priscilla Mathewson: National Referral Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands Taro Hospital, Taro Island, Solomon Islands
  
  
• Thomas Williams: Ambelal Heinrich Memorial Trust Clinic and childrens clinics of Reaching the Unreached and Vellore Christian Medical College, Tamil Nadu, India. Download report.
  
  
• Clare Wilson: Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
  
  
• Quan Yuan: Qingdao Municipal Hospital. Download report.

Information for 2007 can be found here.