Clinical Elective Opportunities

Regional Electives

Dr. Susan Bradley Scholarship Adult and Child Psychiatry
Medquest
Northern Ontario School of Medicine Northwestern Ontario Medical Program (NOMP)
Northern Ontario Summer Studentship Program
SWOMEN Electives

National Electives

Alberta Rural Physicians Action Plan Summer Student Experience Program
Memorial University Pre-clerkship Electives Program
New Brunswick Summer Preceptorship Program
Research Electives at Dalhousie University
PEI Medical Society Summer Student Education Program

International Electives

Calcutta Village Project
Child Family Health International
IFMSA Clinical Exchange Program
Indian Health Initiative
Kenya Village Project
Malaika Village Project
Medical Students in China
MedOutreach
Native Health Initiative
Palestinian Refugee Project
Unite for Sight
WHO Internship

Setting up your own Elective

First things first. . .find a physician you want to shadow!

To start your search, we have included a compilation of contacts across the country. Make sure you check this list out- you'll find individual practitioners from different specialties, as well as physician recruiters who may be able to help and also some associations that can help to match physicians to students.

If these contacts don't suit your tastes, here are some other ways to find a preceptor:

1. Ask the student affairs office if they have a list of doctors willing to have students shadow them and if you can have access to it. (I found the University of Calgary very unaccommodating in this area)
2. Look up the list of doctors and e-mail addresses on the health region's website and e-mail physicians randomly that have practices you are interested in. (This is what the school suggested I do but I never pursued it because it seemed like too wide of a search.)
3. Contact the med school's student association. Explain what you are pursuing and ask them if there are physicians they particularly enjoyed doing shadowing or clerkship placements with and then contact those doctors. (Students can be more helpful than administration; you could also just ask anyone you happen to know that goes to that school.)
4. Personal Contacts. Get names of physicians from your family physician back home, a friend of a friend, distant relative etc. Contact them- if they say no, ask if they have suggestions and expand your search that way. (That is what I did and it worked the best in the end. For example, I started with a family physician, who connected me to a low-risk obstetrics group, who offered me time with a sports medicine physician etc.)

The main things to note in trying to set up a non-credit summer elective are:

1. You are not a clerk. You will have to make this clear again and again. Most schools have programs for out of province clerkship rotations so this is what they automatically assume you are doing. You have to emphasize your level of training, what this experience is for and how much you are comfortable with doing.
2. Since you are not going through the school system most of the time the doctors you are with will not be compensated for teaching you. It is just something to be aware of- be appreciative.
3. Make sure that you get insurance coverage through Meds 010 for malpractice and make sure the doctors you are working with know you have it. (See below for info on how to gain this coverage for a mere $50!)
4. If you are doing work with a number of physicians find one that is willing to basically be your contact for the school and take nominal responsibility for you over the whole course of the elective. Otherwise you can't register with Meds 010 or get your experience on your transcript!
5. You can break up your elective into pieces as long as it is 3 weeks or more total- this is the minimum length of time required for registration in Medicine 010.

A note about Medicine 010:
Once you have set up your own opportunity you can apply online for this non-credit course. Its quick and painless- all the info will be available online in March (and don't worry- you'll get the info via email as well). Once you fill out the application form and Assumption of Risk form, the school will likely approve your experience and they will bill you $50. This gives you insurance coverage (always a good idea!) and provides an official record of your elective, which may come in handy when it comes time for CARMS. At the end of the summer, just get your doc to fill out a "completion form" (they just have to give you a "mark" of satisfactory or fail), send it to the school and you're done!