Ochsner Clinical Immersions

Guidelines

7.1 UQ-Ochsner MD Students who wish to undertake their Elective immersion at UQ GBCS or RCS in Australia should email their expression of interest to med.placements@uq.edu.au at least 12 weeks prior to commencement of the immersion term. Elective immersions undertaken at UQ sites must be completed in their entirety (8 weeks) and cannot be split with another immersion. Students are not permitted to contact clinicians at UQ Clinical Units directly regarding Elective opportunities.

7.2 The Elective immersion can be undertaken at any approved location worldwide, including but not limited to the Clinical Schools of the UQ Medical School. Academic approval to undertake the Elective immersion at an external site is at the discretion of the Director of OCS (or nominee), and each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

7.3 Applications and preferencing for the Elective and PRINT immersions must be made in accordance with the published timeline.

7.4 Students wishing to undertake the Elective or PRINT immersions external to Ochsner are responsible for sourcing their own immersion.

7.5 All self-arranged Clinical Immersions will require a student placement agreement (SPA) to be signed with the immersion provider, unless a current affiliation agreement exists between the away institution and Ochsner or UQ. Without a fully executed SPA, or current affiliation agreement, the immersion will not be approved. If neither an SPA nor affiliation agreement can be secured, Students will be allocated to an available immersion at Ochsner.

7.6 Self-arranged immersions 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. These immersions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and approval is at the discretion of the Dean, Medical School (or nominee).

7.7 As per the UQ Student Travel Procedure, to ensure the health and safety of our Students and that UQ meets its duty of care obligations, authorised travel is not permitted to countries/regions rated by DFAT Smart Traveller as DFAT 3/4 or Not Rated (0) countries, or any other country as determined by UQ.

7.8 Students undertaking approved international immersions must complete a Student International Travel Declaration before commencement of their travel and must register their travel with International SOS (ISOS) before departure.

7.9 Students are responsible for all costs related to self-arranged Elective and PRINT clinical immersions.

7.10 Students who do not have an approved Elective or PRINT clinical immersion six (6) weeks prior to the commencement of the immersion term will be allocated to an available immersion at Ochsner.

Applications for Self-Arranged (External) Clinical Immersions

Applications for self-arranged (external) clinical immersions must be submitted no later than 12 weeks prior to the commencement of the immersion term. Please refer to the table below for specific application deadlines. Students must not apply for dates outside of their allocated immersion term.

Students are encouraged to consider placement providers with whom Ochsner or UQ has an existing agreement (see Section 7.5 above). A list of these providers is available on the UQ-Ochsner Blackboard Community Site under Year 4 Electives & Away Placements – External Clinical Immersion Information. 

Additionally, students can view a list of locations where UQ-Ochsner graduates have previously interviewed, rotated, or matched. This information is located on the UQ-Ochsner Blackboard Community Site under Student Resources.

Application Process

1. Notification: Before applying, students must notify the OCS Elective Program Manager of their intended host site via email at med.ocsStudentAdmin@uq.edu.au.

2. Submission: Applications must be submitted through the self-placement submission link found on the Placements page under your “To Do” list.

3. Review and Approval: The OCS Elective Program Manager will review all submissions and provide requested documentation to the student for their application. The student may then apply directly to the host institution. 

4. SPA Coordination: If applicable, the OCS Elective Program Manager will coordinate the SPA with the host site. Please note that SPA processing can be time-consuming, and in some cases, placements may not proceed.

5. Contingency: If an SPA cannot be secured, students will be allocated to an available immersion at OCS.

6. Final Approval: Once the placement is approved and the SPA is finalized, students will receive confirmation via email.

Important Note: 
Students are NOT to make any travel arrangements until they have received final approval.