Finding a Clinical Elective in the U.K.

 Clinical electives are a good place to start when you are totally new to the medical system of the country. As the demand for jobs are rising with increasing number of international doctors, a clinical elective will surely help you in getting a job easily.

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Why should I go for a Clinical Elective ?

1. Help you get accustomed to the medical system of this country
2. Help you to learn about patient management
3. You will improve your communication skills
4. The staff will be familiar to you in the hospital and this might help you get a job in the same hospital when a vacancy opens up
5. You will become more confident before starting your job

When should I go for a Clinical Elective?

There is no ideal time to go for an elective but I personally suggest :

1. During your undergraduate/MBBS training
2. After you have passed PLAB-2 and are awaiting result of your exam ( This is when I went for an elective )

Is going for a clinical elective necessary ?

Not at all. It is just for an additional experience before starting your job .

How to find an elective?

1. Choose a hospital you would live to work in
2. Choose the department you would like to work in
3. Go to Google , search for the consultants working in the department and get their contact details (e-mails preferably )
4. If you are unable to find the contact details , call the hospital and ask to speak to the consultant’s secretary
5. Write an email to the consultant about your interest in going for an elective under their supervision
6. Once accepted, the HR department from the hospital will mail you with the confirmation .
7. The HR department will ask for your identification documents
8. Once cleared, the HR department will ask you to sign some documents for them and will issue a identification badge when you arrive in the hospital

How did I find an elective?

I e-mailed the HR department of one of the university hospitals in Birmingham with my interest in going for an elective. They asked me for my department of choice and I went for the department of Neurosurgery.

Restrictions during a clinical elective

1. You are not allowed to deal with patient management directly
2. You are not allowed to do clinical procedure ( as basic as taking blood samples, assisting during a surgery etc. )

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My Clinical Elective Experience

Before the elective starting date , I was asked by the HR department to meet them and sign some documents ( confidentiality documents etc.) . After the paperwork, I was given an identification badge which allowed access to clinical areas in the hospital.

On the first day , I met my supervising consultant who asked me to join the department morning handover meeting. After the meeting, I was introduced to all the members of the department and a ST7 registrar started supervising me for my clinical experience alongside.

I was keen to go to the neurosurgery theatres rather than staying in the wards. My request was appreciated . Henceforth , every morning I used to join the registrar and his team in the neurosurgical theatres.

This hospital is one of the largest in the country. It’s massive corridors look identical everywhere and it’s like a giant maze. I used to get lost every day when I went to find the theatres . Thanks to the helpful staff around, they used to personally guide me there.

I saw various brain and spine surgery cases including :

1. Tumor surgeries
2. Spinal decompression
3. Evacuation of EDH
4. Evacuation of SDH
5. Third ventriculostomy
6. Surgeries for epilepsy
7. Vagal nerve stimuation
8. Surgeries to correct congenital malformations like Arnold Chiari malformation

The surgeons used to patiently tell me the steps of the surgeries and explained the anatomy encountered.

Along with theatres , I visited the wards to observe patient care, and spoke to the junior doctors & registrars working there about their experience.

During this elective, I was also given a chance to be a part of an ongoing audit related to Cauda Equina Syndrome cases and their management.

Sadly, there is great morbidity and mortality in Neurosurgery. This along with the intricate surgeries, makes the field very challenging for doctors.

At the end of the 2 weeks’ duration, I mailed my elective reflection to my supervising consultant and received a certificate of attendance and experience.

Cost

The hospital did not charge me any money for my elective but I have heard that some hospital trusts do .

Please do not pay huge sums of money for going for an elective.

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