Electives @ DSM

Placements for 2012 are now full. Placements for 2013 cannot be offered before 1 October 2012.

Final Year Medical Electives at the University of Otago, Dunedin School of Medicine

• Dunedin Hospital (Southern District Health Board)
• Southland Hospital, Invercargill (Southern District Health Board)

Hospitals indicated below are not available, as all spaces are taken up by our own students:

• Balclutha Hospital
• Dunstan Hospital (Clyde, Central Otago)
• Lakes District Hospital, Frankton, Queenstown
• Oamaru Hospital
• Wakari Hospital, Dunedin (Closed, except for ISIS Rehabilitation)

A limited number of elective positions are available in the teaching hospitals indicated above, connected to the University of Otago, Dunedin School of Medicine.  Only bona fide FINAL year students of recognised medical schools are eligible for such electives.  It is not possible for overseas students to be enrolled in our Faculty of Medicine.  Please note that all requests for elective placements in the above hospitals should be directed to the contact address below and NOT directly to the hospital or a specific consultant.  We are currently unable to offer any Nursing overseas electives.  Postgraduate overseas electives/Internships for graduating Medical Doctors are organized through the Hospitals directly.

The electives are an educational exercise and no remuneration is offered.  Successful applicants must pay a non-refundable administration fee of NZ$850 within six weeks of an elective attachment being offered and accepted by the applicant.

Students are accepted for elective periods organised through the Dunedin School of Medicine for a period of 4-8 weeks, and only ONE discipline per elective is available. In order to be eligible for an elective placement in New Zealand you must be in your FINAL year at the time of your elective.  Whilst we will try and match students’ requests with positions that are available, naturally our own students have priority in the choice of attachments.  We are able to provide you with a list of possible accommodation options in Dunedin, but arrangement of this is your own responsibility.  

For students undertaking electives here at Otago, there are certain requirements, which we require to be met.  This is an elective period furthering your medical skills, which require participation with the team that you are attached to.  The consultants and medical staff you are working with will be involved in your ongoing education.  It is therefore important that you are an active member of that particular team.  Whilst we understand that electives provide students with an opportunity to travel, the University views the elective period as an important part of medical training and expects students to attend and perform to an adequate standard.  We are not in a position of covering up for non-attendance or performance, and the supervisors reports going back to your medical schools will cover details of attendance as well as performance.

The Trainee Intern (Final Year) runs from mid-November to mid-November and our yearly programmes are drawn up in October each year.  We are unable to organise electives a year in advance.  Placements for 2012 are now full and placements for 2013 cannot be offered before 1st October 2012.  If you are interested in a placement for 2013, please write to the undersigned in October 2012 advising:

• the exact dates of your elective placement
• the specialties you are interested in, in order of preference
• the length required of the elective placement 

If your request cannot be met, we will advise you accordingly.

Elective application forms are not available on the website, and are only sent out after making contact via email, with the undersigned, and after October of the year preceding your elective placement request.  Having been sent an application form, does not mean that a placement has been offered. 

Should a placement be available, preference will be given to students who come from countries which reciprocate and with whom we have exchange agreements,   i.e. United Kingdom, USA, Canada and Australia. Please note: Students from German Universities are usually not eligible unless they have an exchange programme in place with the Dunedin School of Medicine.   

Information on Elective Topics For Visiting Students

Electives offered, subject to spaces available, in the following Hospitals:

Dunedin Hospital (Southern District Health Board)

• Surgery (four - eight weeks duration, if available)
  • General Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Anaesthesia
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Intensive Care
  • Urology
  • Ear, Nose & Throat 
  • Orthopaedics
  • Accident & Emergency
• Medicine (four –  eight weeks duration, if available)
  • Geriatric
  • Respiratory
  • Nephrology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Rehabilitation
  • Radiology

Urban General Practice & Rural General Practice, Psychological Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, and Sports Medicine are generally NOT AVAILABLE due to all places being taken up by our own students.

Southland Hospital, Invercargill (Southern District Health Board)

• General Surgery
• Urology
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• General Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• Anaesthesia

Psychological Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Paediatrics are generally NOT AVAILABLE due to all places being taken up by our own students.

Accommodation is generally available in the Doctors Residence at Southland Hospital at a cost of NZ $75 - $85 per week, excluding meals.  Kitchen facilities are available to do your own cooking.  If you are offered an elective placement at Southland Hospital, we will arrange the accommodation at the Doctors Residence for you, provided there is a room available.  If not, then you are required to arrange alternative accommodation yourself.

Visa Requirements

Information regarding visa requirements can be found at:

www.immigration.govt.nz

Further Information

If you are interested in an elective at the Dunedin School of Medicine, please contact:

Trainee Intern Course Co-ordintor
University of Otago
Dunedin School of Medicine
P O Box 913
Dunedin 9054
New Zealand

Tel: 64 3 470 3886
Fax: 64 3 474 7014
Email: dsm.electives@stonebow.otago.ac.nz