Electives Application Process

Please read the instructions below carefully.

Failure to comply with the instructions below will result in automatic rejection of your application.

How to apply

1. If you are interested in applying for an elective placement please email the electives team in the first
instance at electives@imperial.nhs.uk. You will then receive an application form by email from the Elective
team.
2. Fill out the application form ensuring that you list 3 chosen specialties in order of preference. We aim to
allocate you your top choice of specialty; however we cannot guarantee this and therefore ask you to
list two further specialties.
3. Send the completed application form (as word doc) and ALL accompanying documents (as individual pdf
docs) to electives@imperial.nhs.uk. Please refer to documents list below.
4. You will receive a confirmation email from the Electives team that your application form and
accompanying documents have been received and are correct.
5. The Electives team will then proceed to contact the respective consultants in the specialties cited on
your application form in order to secure you an elective placement. Please do not contact the
consultants directly.
6. You will receive a provisional acceptance email from the electives team confirming site and
specialty allocation.
7. You must either accept or decline this provisional offer with one week. Failure to reply to the Electives
team within one week will result in automatic withdrawal of the provisional offer
8. If you accept the provisional offer, you will be then sent two more forms to complete;

 An occupational health form, please return this to healthatwork.healthatwork@imperial.nhs.uk

 An Imperial College registration form, please return this to; electives@imperial.nhs.uk

9. You will receive official notification directly of occupational health clearance. If EPP clearance
required Elective team will aim to book a blood test for first day of placement.

10. You will be sent an official confirmation letter of acceptance to placement and confirmation of start date
from Elective steam.
11. Students who require a Tier 4 visa (non EU, EEA or Swiss citizens) must obtain a Tier 4 visa before
entering the UK, an electronic copy of the visa must be sent to the electives team before commencing
placement. Your passport and the original visa must be seen by the Electives Team on the first day of the
elective placement. (Please refer to further information on page 6).
12. 2 weeks prior to start date you will be sent an email confirming start date and reporting instructions.
13. On first day of placement you will report to St Mary’s Hospital for your NHS Trust Induction;
passport/visa check.

Fees

The current fees for all elective placements, regardless of length, are £400 (GBP). This is payable on your first day of
your elective by cash or credit/debit card.

Please note the fees are subject to change.

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Document information

You must follow the instructions below when sending your documents.

Failure to do so will result in automatic rejection of your application.

• All documents must be sent as separate attachments in one email.

• Ensure there are a total of 9 attachments.
• Label each attachment as outlined per the below with the corresponding number.

Document number Document name

1 Application Form return as WORD file
2 Academic Reference return as PDF file
3 Official transcript return as PDF file
4 Curriculum Vitae (CV) return as PDF file
5 Passport return as PDF file
6 Passport Photo returned as JPG file
7 Letter of Good Conduct return as PDF file
8 English Proficiency Certificate return as PDF file
9 ANTT return as PDF file

Documents list

1. Application form
Please complete the application form - sent as separate word document.

2. Academic reference
This reference must be from a member of staff at your home university/institution who is familiar with your
academic studies
The reference must include;

 The institution’s official stamp (or letterhead) and contact details (email and postal address).
 The status of the person providing the reference (e.g. administrator, professor).
 Confirmation that you are a current student.
 Confirmation that you are studying Medicine.
 Confirmation that your university agrees for you to undertake an elective at Imperial
College Healthcare.
 Confirmation that the elective will count towards your medical degree.

3. Official transcript
This transcript must be from your university / institution listing the course and examinations you have taken
to date and plan to take in the current academic year prior to commencing the elective placement.

4. Curriculum vitae (CV)

Your CV will be sent to consultants within your chosen specialty, please ensure you include a covering letter.

5. Passport identification page.

This must be a direct copy of the identification page of the passport you will enter in UK with. If you hold
dual nationality, please only send a copy of the passport you will enter the UK under. Your passport must be
seen by the Electives Team on the first day of the elective placement.

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6. Passport-style photograph (JPEG)
In order for the Trust to produce you an NHS Identification (I.D) card you must ensure that your photograph
is sent to us a JPEG. Please ensure the photograph is:

 Less than 6 months old.

 Taken against a white background.

7. Letter of Good conduct

An "Enhanced DBS Disclosure" for UK applicants. A certificate of good conduct from your government or
police force for all other nationalities.

8. English Proficiency Certificate

Please see link below for accepted English proficiency certificates and scores
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/apply/requirements/english/

If you have a first degree taught in English within the following countries then you meet the English
requirement automatically:

• Australia
• Canada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• West Indies

If you have studied a joint degree programme with a university based in one of the above countries you are
also considered to have met the English language requirement, providing that you also meet the following
requirements:

 Your final degree is awarded by a university based in one of the above countries and;
 Your entire final year of study was completed at a university based in one of the above countries.

9. ANTT Certificate
Certificate / Evidence of ANTT (Aseptic Non Touch Technique) training. If you do not have a certificate,
please ask you course lead or tutor to write a letter citing that you have covered this topic within your
training.

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Occupational Health

What is occupational health?

Our occupational health team looks after the health and wellbeing of all staff, volunteers and students whilst they
are on-site at one of our hospitals.

In order to be able to offer you an elective placement we must ensure that you are well enough for the proposed
placement and do not pose a risk to our patients. We also need to be able to advise your supervising consultant
whether you require additional help or support to participate in the placement.

Your details are classed as confidential and will only be shared with the occupations health team and, if necessary,
your consultant.

