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Undergraduate External Elective Policy

The Belfast Trust welcomes undergraduate medical students from medical schools outside of
Belfast for elective placements in our hospitals.
There is a non-refundable administration fee of £75 (€85*) for all applications sent to the Belfast Trust.
This fee can only be paid via bank transfer or cheque, Cheques should be made payable to ‘Belfast Health
and Social Care Trust’. * Conversion correct as of 5 July 2018

Applications for summer 2019 will only be accepted 1 October 2018 – 30 April 2019.

1. To be eligible to apply for an Elective Placement within the Belfast Trust, students must
have completed their 3rd year of their Medical course.

2. Students from other medical schools will be expected to have received, within their own
medical school, sufficient training in medicine to benefit from the proposed attachment.
This includes where appropriate, the ability to take medical histories and perform the basics
of clinical examinations.

3. Elective placements are only offered during June, July & August each year, and are limited
to a maximum of 6 weeks.

4. To be eligible to apply, all students must seek medical indemnity insurance prior to
submitting an application form for the dates they are requesting placement.

a. Indemnity insurance must cover medical practice (negligence); students should not
be operating or carrying out tasks over and above their current level of clinical
training while on placement. Please ensure you are covered for taking bloods and
inserting cannulas in patients.

b. Indemnity cover (for UK medical students only) can be obtained from

www.themdu.com or www.medicalprotection.org

c. Indemnity Insurance for overseas students – if you are a member of MDU or MPS
within your residing country – you can contact them and they should be able to
transfer your membership to the UK companies on a temporary basis whilst on
elective placement in the UK. If you are not a member of MPS or MDU in your
country then you need to ensure your insurance provider will cover as stated above

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for medical practice. Alternatively, indemnity insurance for international students

may be purchased from the providers below:

i. Swiss Care https://swisscare.com/ . Please visit their websites to see if they are
suitable for yourself.

ii. Dr Walter - In order for the malpractice coverage to be valid, both PROTRIP WORLD
& PROTRIP WORLD-H insurance policies have to be purchased - See the links below:
 PROTRIP WORLD: (Package)
https://www.protrip-world.com/?vkn=88781
 PROTRIP WORLD-H: (Internship/ Malpractice Insurance)
https://www.protrip-world-liability.com/?vkn=88781

d. All indemnity documentation must be in English or a certified English translation if

the originals are not in English. Your name, dates of cover and amount of monetary
cover should also be noted in your indemnity documentation.

e. Some universities may provide their students with elective indemnity insurance. If
your University provides you with this cover, please ask your University to provide
an official letter confirming that these arrangements are in place. This letter should
include your name, dates of cover, the amount you are covered for, and
confirmation that the insurance is valid for placements within the United Kingdom.

5. Every student must submit a completed application form; a letter of medical standing from
their University; a current CV; proof of indemnity insurance and pay an administration fee
of £75/€85. It is only when all of these documents have been received that the
Undergraduate Office will attempt to identify a suitable supervisor for the placement.

6. The administration fee of £75/€85 can be paid via bank transfer or cheque.
a. If paying via bank transfer – note you can only make a payment by calling the office
Mon – Friday 10:00 am – 15:00 pm. When calling make sure you have the details of
your credit/ debit card – the long card number, expiry date and the 3 digit security
code at the back of the card. Tele: 028 95 04 9648 / 7431 / 8020
b. If paying via cheque these should be made payable to “Belfast Health & Social Care
Trust” and posted to:

Undergraduate Office,
Postgraduate Centre,
Lower Ground Floor,
BCH Tower Block,
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust,
Belfast, BT9 7AB

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7. An Associate Sub-Dean will endeavour to identify a supervisor for every suitable elective
applicant within the Belfast Trust. If a student has already been in contact with a possible
supervisor, it is essential to include the Consultant’s name on the application form.

8. An attachment will be supervised by a consultant employed by the Belfast Trust. They will
ensure that the student’s role within the Trust is in keeping with the student’s capabilities
and experience e.g. knowledge of ethics and patient safety.

9. Once accepted, the student will be required to complete the Elective Placement Protocols
pack. This pack (along with supporting documentation, i.e. Indemnity insurance and a
recent Police Background Check) must be submitted within 4 weeks of receipt. Your Police
Background Check and indemnity insurance policy must be in English or a certified English
translation if the originals are not in English. The police check must be carried out recent to
your application and dated no earlier than the 1 October 2018.

10. The student will be expected to adhere to the Belfast Trust policies and procedures when
they are on the wards (i.e. dress code). An information booklet on the BHSCT will be
distributed on confirmation of an elective placement. Your supervisor will inform you of
any specific requirements relating to your elective placement.

11. The Undergraduate Education Department will keep records of student details e.g. address,
email, emergency contact details, etc. These details will not be shared with a third-party.

12. Elective students may request accommodation within the Trust, to be charged at a rate set
by the Trust. However, the Trust will be under no obligation to provide accommodation or
to assist in securing private accommodation. Accommodation for elective placements will
only be offered from June to August. Students from Queens University Medical School will
have first preference for Trust accommodation. NB: accommodation is limited within the
Belfast Trust.

13. The Belfast Trust Undergraduate Office cannot provide advice on visa requirements. It is
the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they have obtained the correct visa. Advice on visa
requirements can be found on the UK government website, https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-
visa/y or by contacting the relevant embassy

14. Elective students on this scheme must, at all times, work under the guidance of their
Consultant Supervisor. At no time must students initiate clinical work; including any
investigation or treatment of patients.

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15. The total number of external elective students may be limited at the discretion of the Trust,
as decided by the Undergraduate Education Department.

16. Applications should be returned via email to: undergraduateoffice@belfasttrust.hscni.net.

17. The closing date for applications for summer 2019 placements is 30th April 2019.
Applications received after this date will not be accepted. General enquiries are not
considered as an application received.

18. If you meet all the requirements and are eligible to apply for a medical elective placement
within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trusts, please continue below to complete the
application form:

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Undergraduate External Elective Application Form

Please complete ALL Elective Application details in BLACK ink only if not using a computer
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other _________
Title: (please delete as appropriate)

Forename:

Surname:

Contact E-mail Address:

Contact Telephone Number:

Details of Next of Kin:

University you are training at:

Year of study & expected Graduation Date:

Dates Requested for your elective placement:

Please indicate in less than 100 words your

previous training in clinical medicine
involving:
history taking; examination skills and your
understanding of patient safety and ethics:

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1._____________________________
Specialty Areas you are interested in:
2._____________________________
(Please list in order of preference)
3._____________________________

If a supervisor has already been identified Supervisor Name:

and confirmed, please indicate their name
and hospital here: Hospital:

a) A signed letter confirming your medical

Please include the following documentation
with your elective application form:
Accommodation required?
(please delete as appropriate)
NB: We cannot guarantee that you will be able
to use the BHSCT accommodation as rooms
are very limited and is only available during
non-term time of our local university (June –
August) You will be required to pay normal
rent charges for the accommodation.
standing from your Medical School
b) A short CV
c) £75 / €85 application fee (payable by
bank transfer or cheque)
d) Proof that Medical Indemnity Insurance
can be obtained
Yes
If yes; please confirm definite dates required for
your stay: (first come first served basis)
______________________________
No

Please sign and date this application form in the box below:

I have read and fully understand the Belfast Trust Elective Policy.

Signature of applicant: _________________________________________________

Date: ________________________

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