Electives for medical students
Directory of sources for funding an elective
Updated June 2008
The MSC's directory of organisations that may be able to offer financial assistance, help or information regarding your elective can be accessed below. The directory is not exhaustive and students should contact their own medical school for information on the availability of local awards.
Click on the letters below to access organisations by heading:
A B C D E I J K L M N P R S T W
The A.H. Bygott Undergraduate Scholarships
Eight scholarships of not more than £750 each are available annually to support work, including travel, in Public Health Medicine during the elective period. A number of these scholarships will be preferentially reserved for work in the U.K. Applications must be made through, and with the support of, the Head of Public Health Medicine. Application forms and further details of the Scholarship are available from The Secretary of the Academic Trust Fund Committee.
Applications should include brief curriculum vitae, a detailed account of the work to be undertaken, details of the amount requested, and the names and addresses of two referees. These should be sent to: The Secretary of the Academic Trust Funds Committee, University of London (Room 234), Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU.
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland
Offers prizes to all medical students throughout the UK for essays written about the field of anaesthetics. For further information write to: The Honorary Secretary, 9 Bedford Square London WC1B 3RA.
British Association of Dermatologists (BAD).
The British Association of Dermatologists wishes to encourage students to undertake small research projects or optional periods in the study of topics related to dermatology or skin biology. BAD is able to offer 10 undergraduate grants of £500 towards student research projects. Applications must be submitted on an appropriate form together with a CV and 5 copies of the entire application. Applications should be sent to: Fellowship Administrator, British Association of Dermatologists, 4 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6EH
BAD is also offering £500, sponsored by Leo Pharmaceuticals Ltd. A travelling elective is open to any undergraduate undertaking an elective abroad in a dermatology department. Applicants should underline what they hope to achieve in the elective and preference will be given to students undertaking a research project. A typewritten report of approximately 400 to 1000 words must be submitted to the BAD no later than a month after completion of the elective. Applications to: Undergraduate Elective Prize, BAD House, 4 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6EH.
BAD undergraduate Essay Prize: £500 and £250: The BAD annually sets an essay title on a topic related to dermatology and offers prizes of £500 for the winning essay and £250 for the runner-up. The essay should be approximately 3,000 words long.
British Association of Forensic Medicine
The British Association of Forensic Medicine are offering £200 for a retrospective prize for the best elective report on a project in forensic medicine. To apply, send a scientific presentation/report of around 2,000 words to: British Association of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Pathology, The Medico-Legal Centre, Watery Street, Sheffield, S3 7ES.
British Association of Plastic Surgeons
The British Association of Plastic Surgeons are offering 4 annual student bursaries of £350 each towards the expenses of students who wish to undertake research, travel or an elective in a subject related to plastic surgery. Students are required to submit a report of the elective within three months of the elective taking place. Applications in the form of a letter, giving an itinerary and costs and a brief CV should be submitted to the Chairman of the Education and Research Sub-Committee, British Association of Plastic Surgeons, The Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN.
British Geriatrics Society Medical Student Elective Grants
The British Geriatrics Society is offering a limited number of grants (normally up to £500) to enable medical students to make use of their elective period for a project concerned with health or health care in old age either in the United Kingdom or abroad. Two copies of application, together with relevant supporting documentation and a current CV are required. Any other inquiries should be directed to The British Geriatrics Society, Marjorie Warren House, 31 St John's Square, London EC1M 4DN.
British Society for Haematology
A maximum of 8 Student Scholarships of £600 each are offered per year. These are on a project related to any aspect of Haematology. Applications by letter outlining the project, costs involved, a letter of support from the project supervisor and from the Tutor or Undergraduate Dean. Applications are considered at any time of the year. Applications to: The Scientific Secretary, The British Society for Haematology, 2 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AF.
