Visiting student clinical electives

RCSI welcomes enquiries from overseas medical students wishing to undertake clinical electives in RCSI-affiliated hospitals.

To apply, you must be currently registered, and in good standing, in your home institutions, and in your final year at the time of undertaking the elective. In instances where capacity is limited, clinical elective placements will be reserved for students of overseas institutions with whom RCSI has pre-existing affiliation agreements.

Clinical electives are capped at four weeks in duration in any one clinical specialty. We are currently unable to accommodate longer electives through the Erasmus-Plus programme. Electives are only available during the summer months of July and August, except for students of institutions with whom RCSI has affiliation agreements. Applications from students at those institutions will be processed centrally at the home institution.

How to apply

Applications for the summer of 2021 will be accepted until January 2021.

Completed applications must be received at least seven months prior to your preferred start date.

Successful applicants will be advised at least four weeks in advance of the location and start date of the elective. You will then be required to register your acceptance and send a Euro bank draft for €200 made payable to 'Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland'. Upon receipt of these documents, you will be informed of the allocated specialty.

You are invited to select six specialities. A basic clerkship in the elective specialty must have been completed. We will endeavour to accommodate your preferences.

To complete your application, please download and complete the following documents and send them to the RCSI Electives Faculty Coordinator: