Elective (Personalised Learning Course)

Brighton Rehabilitation Unit is part of the Community and Oral Health Directorate in Metro North Hospital and Health Service.  When available this can be preferenced in the clinical unit opportunities and will be identified as 'Brighton Health Campus (Rehabilitation)'. 

For more information on this opportunity please find it HERE.  

Rural Clinical Opportunities

A rural placement for your Year 4 Personalised Learning Course (PLC) is the perfect opportunity for domestic students to build on your Year 3 RRM experience and international students to have the rural experience that you missed out on.

Available rural sites for Semester 1 2024 PLC have been uploaded to InPlace so you should be able to view them when your block preferencing window opens, but if you wish to find out earlier what is available, please contact the RRM team.

in 2024, students who complete PLC at an RRM location will have access to RRM subsidies for travel and accommodation.

2024 rural sites for PLC will be finalised after RRM and GP placements have been allocated.

Please find rural placement opportunities on the flyer attached HERE.  If students are interested in a rural placement, they should contact med.rrmstudents@uq.edu.au.  

Students are also able to undertake a self-arranged elective placement somewhere other than a UQ Clinical Site. Students will need to apply no later than 12 weeks prior to the commencement of their elective placement (application dates can be found above under 'Application & Preferencing Dates' and also here under 'Key Dates'). These timeframes are in place to allow the Faculty sufficient time to obtain the appropriate approvals (e.g. Student Placement Agreement (SPA), academic approval etc).

The elective is 6 weeks long, however, as some non-UQ clinical electives are fixed at 4 or 5 weeks, the elective can be split into two with approval from the Course Coordinator.  Students will need to propose a learning activity to complete the remaining 1-2 weeks in their learning plan. It is important to note that all learning activities need to be supervised and students need to arrange their own supervisor. This can be the same person as for the other component of the Elective, or a different person. Reasonable examples might be 1-2 weeks spent writing up a case report or research project etc. These types of placements will be approved on a case-by-case basis. 

It is important to note that self-arranged placements will still require the relevant approvals including a Student Placement Agreement (SPA). If a SPA is not signed by the placement provider by two weeks prior to the placement start date, the placement will not be approved and the student will be allocated to a placement with a UQ Clinical Unit. Students may wish to consider placement providers where the University has an existing relationship (overarching agreement). A list of these providers can be found here.

Please note that the MD program has set teaching periods.  There is no flexibility when it comes to your placement block dates.  Students will be required to start and finish their placements on the indicated dates:

Agreements

It is important to note that self-arranged placements will still require the relevant approvals. Before a student commences a clinical placement outside of a UQ clinical site, an agreement must be in place. 

• The Faculty of Medicine will arrange an agreement on behalf of students applying for an away placement, once the academic merits of the intended placement have been assessed.
• Please note that an application for an away placement will not be approved until a relevant agreement has been fully executed. 
• Remember that getting an agreement signed can be a long process. Keep this in mind when you are organising your placements and managing the application processes through the placement provider and UQ. 

If an agreement is not signed by the placement provider by two weeks prior to the placement start date, the placement will not be approved and the student will be allocated to a placement with a UQ Clinical Unit. Students may wish to consider placement providers where the University has an agreement in place, which can be found here.

Important!

Sites that are unable to execute an SPA (and are therefore unable to host students):

• The University of Melbourne, who facilitates many placements within Victoria (such as the Royal Melbourne Hospital).  
• South Australia (SA) Health, who facilitate placements in public hospitals within South Australia.
• National University Hospital, Singapore
• Juntendo University, Japan
  
  We will attempt to update this as soon as we are able to reach an agreement with a provider/site.  

Sites that are unable to complete the UQ Clinical Participation Assessment (CPA), and therefore unable to host students:

• University of Malta, who facilitate placements at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta

US Students

Please be advised that students undertaking Elective placements at the below institutions will be ineligible for US Financial Aid for their Elective course.

• The University of Toronto
• Lund University
• Medical University of Graz
• Seoul National University
• Tan Tok Seng Hospital
• Jikei University
• University of Tubingen
• Chinese University of Hong Kong

Queensland Health Facilities

Clinical placements within Cairns, Townsville and Mackay Hospitals are coordinated through the team at James Cook Univeristy.  Students are not to contact individual clinicians to arrange/request clinical placement.  You can find information on the application process on their website.

Applications for placement within the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Services must be coordinated through the UQ Faculty of Medicine's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team. This includes Gold Coast University Hospital, Robina Hospital, Nambour, Caloundra, Gympie, Maleny, and Sunshine Coast University Hospital.  Students are not to contact individual clinicians to arrange/request clinical placement. Please direct all enquiries to the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team - med.placements@uq.edu.au

UnitingCare Hospitals

Wesley Hospital, St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, Buderim Private Hospital or St Stephen's Hospital in Hervey Bay - any students interested in undertaking a placement in one of these facilities need to contact UnitingCare Clinical School in the first instance and are not to contact clinicians directly. You can contact them on medical.school@uchealth.com.au. For more information, including details about their non-refundable enquiry and application fees, see the UnitingCare Clinical School​ website.

