Student Placements
Student placements are suitable for undergraduates studying for a first degree at a UK institution, wanting to spend a formal placement under supervision in one of our academic departments.
- Applicants must be registered as an undergraduate student at a UK university
- The placement must form a recognised accredited part of the applicant's degree: typically this is undertaken as a 'work placement'
- An agreement will need to be drawn up between the home institution and the IoPPN; the applicant's home institution will need to draft this agreement
- The maximum duration of a student placement is 12 months (for Tier 4 Visa students, the placement must not be more than 50 per cent of the total length of the applicant's course)
- Successful applicants may receive a stipend during their placement (details will be confirmed in the offer letter)
Before submitting an application, applicants must first find a supervisor. Applicants are encouraged to browse staff profiles for their chosen academic department and contact a suitable academic member of staff. Once they have obtained a confirmed supervisor, applicants should complete Part 1 of the student placement application form and email it to their supervisor. They will then be issued with an offer letter confirming your placement arrangements.
To avoid delays in the start of a placement, applicants are asked to submit their application form at least three months before the placement start date.
Download the student placement enrolment form
Medical Elective Placements
Medical Elective Scheme Update
The Medical Elective application window for electives commencing between January 2025 and July 2025 has now closed
The Scheme
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) in liaison with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest and most well-established centres for mental health treatment in the UK, runs a Medical Electives scheme for medical students from the UK, EU and overseas interested in undertaking a clinical placement in psychiatry or any other discipline related to mental health.
The application portal will be open to receive applications for electives commencing between January 2025 to July 2025 as follows:
- Application portal opens – Monday 12 August 2024
- Application portal closes – Friday 13 September 2024
- Applications cannot be accepted outside of these dates
- Please use the Online Application portal (click on Online Application Portal) to apply. We can only consider applications received for the programme titled 'Medical Elective in Psychiatry (Certificate of Attendance)
- Please read our application guidance below when completing your application
Subjects Offered
The IoPPN works closely with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to form seven Clinical Academic Groups. Medical Elective placements will usually be with clinicians in these groups and in such fields as:
- Addictions
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Home Treatment
- Liasion Psychiatry
- Mental Health in Learning Disabilites
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders
- Psychological Medicine
- Psychosis
Selecting your Specialty:
You need to list your top three specialty choices from the list of fields above, in order of preference, in the "Personal Statement" section of your application. Failure to provide this information will result in an automatic rejection of your application.If your application is successful we will work to offer you a placement in one of these specialties – please note that we do not offer "split electives", you are only able to undertake one specialty during your placement.
Dates and availability of Electives
The minimum length of an elective placement is four weeks and the maximum length is eight weeks. Only one elective period may be spent at King’s College London by any student. All applications submitted by the closing deadline are processed after the deadline to ensure fairness in the selection process.
- Application open: Monday 12th August 2024
- Closing date: Friday 12th September 2024
Placement Start dates:
- 6th January 2025
- 3rd March 2025
- 7th July 2025
Fees:
- There is a non-refundable application fee of £100, which will be taken as part of the application process.
- There is a placement fee of *£50 per week. For the minimum four-week placement, this equates to a placement fee of £200 and for the maximum eight week placement a placement fee of £400. Payment of this fee must not be made until after you have been sent, and you have formally accepted, an elective placement offer. Placement fees can only be made using our secure e-store.
* Some departments within the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust may charge fees in addition to the standard £50 per week.
Insurance and Healthcare
If you live outside the EU you must arrange personal health insurance for unlimited medical cover and send evidence of this insurance to the Medical Electives Officer before you take up your place on the Elective Programme. It is a condition of your acceptance that you are adequately insured to cover the cost of medical attention, including repatriation if necessary, should you become ill during your Elective period.Medical Indemnity/Malpractice Insurance
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 as to what their recommendation is with regards to additional insurance.
Health 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.
Application Information:
Elective Placements are open to medical students who are in their final year of Medical study. You must be studying at an institution listed on the World Directory of Medical Schools.You will need to complete the online application form within the application window indicated for your desired start date and upload a number of important documents to undertake an elective at King's College London. Due to the large number of applications that we receive for a small number of places any incomplete applications will be automatically rejected.
