Visiting Clinical Electives

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 UCD School of Medicine has suspended all observerships and clinical electives for international visiting students. We hope we can resume international elective placements once the COVID-19 situation has improved. We will review the situation again in 2022.

Together with our affiliated hospitals, we offer a limited number of clinical electives and research electives to visiting students.  Preference is given to those registered at medical schools who are participating in the Universitas 21 Clinical Placement Programme, or institutions with a formal affiliation agreement.

The Visiting Clinical Elective Programme provides a wide range of clinical attachments in our teaching hospitals for a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of eight weeks.

The School offers limited places of summer research electives through our Student Summer Research Awards (SSRA) programme. Currently preference is given to medical schools who have a formal affiliation agreement with the UCD School of Medicine.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Students must be attending an accredited medical school who are participating in the Universitas 21 Clinical Placement Programme, or with a formal affiliation agreement with UCD School of Medicine.
  2. Students must be in their final year of medical school at the time the elective(s) take place. 
  3. Applicants who have successfully completed their penultimate year of medical education ARE eligible during their semester break/vacation between their penultimate and final year, if they have completed the applicable core rotation(s).
  4. By the time of the requested Elective, an applicant must have successfully completed a core rotation in the specialty/discipline(s) for which he/she is applying or is confirmed into.
  5. Please note that places are limited and it may take several weeks to confirm your placement. The School reserves the right to withdraw any offer to you, pending medical / immigration criteria.

Compulsory Requirements

Before an elective is confirmed, the School of Medicine International Office requires that all incoming International students provides proof of the following:

  • Letter of Good Standing from Home Institution
  • Medical Malpractice Insurance verification
  • Personal Insurance Verification
  • Police Certificate
  • Certification of English Language proficiency (if not from English speaking country)
  • Vaccinations as per UCD Medicine requirements
  • Letter of Recommendation

Applications

Applications are not open at this time due to COVID-19.

Students wishing to undertake a clinical elective in the future should contact visitingmedicine@ucd.ie.