British Medical and Dental Students' Trust
The awards made are usually between £150 and £600 and are open to students undertaking approved electives overseas. Preference is given to well-planned and well-presented applications and a detailed project will enhance your chance of receiving an award. A short report is required on completion of elective. Application forms are available from The Secretary, The British Medical and Dental Students' Trust, Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 4EA.
British Federation of Women Graduates
The British Federation of Women Graduates offer help on accommodation expenses to women only. Contact the Federation at 28 Great James Street London, WC1N 3ES.
Cancer Research Campaign
The Cancer Research Campaign offers 10 bursaries of up to £1,000 each, to assist undergraduate medical students to take up a cancer related option during their elective period of study. The proposed elective must have a direct relationship to any of the following: prevention, detection, treatment, and management of cancer. One application per medical school is considered, with the exception of the recently merged medical schools, which are invited to submit up to two applications. Applications must be nominated by the appropriate Faculty Tutor and then forwarded to Cancer Research UK for a final decision. Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief written report, of no less than 6 sides of A4, to Cancer Research UK within 3 months of the completion of the period of elective study. For further information, contact your Faculty Tutor or Cancer Research UK, PO Box 123, Lincoln¹s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PX.
The Clegg Scholarship
The Clegg Scholarship is set up for those students who would like to spend an elective with the BMJ, studying medical journalism. They pay the successful student around £600 for eight weeks. They look for "two kinds of students: clinical students wanting to spend their elective with us or pre-clinical students keen to spend eight weeks of their summer holiday with us." Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a record of any published work, and a covering letter explaining why you would like to work with the BMJ. Apply to: Luisa Dillner, The British Medical Journal, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9TR.
Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation Medical Electives Bursaries Scheme is an "annual scheme to provide grants of up to £1,000, which assist final year medical students to undertake their medical elective training in another Commonwealth country. The students work closely with health professionals of the host country, have an opportunity to use their knowledge and skills and are exposed to different ways of treating and managing patients and to a different culture. Two students are recommended for consideration by Deans of participating medical schools. The nominations are considered by the Selection Committee, comprising staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat Health Programme, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The ACU manage the scheme on behalf of the Foundation.'
The Dennis Burkitt Study Awards
The Dennis Burkitt scheme provides up to 10 awards of £750 for students of medicine, nutrition science, and related subjects, that wish to do studies related to food and nutrition. Applications for study placements in developing countries are particularly well received. Applications are to be submitted to the British Nutrition Foundation, High Holborn House, 52-54 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6RQ and can be downloaded from the website www.nutrition.org.uk - go there now. Successful applicants will be required to submit written reports within 5 months of completing their elective.
East Anglian Group of Family Planning Doctors
A Bursary for Student Elective of £250 is awarded annually. "Applicants should be studying, or have their home base, in East Anglia. The subject for study should include some aspect of reproductive/sexual health." Apply to Dr Helen C Hutchinson (Chairman) at East Anglican Group of Family Planning Doctors, 60 Windsor Road, Cambridge, CB4 3JN.
Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society
The Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society provide bursaries to medical students at any medical school in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Third World. "To qualify for a bursary, your elective must be an integral part of a course of study at a Scottish, Northern Ireland or Third World university or college. You will be expected to have an active Christian testimony and will usually be involved in your college, university or hospital Christian fellowship. Bursaries are not awarded solely on the basis of academic merit, but rather on your desire to experience healthcare in a "mission" context. While support is primarily for electives to mission hospitals overseas, each application is assessed on its merits." Contact Robin G K Arnott (Executive Director) at 7 Washington Lane, Edinburgh, EH11 2HA, for an application form. There is no application deadline.
The Elective Scheme
The Elective Scheme is open to British medical students and others in the health care sector, during their elective period. Must be undertaking electives in a leprosy project, or through leprosy research. Availability of other grants must be indicated. UK residents only; variable number of grants up to £11,500. Applicants should submit an outline of the proposed work, CV, and tutor's report 6 months in advance of their elective period. An interview in London may be required. Suitable assignments may take several months to arrange." LEPRA (British Leprosy Relief Association), 5 Kelross Road, London, N5 2QS.
