Funding Your Medical Elective

By the end of five of more years at university many of us are scraping the bottom of our bank accounts. The idea of spending eight weeks abroad on a medical elective is exciting, but can be financially daunting. As a result many students resort to either staying locally or financing their electives personally through bank loans or through the bank of mum and dad. What they don't realise though, is how straight forward finding the funds can be.

Throughout the UK there are hundreds of charities, trust and organisations that annually give substantial amounts of money to medical students to help pay for their electives. If you know where to look, and have a few minutes to spare, this guide can help you make these funds your own.

How much money will I need?

First figure out how much it is you will need. This will vary depending on where you would like to go and what it is you would like to do. Things you might consider are:

  • Flights
  • Accommodation (your overseas supervisor might have suggestions)
  • Food
  • Immunisations
  • Visa
  • Travel Insurance
  • Transport
  • Equipment (backpack, first aid kit, maps etc)
  • Indemnity Insurance

Add these expenditured up on a "cost breakdown" sheet for a total figure or use the budget planner available on the electives website.

Where do I look?

Think about where you would like to begin your search for funds

The University of Aberdeen

  • The Alumni Annual Fund gives student study support grants in exchange for a report on completion of the project. This is a small price to pay as a report is due anyway! Further information is available from https://www.abdn.ac.uk/giving/talk/index.php 
  • Keey an eye out for essay writing competitions and other grants or bursaries which may be made available by other departments.
  • A list of prizes and bursaries available to UoA students is available from https://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/prizes/ or in the prizes and bursaries section of the elective website.

The Internet is a gold mine for databases of trust, charities and organisation waiting to give hundreds of pounds in the form of bursaries and scholarships to fund medical electives. Here are a few good websites to try

Look Locally

  • Try the Aberdeen Central Library for information. The community reference service holds a collection of directories which may be of help:
    • The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
    • Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need
    • The Educational Grants Directory
    • Guide to Scottish Trusts
  • Clubs such as the Rotary club, Lions Club and Round Table are well known for donating money to locals with worthy causes. Offer to send them a report on your return in exchange for funding.
  • Other sources to try are your old school for bursaries and awards, or a local church for funds they may have to help causes such as yours.

Make a list of all the awards/grants you have found that you think you are eligible to apply for - remember the more you find, the more likely you are to be successful in your application.

How do I apply?

Be professional in your application. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time and effort preparing an expert project proposal. It should be concise, to the point and should leave the recipient knowing exactly who you are, what you propose to do, and what you would like from them. You may want to spend some money on high quality paper (conqueror, for example, looks good) and colour printing. Ring binding the finished product (university copy shop within the university library) will make it easy to read.

The more professional and original you can make your proposal the more it will stand out from the crowd, and the more luck you will have.

Project Proposal Tips

1.  Cover Letter

You will need to tailor your cover letter to suit each particular organisation you apply to.  If possible find out the contact name of the person whom you are sending your application.  It should be no more than one side of A4, and should be made up of two or three paragraphs.  State who you are, briefly what you plan to do, and that you understand they offer such and such a prize/grant that you would like to be considered for.

2.   Project Outline

Your project outline should be brief and succint.  You might like to begin with some background to your chosen field and why your project will be important (for example, malaria is a major health issue for which there is no one treatment protocol in your chosen area).  Explain what you intend to do, how you will do it, and what your objectives are.  Include detail such as what kind of equipment and data collection method you will use,  Remember to reference any papers you have quoted.

3.   Cost Breakdown

Include your budget plan to give the recipient an idea of how much this project will cost and what their donated money will be spent on.

4.  Curriculum Vitae

Your CV should highlight your achievements and professional skills and development throughout university.  It will likely be quite a different CV than one you might have tucked away for summer job applications.  The section on CV writing will provide you with more guidance on this.

5.   Reference

A reference from the university if essential.  This confirms that you are who you say you are, highlights your academic achievements, and tells the recipient what an elective is and that it is a prerequisite for graduation.  The medical school office can help you with this and you can download a "Deans Letter" from the electives website.

6.   University Transcript

It is a good idea to attach a copy of your university transcript at the end of your proposal.  This can be downloaded from your student portal.

Send your finished proposal with a stamped addressed envelope for their reply.

The Squeaky Wheel

 Allow enough time for your packages to reach their destination, then phone up and enquire as to whether they have received your application.  At the very least you will be told what the next step is and when you can expect a decision.

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