Exchange Conditions of Students for Global Health

Working Conditions
Languages
English
(Excellent)
Required
Languages Remarks

General
Proof of English language level is required in the form of an official English language test certificate, usually an academic IELTS certificate or accepted equivalents, unless you are from a country where English is the primary spoken language e.g. USA, Australia, Canada etc. The university admissions departments will not usually accept unofficial certificates (NMO certificate, SCOPE language certificate, letter from Dean etc).

LC Specifics

University of Nottingham - IELTS 7.5 or above, with at least 7.0 in all components for ALL students. The university is very strict about this, PLEASE check their table of equivalencies (NMO Special Documents folder, also through this link) or email NEO to see if your certificate is valid.

Hull York Medical School - IELTS 7.5 or above, with at least 7.0 in all components for all students. Assume same equivalencies as for Nottingham. (Table here)

The following two LCs are currently not accepting exchnage students for contract season 2020/2021. 

Barts and the London (Queen Mary University London) - Non-EU students: IELTS 5.5 or above (see link on left for accepted certificates), achieved within last 2 years. EU students don't need to prove English level to the university, so we accept any certificate in the CoD.

University of Aberdeen - IELTS 7.0 or above for all students. See section 8 of this document for further details.

Clerkship Type
- Clinical Clerkship
A clinical clerkship is defined as the rotation of a student in a clinical department of a hospital or clinic, such as Dermatology and Pediatrics.
Required level of studies
Clinical medical student.

For Barts and the London you must be a final year student (or have just finished the exams of the penultimate year).
Graduated students allowed
No

Even if accepted by the hosting country, students must be still enrolled in university by the time the Application Form is sent.
Clerkship Duration
4 weeks, 8 hours a day, 5 days per week
Dress code
Formal
What to Bring
- Stethoscope
Academic Quality
All students will be expected to complete their SCOPE handbook during the placement, or alternatively a LC specific logbook.
You may also be asked to complete our own evaluation form after your exchange.
You will either be part of an existing incoming elective student programme or in a group with other UK students.


Nightshifts
yes
Special Remarks
Placements will differ slightly by hospital, but you will usually be expected to be in hospital from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday. Surgical placements will usually start earlier at 8am. Night shifts can be arranged with your supervisor and local committee when you arrive in country.

We don't use white coats in the UK as they are seen as an infection risk. Clothing should be smart-casual with 'bare below the elbows' shirts, skirts below the knee and closed shoes, no jewelery.
Towns
Calendar

Click here to see the calendar

Cities Remarks

Please note the differences in document requirements between the LCs. Please provide us with as many of the documents you have in the CoD to give us more choice of LC allocation.

The following are the conditions that the universities have informed us of, as of July 2019. These requirements may change and we will try to update you as soon as we are aware of any changes, or if you have already applied the university/LEO would contact you directly. Find the documents listed here, in the NMO Special Documents folder or through the LC Explore pages (email NEO if you can't find a document!)

Nottingham Medical School

Accepts both EU and Non-EU students. Application deadline for summer 2020 is 1st March 2020. Placed among other UK medical students during their 4-week 'Student Selected Module (SSM)' placements - fixed dates. Very strict about documents - please pay attention. More detailed document on requirements HERE
The dates available for exchange are one of the following:
  • 13/07-07/08
  • 10/08-04/09
  • 27/07-21/08


Special requirements (Please check LC-specific page):
  • Malpractice insurance (please note this can be expensive or hard to find if not already provided by your own university or medical defense union) 
  • IELTS 7.5 
  • Occupational Health online form
  • TB Symptom Checker Form completed and returned to the school. (after AF+CoD sent)
  • Vaccination evidence – Hepatitis B, BCG, MMR, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Varicella (Chickenpox), Hepatitis C
  • EPP form (exposure-prone procedures form, appointment on arrival to include blood test)
  • >1 year clinical experience

Hull York Medical School

Accepts EU students only. Applications must be made at least 6 months before exchange date, with Occupational Health forms fully completed and uploaded to CoD. Max 4 students per season. Please click this link for more details on requirements.

Special Requirements:

  • Travel insurance
  • IELTS 7.5+
  • 2 Occupational Health forms - FORM 1 and FORM 2
  • Malpractice insurance (please note this can be expensive or hard to find if not already provided by your own university or medical defense union)
Calendar Remarks
The availability for each LC will be published on the explore pages and circulated via the NEO server each year. Some LCs have fixed dates that are not flexible, please check before you send the AF.

Please check with LC and NEO upon application to avoid disappointment or confusion!
Disciplines
Disciplines

Click here to see all Disciplines

Disciplines Remarks

The availability of disciplines varies between LC, but all the LCs have big hospitals with most departments available. If you absolutely need a specific discipline (perhaps a requirement for your degree) please state this in your Application Form.

If you have a request for a discipline not in our list, please ask in case we can find a placement for you!

General
Pocket money
varies by LC GBP
Boarding
- Pocket Money
Lodging
- Student flat
- Dormitory
Social Program
Please see Explore pages for LC specific information. During summer there may be a joint social programme between LCs. 
Student with disabilities
Yes
Couples
No
Link to ExPlore Page
United Kingdom (Students for Global Health)
Special Remarks
Universities in the UK have very strict regulations and these are becoming tighter. You may be asked for information or to complete forms after application which we don't know about, this is likely because the regulations are changing fast, particularly with regard to immigration and health & safety. Thank you for your understanding.
Application Form
Deadline
4Months
Unilateral fee
600 GBP
Payment details for unilateral fee
We don't usually do unilateral contracts. In the case of one being organised, the payment should be sent within 2 weeks of receipt of the CA. We would provide payment details of the relevant local committee on application.
Visa requirements

The following information is very important so please read it carefully!

