Clinical Electives in the US – Application and Procedure

clinical electives in the US

Are you a medical student who wishes to do clinical electives in the US? Are you a medical student who aspires to work as a doctor in the US? Are you a medical student who wishes to learn the techniques and skills of a doctor in the US and bring those skills and knowledge back to your home country? Read this article if you have any of these questions in mind.

What is an Elective?

A clinical elective in the US represents a unique opportunity for medical students to experience healthcare in a setting unfamiliar to that in which they are accustomed to studying, or in a place or field of specific interest. This is classically in a low resource setting, but may also be to experience a specialist field, a place the student is considering working in the future, or for a variety of other reasons.

Placements abroad may provide an experience of differing practices, but also allow students to encounter medical conditions they are less used to seeing at home. In addition, students often retrospectively describe how their placements broadened their horizons with regards to the social issues affecting healthcare in developing countries.

A placement in a particular specialist setting may allow students insight into a potential career path, or allow students to participate in the research or implementation of new treatments or practices.

Clinical Electives in the US

Having your clinical rotations in the US increases your chances of landing a residency later on when you complete your USMLE steps and are looking for a job. Medical Electives during your undergraduate years count a lot. If you aspire to become a doctor in the US then these electives should be one of your top priorities (after USMLE scores that is).

Requirements

Requirements for students vary from medical school to medical school. Some require students to submit a written project as part of their placement, whereas other institutions utilize few formal assessments.


Students are still subject to all the ethical and professional requirements they would be at their home institution, such as the GMC’s requirement that students at British med schools ” recognize and work within the limits of their competence”. It is immoral and illegal for unregistered medical students to work as if doctors, despite the fact that their level of skill and expertise is often comparable to the professionals they will work with on the placement.

Cost

The costs for Clinical electives in the US differ from state to state and hospital to hospital. They have tuition fees from around $2000-$3000 and then of course your accommodation fees and your visa expenses and your food etc that’s all on you. Some programs include accommodation for candidates side by side with their tuition fees.

Possible Chances of Getting an elective spot after Applying for Clinical Electives in the US

The Chances are high. Landing an elective spot is not a difficult task anywhere. It’s the VISA that is difficult for the US. There are a lot of programs that provide elective programs for student in the US. One of them being Medclerkships 

Applying through Medclerkships

Medclerkships.com is one of the most trusted websites when it comes to applying for electives in the USA. Following are the steps you have to take to apply for an elective in the US through medclerkships

clinical electives in the US

Curriculum Vitae CV

You have to write a strong CV for your application. CLICK HERE for an awesome example

After That

  1. Open medclerkships.com
  2. Apply for Clinical electives
  3. Fill in the form (Be careful about choosing your desired specialties)
  4. They have different programs (Standard, Premium, and Mix)

Difference Between Standard and Premium Programs

Typically, the main differences between Standard vs Premium include the amount of guaranteed hospital experience and the curriculum that includes experience with multiple attendings in a single cycle.  If indicated as a combined program, the premium designation may also refer to the potential of earning multiple performance-based LORs from the rotation.  Another indicator of note would be class size limiters.  Every Premium program in our network has a hard student to preceptor ratio, as there are a limited # of spots made available to international students/grads in these programs.  We cannot guarantee # of students with the same preceptor in our Standard options.
We recommend applying for a B1 visitor for business visa and we provide an official enrollment letter, which is typically used in support of that application.  This is included in tuition fees and provided only upon full tuition payment and registration with minimum document clearance.  If additional assistance is required, there would be additional fees or requirements to pursue an F1 visa sponsorship package via bundling with our USMLE prep and/or ESL packages (inquire directly regarding interest in either, including which specific USMLE step).
5. Wait for their email, They will provide you with all the info about available spots and specialties in cities of your choosing along with the cost details and the environment of work.

Example of Email you will Receive after applying for Clinical Electives in the US on Medclerkships

We currently have program options available in your desired specialties from Monday January 7th, 2019 start dates in New York, NY, Chicago, IL, and Kansas City, KS.

