Sources of Information & Guidance

The current Convenors of Advisers on Electives is Mr Pragnesh Bhatt

The MBChB Office can deal with administrative matters at any time. Major changes of project or serious problems with your write-up should be discussed with the Electives Convenor. 

Advisers on Electives

There is a group of interested staff – Advisers on Electives – drawn from clinical and teaching staff in the University and the North of Scotland Hospital and Community NHS who have particular knowledge and experience of electives and who are committed to offering advice and guidance to students. This group is led by the Convenor of Advisers, who also has an executive role – he or she makes decisions about individual students, for example, on behalf of the group – in addition to the Adviser role.

As well as guiding students, Advisors also consider elective proposals and interview Year 4 students about their elective plans for the following year. Advisers also assess submitted elective reports on behalf of the programme.

A list of Advisers will found within this website. Students should be aware that these names may change over time although most will remain on the list.

Previous Electives

A searchable database on previous electives with their location, their host and local supervisors is available on the website. Where available, there is also feedback from students on their experience and/or photos. We would encourage you when you return from elective to submit your comments, to give future students guidance.

There are also copies of previous prizewinning elective reports available as hard copy in the Polwarth library, and in some instances, electronically under the previous electives heading.

The Internet

• www.medicstravel.com   – great resource for addresses and contact details of hospitals worldwide;
• www.iime.org – Information on worldwide medical schools. The International Institute of Medical Education;
• www.electives.net - provides a useful guide on electives and a database on contacts overseas to members of MDU.

Hospital Staff – Your Aberdeen supervisor, hospital consultants and other senior staff often have friends abroad. Ask them if they can suggest someone.

Electronic Databases – Carry out a search for papers on your chosen topic. You will find the names and contact details of the people who authored them.

Other Students – Speak to friends and students you may know from the year above about their experiences, and read their reports. They can paint a good picture of what to expect, and may be able to give you the details of recommended supervisors.

Books – great for giving details of smaller more remote hospitals and medical clinics not available on the internet.

• The Medic's Guide to Work and Electives around the World, by Mark Wilson – The book equivalent of medicstravel.org. A great source of information from predeparture planning, to details of hospitals globally and safety whilst abroad.
• Beyond Borders, by Hamish Graham - Written by an Australian medical student about his wealth of experience on placements in rural medical centres