Clinical electives for visiting undergraduate students

Clinical elective placements:

• are located in one of our Clinical Academies.

• are between four and eight weeks long. They cannot be extended once dates have been agreed.
• are limited in number: you need to apply well in advance.

 

Who can apply

Undergraduate medical students can apply if they are in the final or penultimate year of study before qualifying as a doctor.

As a visiting student, your qualifications are subject to the same scrutiny that is applied to all students at the University of Bristol.

You will be asked to provide evidence. This may include:

• a copy of your passport's ID page, or other formal ID
• a full occupational health check including a record of appropriate immunisations
• criminal record check
• an interim degree transcript or other confirmation that you are a Medicine student
• if English is not your first language, confirmation that you meet the following proficiency profile: Profile C | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol

All students are required to sign and abide by the Code of Practice for medical undergraduates.

If you require a visa to study in the UK, please contact the Student Visas Team to discuss your options.

 

How to apply

The following Clinical Academies offer clinical elective placements. You should contact the Clinical Academy of your choice to arrange a placement. A non-refundable fee is payable at the time of acceptance and confirmation of the elective.

• Bath, based at the Royal United Hospital. Due to the current uncertainty and until further notice, Bath Academy is not accepting applications for medical student elective placements.

• North Bristol, based at Southmead Hospital.
  • A limited number of elective placements are generally available between June and August, but we are already at capacity for 2024  If you wish to discuss an elective placement for 2025, please contact the Academy after 1 October 2024.  The Academy will not be able to respond to emails received outside of this timeframe.
  • Contact: NorthBristolAcademy@nbt.nhs.uk

• Somerset, based at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and Yeovil District Hospital. Somerset Academy is not accepting applications for medical student elective placements at this time.

• South Bristol

  • Based at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Eye Hospital, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol Heart Institute, St Michael’s Hospital or Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (excepting the Children's Emergency Department- see below).

    All elective placements at these locations for 2026 have been paused until further notice.  The Trust is currently undergoing a significant period of organisational change, and as such, we are unable to accommodate any elective placements until the consultation process has been fully concluded.

    • Applications for placements between the months of May and August 2027 will be accepted by email at the address below between 01 and 30 November 2026 ONLY. Emails received outside these times will be deleted. We cannot accept placements outside of the months of May to August, as our own University of Bristol Medical Students are on placement throughout the rest of the year.
    • We have 30 places available which fill up quickly, so we suggest emailing us near the beginning of November.
    • For your application to be accepted, you must have secured a Consultant Supervisor for your placement by 30 November, at which point, if you are accepted, we will send you the necessary paperwork. We are unable to seek a supervisor on your behalf.
    • You must be in your final or penultimate year of study to be considered for a placement.
    • We charge a £125 administration fee for all placements. You will be invoiced for this fee before you start your placement. 

    Contact: MedicalStudentsElectives@uhbw.nhs.uk

  • based at the Children's Emergency Department of Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. This dynamic and supportive department offers a limited number of elective placements for motivated students on a monthly basis between January to October.

    • Successful applications are usually made at least 9 months in advance.

    • Electives are usually for 4-6 weeks starting on the first Monday of the month, although some flexibility is possible and we’re happy to discuss your options.

    • Please note these electives are only based in the Children’s Emergency Department and not in the wider Children’s Hospital.

                  Contact: Dr M Malley ChildrensEDelective@uhbw.nhs.uk

• Swindon, based at Great Western Hospital in Swindon (40 miles from Bristol). 
  • The Academy can only accept applications received within the annual application window, which falls between 15 January and 28 February each year.  The Academy will not be able to respond to applications received outside of this timeframe. No placements can be offered in the Emergency Department, Intensive Treatment Unit, Anaesthetics, Paediatrics or Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
  • Contact: Charlotte Goode gwh.swindonelectiveprog@nhs.net