Israel Medical Association
The British Fellowship of the Israel Medical Association awards 8 bursaries of £300 each to students who with to spend their elective period in a teaching hospital in Israel. Application is by sending the Association the details of the proposed trip, together with a curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation from the Faculty Tutor (confirming the student's suitability to study in Israel) to: Dr. L. Blafour-Lynn, Israel Medical Association, 120 Harley Street, London, W1N 1AG.
Joe Taylor Scholarship
The Joe Taylor scholarship is awarded to a medical student planning to do an elective in an African mission hospital with ophthalmology element. Write to Dr Bill McAllister at Joe Taylor Scholarship, Christian Blind Mission, Park House, Winship Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB4 6BQ.
Leukaemia Research Fund
Leukaemia Research Fund offer 5 awards of up to £600 for an elective allied to the study of haematological malignancy; the awards are tenable worldwide. Applications should include a concise description of the proposed placement (up to 500 words), a letter of acceptance from the host institution, a summary of expenses, a brief CV and a letter of recommendation from the Faculty Tutor. ONE candidate per School will be selected for recommendation to the Leukaemia Research Fund. The fund will take particular note of the reasons why the elective was chosen, the aims of the student during the attachment and future career intentions. Leukaemia Research Fund, 43 Great Ormond Street, London, WC1N 3JJ.
The Lord Major's 800th Anniversary Awards Trust
Applicants need to be between 17 and 25 to be eligible for an award of approximately £500. Preference is given to those who have a connection with the City of London. The Lord Major's 800th Anniversary Awards Trust, 401 Sailsbury House, London Wall, London, EC2M 5RR.
Medical Missionary Association HealthServe
Those applying for the Medical Missionary Association HealthServe grants should be from medical, nursing and therapy schools in England and Wales. Where possible they should be going to a Christian mission type hospital (protestant) in a developing country situation and be committed Christians. To receive more information contact: Medical Missionary Association HealthServe, 106/110 Watney Street, London, E1W 2QE.
Medical Women's Federation Student Electives Bursaries
Small grants of £50 to £300 are awarded to female medical students to assist them with elective costs. The deadline is 31 October for electives taking place in the following year. We cannot fund retrospectively. Please note that MWF members are given priority and there will be some geogrophical spread to the awards. Application forms are available on our website www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk or from the office. Please contact us for more information: Student Elective Bursaries, MWF, Tavistock House North, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HX or email admin.mwf@btconnect.com or telephone 020 7387 7765.
Milupa Student Elective Grant Fund
Ten awards of up to £500 are available for electives on research into paediatric nutrition. Write to: The Managing Director, Mr T Bell, Milupa Ltd, Milupa House, Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, Middlesex, UV10 0NE.
The Miss Ford Bursaries.
Six bursaries of £200 are awarded each year from the Miss Ford Bursaries by competition to assist medical students in taking an elective attachment in a French speaking country. Successful applicants are required to provide a factual report on their attachment. The panel meet in December and use the applicant's stated objectives for their attachment as criteria. The closing date is 1st December. £50.00 is offered for each satisfactory report. Bursary holders are expected to enter for the Miss Ford prize by a fifteen-minute paper related to the objectives of their attachment. Application is by form accessed via the web. Write to Dr Bernard Mason, The Anglo-French Medical Society, Elmley Orchard, Hallow, Worcester, WR2 6PE.
National Birthday Trust Fund and Wellbeing of Women
The National Birthday Trust Fund and Wellbeing of Women awards a minimum of 10 grants of £1000 each year to students and midwives planning an elective in Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Neonatology or Midwifery. 27 grants were awarded in 2008. Application forms are available from the website www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk or by email enquiry to the Research Grant Manager, Ann Haysom at ahaysom.wellbeingofwomen@rcog.org.uk. Awards will be advertised in October for electives planned for the following year. The deadline for receipt of application is in March. Applications are assessed by members of the RCOG/Wellbeing of Women Research Advisory Committee and awarded usually in May. Successful applicants are required to produce a written report detailing their elective.
Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland is offering a number of bursaries to undergraduate students of medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry or biomedical science to enable them to work for elective or vacation periods in departments of pathology in universities, medical schools, NHS laboratories or research institutes in the United Kingdom or overseas. Proposals for work on research projects in any branch of pathology or an acquisition of experience in diagnostic departments are eligible for consideration. It is a condition of the award that the successful candidate will submit a report on the work undertaken within three months of completion of the project.
The bursary will normally be at the rate of up to £75.00 per week inclusive of expenses for a maximum of 12 weeks. Application deadline 31st May each year.
Additionally, the Society also offers a prize of £100.00 to the bursary holder who submits what is judged to be the best report in any calendar year. The successful candidate will be announced in April of the following year. The winner of the Pathological Society prize will be invited to present his or her work to the Annual meeting of the Society and will be eligible for expenses for travel and accommodation."
Application forms may be obtained from: The Administrator Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 2 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AF.
RCGP SAPC Elective Prize
A £500 RCGP/AUDGP Elective Prize is awarded for the best proposal by a medical student for an Elective Project in General Practice/Primary Care. Applications to be made by submitting an application form. The submissions will be considered by a joint RCGP/SAPC panel once a year, and award winners notified. Award winners will be announced at the RCGP Annual General Meeting. The Prize winner is invited to present their winning project either as a poster or an oral presentation, at the Society's Annual Scientific Meeting." Applications are made through your Department of General Practice (one application each year for each Department). You will need to download a copy of their application form from their website. The Royal College of General Practitioners, 14 Princes Gate, Hyde Park, London, SW7 1PU.
The Renal Association
The Renal Association award 4 bursaries of £250 each for an elective in which renal medicine is a significant component. Applications, giving full details of your elective, should be sent to the Honorary Secretary, The Renal Association, Triangle House, Broomhill Road, London, SW18 4HX.
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Prizes from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are awarded to those students showing the greatest understanding of a clinical problem in obstetrics and gynaecology, 1st Prize £500; 2nd Prize £300; 3rd Prize £50. Applications take the form of an essay. " Essays should consist of one case history with discussion. The judges will look for insight into the medical, social and psychological implications of the case. A maximum of 3000 words with 10 references is required. Four copies of a typewritten submission on A4 paper should be sent to the Awards Secretary at the above address. Please include with your application the name and address of your head of department." Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 27 Sussex Place Regent's Park, London NW1 4RG.
Royal College of Physicians: Oscar Reginanl Lewis Wilson Scholarship
The Royal College of Physicians offer ten scholarships of £250 each. Only one application is accepted per medical school to be selected by the Faculty Tutor. Individual application will not be accepted by the Royal College of Physicians.
Royal College of Surgeons – Preiskel Elective Prize in Surgery
The Preiskel Elective Prize in Surgery is available to Clinical students wishing to pursue a career in Surgery and plan to undertake their elective in surgery in the Developing World are eligible to apply. The value of the award is £500 each and a least 6 will be awarded. Students wishing to apply should send 6 copies of their CV (typescript), and A4 typed sheet detailing their project and what they hope to achieve, a letter of support from the Faculty Tutor, a letter of support from the Consultant Surgeon where the elective attachment will be undertaken confirming supervision of the project. Applications to: Ms Bumbi Singh, Research Board, The Royal College of Surgeons on England, 35/43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN.
The Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine award is open to those students who intend to go on elective modules related to anaesthesia. (Other non-elective prizes are offered to medical students by the RSM. Further details are available from the website below). Two bursaries of £350 each are available. Applicants should complete and return an application form for the bursaries, to the Section Administrator, Section of Anaesthesia. The application form can be downloaded from the RSM website. The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1M 8AE.
Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene prize will be awarded "for an account of work carried out by a medical student of any nationality during an elective period spent in a tropical or developing country. In awarding this prize emphasis will be laid on the originality of the work and on its contribution to knowledge or understanding of tropical diseases. Particular weight will be given to projects which have been developed and carried out by the students themselves." There are one or two prizes of £500 each available. Candidates shall be nominated by their head of department, supervisor, or Dean, with a supporting statement of 500 words. Application forms can be obtained from the Administrator at Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Manson House, 26 Portland Place, London, W1N 4EY.
St. Francis Leprosy Guild
The St. Francis Leprosy Guild provides up to £600 in funding for elective students wishing to undertake their elective on a leprosy-related subject. Applications by: A covering letter stating the reason for the application and what you think this experience in the field of leprosy will add to your future medical career. A CV – this should indicate not only your academic qualifications, but also your other interests, hobbies and achievements, an elective period project outline (the project should related in some way to a specific problem of leprosy and should include details of the person/organisation that you wish to work with), an itinerary and a plan of work. A letter of support from the Faculty Tutor and a passport sized photograph should be included with the application. As a condition of this grant you are expected to provide a written report of the project and experiences, with photographs and maps. St Francis Leprosy Guild, 26 Inglis Road, London, W5 3RL.
Wellcome Trust – Student Elective Prizes
Each year the Trust provides funds to support students to carry out a research project as part of their elective. The annual quota award for the joint School is 9 of which at least 3 must be for research in the field of tropical medicine (however this does not necessarily need to be carried out in the 'Tropics'). Students in receipt of awards will be required to conduct a specific research project under supervision. Projects involving clinical cancer or based at a cancer research institute will not be supported nor will purely clinical attachments be supported. Nominations will only be accepted from the Faculty Tutor. Students will be informed of the award before the elective but the cheque will only be available after the elective. An expense form needs to be completed with enclosure of receipts, which will be forwarded to the Wellcome Institute.
Wyndham Deedes Memorial Travel Scholarship
Open to graduates or senior students who travel to Israel to study an aspect of Israeli life (economic, cultural, scientific, etc.) At least six weeks overseas & minimum 5000 word report required. A bursary of up to £2,000 is available. Contact the Anglo-Israel Association, 9 Bentinck Street, London, W1M 5RP.
Publications listing grant-making trusts
Below is a list of publications listing grant-making trusts, many of which you should be able to find either at your local council library, or in your university or medical school library.
The Directory of Smaller Grant Making Trusts, published by Charity Aids Foundation (CAF) contains details of over 1,000 smaller trusts with an income of less than £13,000 per annum. It has indexes covering field of interest, type of beneficiary and beneficial area. The individual entries demonstrate that a large number of smaller grant making trusts have a particular preference for funding activity in selected local, community-based arenas, which will make the directory of particular interest to fundraisers with a regional focus.
The Directory of Grant Making Trusts, published by Charity Aids Foundation (CAF) is a comprehensive reference book covering the largest 2,500 trusts and foundations in the UK, which give grants to organisations. Each trust in this directory has the potential to give at least £20,000 a year. The entries include contact details, what is (and is not) funded, type and range of grants made, and examples of recent grants. The indexes are sorted by geographical area, filed of interest and type of beneficiary, and type of grant.
A Guide to the Major Trusts comes in three volumes and covers grant-making trusts and foundations in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the UK in general. It gives clear descriptions of trusts' grant-making policies and practices, prints in full the trust's own guidelines and advice for applicants, with contact details and deadlines, offers independent commentary on trust activities and concerns, and gives examples of actual donations made, and indicates typical grant ranges.
Directory of Social Change's book The Educational Grants Directory, gives details of a wide range of funding and other support available for children and students in need up to and including first degree level.