The visa exchange students need was updated and changed in Januray 2018.

Unless you have dual nationality with an EU country, all non-EU students must apply for a Short Term Study Visa, even if normally you wouldn't require a visa to enter the UK as a tourist.

To prove you are to be enrolled on a recognised course at a Higher Education Institution, you must upload your offer letter received directly from the medical school as your main evidence, not just the IFMSA invitation letter.


The government website provides information on which documents you might need.

If you are unsure, check with the LC or university. 



SfGH-UK cannot be held responsible if a student's visa application gets rejected or arrives too late, and cannot postpone an AF for this reason.

Link to Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website (or any other website that provides official information on visa)
Click here
Special Remarks
AF deadline varies between LCs - please check!

We are trialling unilateral contracts - please bare with us while we see how this works in our NMO. The fee for this may vary by LC.

Police clearance report - individual country advice can be found through THIS LINK
Card Of Documents
Standard documents
- Health Insurance(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Motivation Letter for Department 1(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Passport copy(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Photo(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Proof of Enrollment(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- HepB Antibodies count(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Immunisation Record(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Language certificate(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Recommendation Letter(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Student record (Subjects passed)(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- SCOPE Terms and Conditions(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Police clearance report(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Curriculum Vitae(*) These documents are required to be sent with Application Form
Format
- Card of Document
Special documents
- Liability Insurance
Format
- Card of Document
- Immunisation Form
Format
- Card of Document
- Other
Format
- Card of Document
- Tuberculosis test
Format
- Card of Document
- Vaccination Card
Format
- Card of Document
Upon Arrival documents
None
The standard documents are the basic documents that the students are asking for and the special documents are less important, as only some Local Committees ask for them. So it's mandatory to upload the standard documents, but not the special ones. (Students do it when asked for by the LEO/NEO.)
The upon arrival documents are hard copies documents that the students are requested to take with them in the host country.”
Immunization requirements
Hepatitis B Antibody and antigen count

Vaccination evidence:  Hepatitis B, BCG, MMR, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Varicella (Chickenpox) 

Please check individual LC requirements.

Insurance

Insurances can be confusing, so here are the SCOPE insurance types for your reference:

Health insurance → mandatory for all exchange students going abroad with SCOPE

Travel insurance → Depending on the extent to which an exchange student covers themselves, a Travel Insurance covers things from - loss of property taken with on exchange (up to a certain amount) or recovering travel expenses in case of emergency

Personal Liability insurance → If you cause an accident (outside of your work!) and someone is injured or if you damage someone's property, you are responsible for paying all the costs of the accident. The student might, for example, break something in the rented room. Or, on a more serious note, might cause a road accident when you host him/her.

Professional Liability Insurance (e.g. Malpractice insurance / Professional Indemnity insurance) → applies in case of a breach of the duty that you have as a Medical professional: malpractice insurance is a form of compulsory professional indemnity insurance that protects practitioners from civil claims arising from negligence resulting in physical or mental harm to their patients. In some cases the HOSPITAL already has this insurance for Incoming students.

Insurance information specific to the UK:

For EU students, EHIC alone does not count as health insurance. It is usually fairly easy to buy health insurance for quite cheap from your own country.

Whether you need to buy malpractice insurance depends on the LC you are going to (Nottigham and HYMS). If required, you may find that your own university or a medical defense union in your country covers you already. If it turns out that you cannot find cover in your own country and the UK hospital or university does not cover you, then you may need to buy malpractice insurance online.

It is the student's responsibility to check they can provide malpractice insurance where required and to provide it themselves.

However we recognise it can be difficult and have included some links (please note these are external links and may change - it is the students' responsibility to check their insurance is valid):

At the time of writing, students were using Pro-Tip World-H (professional liability insurance) who have a partnership with IFMSA. 

Deadline
16 Weeks

Special remarks

Special Documents
Check the LC requirements before you send your AF - most will require 1 or more special documents too. Some universities may also ask you to complete online forms or other forms before your placement.

Immunisation Form - specific occupational health form, available in NMO Special Documents folder or LC Explore Page.
Immunisation Record - your immunisation record from your primary care practitioner, please check what it must include. 


Immigration regulations are updated by the Home Office (government) in the UK every April, so please be understanding if you are asked for something not listed on these ECs.

Unfortunately we cannot accept graduated students unless they are still enrolled in their university.

Please bring your documents with you, you will need them to enrol at the university of your LC. This will be re-emphasised nearer the time of the exchange


Card of Acceptance
Deadline
8 Weeks
Special remarks
Cards of Acceptance should be sent 8 weeks prior to the start date of the clerkship.

In cases where certain details cannot be confirmed until after this date, it will be stated in the CA.

Cards of Acceptance are conditional to meeting all requirements including occupational health requirements and insurance evidence.
Card of Confirmation
Deadline
4 Weeks
Special remarks
Cards of confirmation should be received no later than 4 weeks prior to the start of the clerkship, but mostly the LEOs will ask you to email them your arrival details and don't mind if this is sooner than 4 weeks before.
Cancellations
Deadline
16 Weeks
Special remarks
If you have to cancel, please inform your NMO and our LEO or NEO. For bilateral contracts, the responsibility for any fee you paid lies with your sending NMO.
Substitutions
Deadline
16 Weeks
Special remarks
As the universities have to enroll individual students, we don't accept substitutions after the AF deadlines for each LC.


Additional Information
Update Date
10/18/2019 08:03
Validation Date
07/03/2018 00:00
Special remarks

The deadlines and requirements vary considerably between LCs. So, please get in touch with us or your LEO with any questions - the sooner we recognise a problem, the easier it is to fix!