Occupational health questionnaire (form)

This form will be sent to you separately by the Electives Team after you have accepted your provisional offer.

The form will contain a list of immunisations you are required to have BEFORE you start your elective. You must
complete the form and have the immunisation page stamped by your health care professional.

Hepatitis B surface antibody (>10Min/ml

Hepatitis
Positive Hepatitis B core antibody

Positive Measles IgG antibodies

Measles
Documentary evidence of 2 x MMR vaccinations

Positive Rubella IgG antibodies

Rubella
Documentary evidence of 2 x MMR vaccinations

History of infection (NOT valid for those based in countries with the tropics)

Positive varicella antibodies

Varicella
Documentary evidence of 2 x VZV vaccination

BCG Scar (visible)

Documentary evidence of BCG vaccination

Negative Mantoux test result (<6 months)

Tuberculous (TB)
Normal CXR result (<6 months)

Negative TB quantiferon test (<6 months)

Failure to show evidence of these immunisations (stamp from health care professional) will result in cancellation
of your elective placement. We do not offer vaccinations for the above on site. You must have these before you
enter the UK.

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 Once you have been sent the occupational health questionnaire, please return it to:
HealthAtWork.HealthAtWork@imperial.nhs.uk

Do not send this information to any otheremail address.

This questionnaireis intended to give you general clearance. Forstudents who wish to embark on an elective in one
of the follow specialties, you will also require EPP (exposure prone procedures) clearance in addition to the
questionnaire.

• All surgical specialties

• Emergency medicine(at SMH only)
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Renal

EPP clearance involves blood tests to look for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis Band Hepatitis C. The results are usually available
after 5-10 days. We aim to book you for a blood test within the first day of your elective placement; however this
may not always be possible.

The blood test must be carried out within the UK at a certified NHS center therefore we are unable to accept results
you may already possess.

Please note that without EPP clearance for the above named specialties you will not be permitted to undertake
any practical procedure.

Short Term Study Visa

If you are coming from outside the European Union to undertake a Medical Elective, you need to come to the UK
under the Short-Term Study route.
The Short-term Study route gives permission to allow students to come to the UK for a period of up to six months in
order to undertake a short course of study.
Please note that if you enter the UK on a Short-term Study visa, you are not entitled to:
 Extend your visa in the UK, or switch to a different visa category from within the UK
 Bring dependants

For more information about the Short-term Study visa, please consult the Home Office website:
https://www.gov.uk/study-visit-visa

How do I apply for Short-term Study permission?

The process of obtaining Short-term Study permission varies depending on your nationality. Some students (referred
to as non-visa nationals) are able to travel to the UK and obtain their permission at their point of entry (at Immigration
Control in the airport). Students from visa-national countries are required to apply for Entry Clearance as a Short-term
Student before travelling to the UK.
To find out which category you belong to, please refer to the Immigration Rules appendix V, and scroll down to
Appendix 2: Visa National List: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-
rules
If your country of nationality is on the list, you are a visa-national.
If your country of nationality is not on the list you are a non-visa national.

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Visa Nationals
Citizens of some countries must apply for Entry Clearance (a visa) to come to the UK for any purpose and for any length
of time. These citizens are known as visa-nationals.

If you fall into the visa-national category you must make an application for Entry Clearance as a Short-term Student.
You can apply for entry clearance in any country outside the UK, which means that you do not need to apply in a
country where you usually live.
The Short-Term Study visa application must be approved and a visa issued as a sticker in your passport before you can
travel to the UK.

To apply for a Short-term Study visa, visa nationals need to apply online via the Visa4UK website:
https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/. For guidance on completing the application form, please view our guidance notes
which are available here: www.imperial.ac.uk/study/international-students/visas-and-immigration/applying-for-a-
student-visa-overseas/application-forms-outside-the-uk
As well as the application, you will need some supporting documents. These include:

 An original letter from Imperial College stating your personal details (name and CID number) and confirming
the date(s) of your Medical Elective. New students will get this letter automatically when they accept an
unconditional offer of a place on the course.
 Bank Statements covering a period of at least 6 months which prove that you have sufficient funds to support
yourself during your time in the UK (we suggest at least £1265 per month that you intend to be in the country)

We highly recommend that in addition to submitting these supporting documents with your visa application, you also
carry them with you when you travel to the UK, so that you can present them if asked to do so by an Immigration
Officer at the UK Border.

Non Visa Nationals

Citizens of certain countries (non-visa nationals) are able to come to the UK as a Short-term Student without first
applying for Entry Clearance (a visa issued as a sticker in your passport). Instead, these citizens can be stamped in on
arrival as a Short-term Student at the UK Border.

If you fall into the non-visa national category you must make it clear to the Immigration Officer at the UK border that
you are entering the UK for the purpose of study rather than a general visit. You will not need to fill in an application
form, but will be required to show the following documentation at the border:
 An original letter from Imperial College stating your personal details (name and CID number) and confirming
the date(s) of your Medical Elective. New students will get this letter automatically when they accept an
unconditional offer of a place on the course.
 Bank Statements covering a period of at least 6 months which prove that you have sufficient funds to support
yourself during your time in the UK (we recommend at least £1265 per month that you intend to be in the
country).

Further Help?
Imperial College has a team of dedicated Immigration Advisers who can advise you further about the process if you
have any problems. Please ensure you have read our guidance fully before contacting us using the details given below.

Room 301, Level 3, Sherfield Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ
Email: international@imperial.ac.uk, Website: www.imperial.ac.uk/study/visa

January 2018