Please see below for program details:

1) Standard Mix Program of clinical electives in the US:

Specialties Available:

  • Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine

Location: Brooklyn, New York, NY

– Easily accessible to MTA subway, MTA bus, and LIRR public transportation
– Large amount of hands-on patient interaction
– Mixed curriculum including both inpatient teaching hospital and outpatient ambulatory center experience across both IM and EM subject matter
– Liability insurance coverage is **included**
– Board-Certified Preceptor, double board-certified in EM and IM
– ACGME accredited teaching hospital experience in the curriculum
– Access to Research and Publication Opportunities through the MedClerkships Research Network (MCRN)**
Limited Housing Assistance (subject to availability)
Tuition Fees: $2,500 per 4-week cycle or $7,000 for 3-month package
Available From: January 7th, 2019
 

2) Standard Program of clinical electives in the US:

Specialties Available: 

      • Internal Medicine

    Location: Bronx, New York, NY

    – Easily accessible to MTA subway, MTA bus, and LIRR public transportation

    – Large amount of hands-on patient interaction

    – Predominantly outpatient center experience, 5 days per week, potential for hospital experience based on admissions

    – Preceptor is staff faculty at two ACGME accredited teaching hospitals

    – Liability insurance coverage is **included**
    – Board-Certified Preceptor

    – Access to Research and Publication Opportunities through the MedClerkships Research Network (MCRN)**

    Limited Housing Assistance (subject to availability)

    Tuition Fees: $2,000 per 4-week cycle or $5,500 for 3-month package


    Available From: January 7th, 2019

    3) Standard Outpatient Program of clinical electives in the US:
    Specialties Available:

      • Internal Medicine 

    Location: NewYork , NY (Manhattan)

    – Easily accessible to MTA subway, MTA bus, and LIRR public transportation

    – Outpatient-only experience

    – Hands-on clinical experience program

    – Liability insurance coverage is **included**

    – Board-Certified Internal Medicine preceptor

    – ACGME accredited teaching program affiliation

    – Preceptor is clinical staff faculty at two NYC based ACGME accredited teaching hospitals with IM residency training programs, all LORs earned will show credentials as such

    – Access to Research and Publication Opportunities through the MedClerkships Research Network (MCRN)**

    Limited Housing Assistance (subject to availability)

    Tuition Fees: $2,000 per 4-week cycle or $5,500 for 3-month package

    Available From: January 7th, 2019

    clinical electives in the US

    Documents Required

    Please keep in mind that the following documentation is required to be submitted no later than 4 weeks in advance of programs (or immediately if under the deadline) before you can enter the clinical sites to start your rotation:

    1) Copy of valid government-issued ID

    2) Copy of Medical Education Documents (if you have already graduated, your degree copy is required)

    3) CV/Resume

    4) Immunization Records

    5) HIPAA & Infection Control Certificate (we provide the training course and examination at no added cost, included in tuition fees)

    6) Physical Exam results (see attached for standard form)

    7) Tuition payment

    Please contact us with any other questions and/or if you would like to continue the enrollment process.

    Additionally, please let us know if you would like to speak with one of our physician consultants.  This is a team of US-based IMGs that have had firsthand experience with our service and can speak about our program and how it can benefit your career

    5. They will have their Physical Exam and immunization form attached with this email in case you are interested in their offers you fill those forms and contact them again.

    6. They have physician consultants whom you can choose to contact you in the main application form for information. When you fill your form along with this email you will receive a call from them and you can ask them any and every question you have in mind.

    Once you have selected your program for clinical electives in the US, You are ready to apply for a visa and they will provide you help in getting that too. You need no guidance further on from this point as they will provide you all the help you need.

    For more information about types of VISA, Open the article highlighted below


    TYPES OF VISAS FOR STUDENTS


    If you want to know more about the USMLE exams then click the articles below

    That’s all about applying for clinical electives in the US. Leave your questions and comments below in the comments section. ThankyouDownload Link 1


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