Incoming elective programme

The start date and length of our elective placements are fixed and cannot be negotiated. This is to ensure parity of experience for all accepted students. We will not be able to offer deferrals.

You must be in your final year of undergraduate Dentistry study at the time you undertake your placement.

You will need a transcript of your results from your degree to date, authenticated by the Dean or Registrar of your school.

We require permission from your school for you to undertake an elective. This must include confirmation you have had a DBS (criminal record check) or equivalent at your school. Since we are aware that it may be challenging at times for your university to provide you with a suitable documents regarding this, a confirmation of good conduct will be sufficient at application stage - please see below for statutory pre-enrolment overseas checks.

You must meet our English Language proficiency requirements, outlined below.

You can meet our English Language course requirement through either of the following 3 ways:

If your current Dentistry degree is taught and examined in English, we will accept this as proof of your proficiency. As part of your application, you must include a letter from your school certifying that you are a current student of their degree which is both taught and examined in English.

If you are a citizen of a Majority English-speaking country, you are not required to provide proof of your English Language Proficiency as part of your application. The list of Majority English-speaking countries is as follows: Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Dominica; Grenada; Guyana; Ireland; Jamaica; New Zealand; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; United States of America; United Kingdom.

If you are not a citizen of a Majority English-speaking country and your course is not taught and examined in English, you are required to provide proof of your English Language proficiency. Currently, we only recognise and accept tests from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (either Academic or General Training). The minimum score required to prove your proficiency is 6.5 overall as well as in each component and the test results must be within two years of your elective period in order to be valid. We will not accept any other English Language certification. If you have taken your test but not got your IELTS results or certificate by the time you submit your application, we will instead accept evidence of your test booking confirmation. You will still be required to submit to us the test certificate as soon as you receive it, and you must still meet the minimum score of 6.5 for each component before an offer can be made.

All students must have clearance from our Occupational Health team in order to undertake an elective placement, even if no hands-on patient contact is involved in this specific course.

You will need to demonstrate: • TB: You are asymptomatic. Immunisation status and some students will need to provide a copy of a chest x-ray. • Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): Blood test for measles antibody and rubella antibody or having received 2 doses of the combined MMR vaccine. • Varicella (chicken pox): Evidence of history of the disease or blood test for Varicella antibody or having received two doses of the varicella vaccine. • Hepatitis B: It is strongly recommended that all elective students complete a course of Hepatitis B vaccine prior to starting their elective.

Full details of requirements can be found at the link below.

If you do not think you will be able to meet these requirements and supply the correct evidence at time of application please do not apply. There is no capacity to undertake blood tests or immunizations on arrival in the UK.

Please note standard Occupational Health clearance does not include clearance for exposure prone procedures (EPP) (that is the worker's gloved hands, may be in contact with sharp instruments, needles tips or sharp tissues inside a patient's open body cavity, would or confined anatomical space where the hands or fingertips may not be completely visible at all times). Your supervisor will be aware of your clearance status.

Full details of requirements - please read

Applications will only be accepted via the King's online application portal, King's Apply. Applications must be made during the advertised application window. The name of the programme to apply for is ' Medical Elective in Dentistry - Certificate of Attendance.'

Before applying, please ensure you can commence the placement on the advertised start date, and that you will be able to reach London at least on the Friday of the previous week.

Please note that applications that do not include all of the below documents will be considered incomplete.

Your application must include:

A Personal Statement which demonstrates a clear interest in the elective placement. Please note: at the very beginning of your personal statement, we require you to include the following information in this format:

Intake applied for: [start date]

Compliance with Occupational Health requirements: met/not met

Two written academic references: one clinical and one academic. As a guide, these should refer to your course/placement performance to date as well as experience and suitability for the elective placement. At least one reference should be from an academic tutor who knows you well, and both references should come from an institutional email addresses - we will not be able to accept generic email domains (gmail, yahoo etc).

An up-to-date CV at point of application.

An official transcript, authenticated by the Dean or Registrar of your school, detailing results from your degree to date. (We may also use this to determine that you are in your final year of study).

Written permission from your dental school to undertake an elective at King's during the dates you have applied for. This must include confirmation that your dental school has carried out a police record check and this has not returned any concerns, and that your conduct at your institution has not given any cause for concern, AND confirmation that you are in your final or penultimate year of undergraduate Dentistry study. Please note that this may be different from a police check or other international equivalent to the Disclosure Barring Services (DBS), which you will be required to submit before enrolment.

Evidence of your English language proficiency.

Twin Link (partner university) nominated students will be offered a Waiver Letter by their home institution to demonstrate that they meet the above requirements.

Start your application on the King's Apply portal

All applications submitted for a certain set of intakes are processed after the closing deadline. Processing the applications can take up to two months after the closing deadline. We request that you do not contact Admissions asking for the outcome of your application during this time.

We will notify you as soon as possible after the application deadline whether or not your application has been successful. There may be a chance that you may be placed on a waitlist; if this is the case, we shall inform you of the final decision timelines.

If you have to withdraw your application for any reason, please notify us via King's Apply at the earliest opportunity, so that we can consider another applicant in your place.

If you are offered and accept a place, you are required to pay a placement fee in advance of commencement. The fee for a two-week placement will total £150 (GBP).

Payment of the fee should not be made until you have received confirmation that your application has been successful and you have received an offer. Placement fees payment can only be made using our secure e-store; the link will be included in your offer letter.

Twin Link (partner university) nominated students will not have to pay the fee.

King's student accommodation is usually only available for full-time year-round study, therefore visiting Dentistry elective students are required to make their own accommodation arrangements and are liable for the associated costs. The Short Stays website link below may be helpful.

In July only, there may be vacancies which students can apply for by contacting the Accommodation Office, once in receipt of a confirmed elective placement offer. Email: kingsresidences@kcl.ac.uk

Visiting Dentistry elective students are required to make their own travel arrangements and are liable for the associated costs.

It is not possible to offer any financial assistance towards the expenses of visiting elective students. This includes daily travel costs during the elective placement.

It is advisable that students consider travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses before applying for a Dentistry elective placement.

University of London Short Stays website >>>

Although you will not have any hands-on patient contact during your elective, this will be a valuable opportunity to observe senior clinicians treating patients. Nonetheless, as your placement will be at an NHS site, the NHS site will provide medical indemnity as you will be working under the direct supervision of an NHS Supervisor. However, please note the following:

You are only covered whilst on your named placement at your named site.

You are not covered in private practice or for ‘Good Samaritan’ acts.

As such, we do not mandate additional malpractice insurance, but you should seek advice from your Institution for their recommendation for additional insurance.

It is obligatory for all overseas elective students to obtain adequate health insurance to cover them during their stay. You are responsible for your own health insurance. You need to arrange the insurance before leaving your country. It is NOT possible for overseas students to purchase health insurance in the UK. You are responsible for paying any costs in case of illness or accident. It is also strongly recommended that you have insurance for your personal belongings during your stay in the UK.

Elective placements may now be undertaken under the Visit Visa (Study) route rather than the Student route. You will receive a visa support offer letter if you receive an offer.

We will ask students to complete an electronic feedback form at the end of their elective.

We will provide students with an Elective Completion Certificate at the end of their elective.

If an evaluation form from your University/Dental School requires a King's signature and stamp for the end of your elective, you can obtain this by arrangement with the Programme Lead towards the end of your stay.