Low-Middle Income Countries (LMIC)

Self-sourced placements in low-middle income countries (LMIC), or below, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will require a Risk Assessment to be completed by the Student in UQ Safe. These placements will be considered on a case-by-case basis and approval is at the discretion of the Medical School.

DFAT 3/4/0 Countries

To ensure the health, safety and wellness of students and to ensure UQ meets it's duty of care obligations, authorised travel is not permitted to countries/regions rated by DFAT Smart Traveller as:

• Level 3 (reconsider your need to travel)
• Level 4 (do not travel)
• where no advice has been issued by DFAT Smart Traveller
• any other country, as determined by UQ

External Providers Seeking Students

External providers on occasion express an interest in providing placement opportunities for UQ MD students. These placement opportunities are not endorsed by the Faculty, however details can be found  here for you to investigate further.

International Placement Portals

Opportunities offered through the below portals will still require a Student Placement Agreement with each facility prior to placement commencement.  If you are unsure if the Medical School have an SPA in place, please contact the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team - med.placements@uq.edu.au

VSLO - Visiting Student Learning Opportunities

The AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program allows you to search and apply for clinical, research, and public health opportunities in the US and around the globe. You will have access to many resources, cross-cultural tools, and information on engaging in a global health experience. Please contact the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team for assistance with registration.

Find out more

AFMC – The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada Portal

The AFMC Student Portal is an online service to facilitate the application and placement of medical students for undergraduate visiting electives at the 17 faculties of medicine in Canada. The AFMC Student Portal services include a searchable database for visiting electives in Canada; online application process for Canadian and international students; and placement and confirmation tracking tools for elective coordinators at each faculty.

Find out more

External International Opportunities

There are opportunities for students, that are not considered partnerships, however have been established host for our students for many years.  Links and brief outlines are listed below:

U21 Health Sciences Group - Waitlist for 2025

The Universitas 21 (U21) Health Sciences Group is a unique global network of leading universities committed to collaboration and internationalisation.

Current member institutions offering clinical placements include:

• University of Auckland
• University of Edinburgh
• Lund University
• Tecnologico de Monterrey
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
• Fudan University
• Korea University

Each calendar year, only five placements are available.

Important: Before applying to U21, students should check with the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team to ensure an active Student Placement Agreement is in place with the host institution. 

Please note that unfortunately, the below sites are unable to host UQ students as they are unwilling to execute a Student Placement Agreement:

• University of Hong Kong
• University College Dublin

Learn more about U21 placements

Work the World

Undertake your medical elective with Work the World and get perspective-shifting clinical experience in low-resource hospitals across Africa and Asia. You'll get a placement tailored to your clinical interests, guaranteed department choices, and English-speaking in-hospital supervision. Student recieve the benefits of living with other healthcare students in private, catered accommodation, 24/7 support from in-country teams, and much more. Explore options for your medical elective here: https://www.worktheworld.com.au/medical-electives.

Please view the Work the World (WTW) flyer here.

Our International Partners

University of Queensland’s Medical School has close relationships with the below overseas partners. Students who are nominated by the University will undergo a conduct check, and must be in good academic and financial standing with the University to be considered a nominee for these opportunities.

Medical University of Graz, Austria - Waitlist for 2025

Clinical rotations at Med Uni Graz are hands-on traineeships and are offered throughout the year.

For a list of available departments: https://www.medunigraz.at/en/university-departments. Please note that some of these departments have minimum durations. For further details, please see their flyer.

Students have to be nominated by the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team 7 months prior to placement commencement. If you are interested in applying for an elective, please see the below documentation. Enquiries can be directed to the WIL team - med.placements@uq.edu.au

Graz Clinical Rotations Fact Sheet
Graz Immunisation requirements

   

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong  - Waitlist for 2025

Students can still apply, however will be reviewed outside our partnership agreement.  This will be organised directly through the CUHK Incoming Elective Clinical Attachment link.

CUHK accept 2 students for electives each academic year, with applications required at least 6 months in advance.

Note that these placements are self-funded, however students may be eligible for funding from OS-HELP Loan. There is no language requirement as the medium of instruction is English.

Expressions of interest should be sent from your UQ email account to med.placements@uq.edu.au. The email should include your name and student number, elective block number, which university you are interested in, and 3 discipline preferences. Applications will be submitted on a first served basis.

Jikei University, Japan - Waitlist for 2025

Jikei accept 2 students for electives each academic year, with a block out for August. 

Note that these placements are self-funded, however students may be eligible for funding from OS-HELP Loan. There is no language requirement as the medium of instruction is English.

Expressions of interest should be sent from your UQ email account to med.placements@uq.edu.au. The email should include your name and student number, elective block number, which university you are interested in, and 3 discipline preferences. Applications will be submitted on a first served basis.

Universitat Tübingen, Germany 

The Medical Faculty, Tübingen, is glad to offer medical observerships or clinical electives for medical students. Tübingen is a lovely small university town in Southern Germany. Placments are in Internal Medicine (ICU), Anaesthesiology, Gynaecology, Invasive Radiology, Neurosurgery, other disciplines on demand . It is advantageous to speak German, however not required.

Expressions of interest should be sent from your UQ email account to med.placements@uq.edu.au. The email should include your name and student number, elective block number, and 3 discipline preferences. Applications will be submitted on a first served basis.

Application pack and information

Please know that the application pack requires students to sign a waiver. We encourage you to seek out your own independent legal advice prior to signing this. UQ Union provide free legal advice for students. 

Kobe University, Japan - Waitlist for 2025

UQ Medicine has recently established a partnership with the School of Medicine at Kobe University in Kobe City, Japan. Through this collaboration, Kobe University can accommodate three MD program students for a period of six weeks each. If nominated, students are to take full advantage of the six-week duration provided by Kobe University (Note that for students from universities other than UQ, placement duration is four weeks).

Applications are due at least six months prior to placement commencement.

Knowledge of the Japanese language is beneficial, however students are not required to be fluent.

Expressions of interest should be sent from your UQ email account to med.placements@uq.edu.au. The email should include your name and student number, elective block number, and 3 discipline preferences as outlined in the below flyer. Once accepted by Kobe, you will be sent an application pack outlining your requirements for your placement.

Applications will be submitted on a first in, first served basis.

Kobe University Elective Program flyer
Kobe University Elective website

• Prior to applying for a self-arranged Elective placement, students are requested to notify the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team of their intended host site (med.placements@uq.edu.au)

• Applications for external elective placements must be received no later than 12 weeks prior to the start date of the placement. Due dates can be found on the Key guidelines page.

• Applications are submitted through the self-placement submission link on your Placements page. Ensure your application includes the following:
  • A 200-word statement outlining the goals of your proposed placement.
  • A signed Student International Placement Declaration Form (for international placements only, if travel is permitted).
  • Evidence of confirmation from your proposed supervisor, specifying your agreed placements dates.
  • If your placement includes a proposed supervised learning activity (eg. placements shorter than a 6 week block):
    • Evidence of confirmation from your supervisor, specifying your agreed placement dates.
    • The relevant completed template: Project Elective Form or Case Study.

• Following the application due date, the Course Coordinator will assess all applications for approval and students will be advised accordingly. 
   
• The Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team will then arrange the SPA with your host site. Note that getting an SPA signed can be a lengthy process and in some cases, placements may not be able to go ahead. In the event that an SPA cannot be secured for a placement, students will be allocated an Elective placement at a UQ Clinical site.
   
• Once the placement is approved by the Course Coordinator and the SPA has been secured, you willl be provided with confirmation of final approval via email.

Students are advised NOT to make any travel arrangements until the final approval has been granted.

Important Update for all MD Students at QHealth Facilities

We wish to inform you that the MD student research options remain under review but to ensure minimal disruption we will review applications on a case-by-case basis. We are excited about the opportunities that will be available once this review is complete.

We look forward to providing you with information on the process to engage in research in 2025 soon. Our goal is to ensure that MD students like you have access to meaningful research experiences that support your professional development while maintaining the high standards of our program.

Your placement provider may require you to submit certain documents when you apply for an elective placement.  You can find information on who to contact below.

* This Letter will be issued only to students who are currently in good standing with the University, who have achieved an average GPA of 4.5 and above and have a clear conduct report.  
^The Faculty of Medicine OHS team carry out respiratory equipment fit testing to verify correct fitment and seal of disposable respiratory masks rated for P2 (Australia) or N95 (other national jurisdictions).  Please email the team stipulating which country you’ll be working in. Testing is carried out at Oral Health Centre, Herston or by prior arrangement at limited other locations.

If the documentation your require is not found above, please email the Faculty's Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team for further advice - med.placements@uq.edu.au. 

Centrelink

Students who receive Centrelink payments and are planning to complete a placement outside of Australia could be at risk of having their payments ceased.  Students should contact Centrelink directly for further advice. 

If Centrelink request a statement from your education institution, please use the Request function via myRequests on your My.UQ page. If you require any assistance with requesting certified documents online, you can contact Student Central for assistance:
Phone: 1300 275 870 (Option 1) 8.30am—5pm