Please read all the information below carefully:
General Application Information
- You can only undertake your placement in one specialty for the full duration of your placement. No ‘split’ placements will be allowed.
- You may not specify hospital choice, only your three chosen specialties in preference order.
- The start date of our elective placements is fixed and cannot be negotiated. This is to ensure parity of experience for all accepted students. The minimum length of your placement can be 4 weeks and the maximum are 8 weeks.
- You must be in your final year of Undergraduate Medical study at the time you undertake your placement.
- You will need a transcript of your results from your medical degree to date, authenticated by the Dean or Registrar of your medical school.
- We require permission from your medical school for you to undertake an elective. This must include confirmation you have had a DBS (criminal record check) or equivalent at your medical school. Since we are aware that it may be challenging at times for your university to provide you with 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:
- If your current medical 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 medical degree which is both taught and examined in English.
- If you are not a citizen of a Majority English-speaking country (see list below), you are required to provide proof of your English Language Proficiency as part of your application - Majority English-speaking Countries: 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.
- 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 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.
- We recommend that students arrive in the UK at least a few days in advance of the start of your placement to complete regulatory 'Right to Study' (visa) checks and to settle into accommodation.
Visa Information for International Students
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.
Professionalism and Student Code of Conduct
It is a condition of offer and enrolment that students agree, during their placement, to observe all the regulatory and policy requirements that apply to King’s College London students, including: at A-Z Policies
King’s College London’s Regulations & Student Conduct
Occupational Health Clearance
All students must have clearance from our Occupational Health team in order to undertake an elective placement. Full details of requirements can be found here.You will need to demonstrate:TB: You are asymptomatic. Immunization status and some students will need to provide a copy of a chest x-ray.Measles, Mumps and Rubella: blood test for measles antibody and rubella antibody OR having received 2 doses of the combined Measles, Mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccineVaricella (chicken pox): Evidence of history of the disease OR blood test for Varicella Antibody OR Having received 2 doses of the varicella vaccineHepatitis B : It is strongly recommended that all elective students complete a course of Hepatitis B vaccine prior to starting their elective.Please read this document. 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, needle tips or sharp tissues inside a patient's open body cavity, wound or confined anatomical space where the hands or fingertips may not be completely visible at all times).
How to apply
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 Psychiatry (Certificate of Attendance)'Before applying, please ensure you can commence the placement on the advertised start date.Please note that all documents must be in English or with certified English translation if the originals are not in English.Your application must include:A Personal Statement which demonstrates a clear interest in your preferred specialty.Please note: at the very beginning of your personal statement, we require you to include the following information in this format:
Intake applied for: [month]
Length of placement: [number of weeks]
Speciality preferences: [first preference], [second preference], [third preference]
Compliance with Occupational Health requirements: met/not met
- Two written academic references. As a guide, these should refer to your course 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 be coming from institutional email addresses – we will not be able to accept generic email domains (gmail, yahoo etc).
- An official transcript, authenticated by the Dean or Registrar of your medical school, detailing results from your medical degree to date. (We may also use this to determine that you are in your final year of study).
- Written permission from your medical school to undertake an Elective at King's during the dates you have applied for. This must include confirmation that your Medical School has carried out a police record check and this has not returned any concerns, and that your conduct at Medical School has not given any cause for concern, AND confirmation that you are in your final year of undergraduate medical study. Please note that this may be different from a police check or other international equivalent to the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), which you will be required to submit before enrolment
- Evidence of your English language proficiency.
- If you happen to have pre-arranged supervision, this must be mentioned at point of application by filling out the ‘Research proposal’ section of your application form. This section will ask you for supervisor details, which you must fill out for them to be considered.
Accomodation and Finance
Accommodation and Finance
Accommodation
Visiting medical elective students are required to make their own accommodation arrangements and are liable for the associated costs.
For most of the year the halls of residence are fully occupied and so visiting students will not be able to apply for accommodation there. In July and August only, there may be vacancies which students can apply for by contacting the Accommodation Office, once in receipt of a confirmed elective placement offer.
All enquiries regarding halls of residence accommodation, including queries on cost, should be made direct to the Accommodation Office.
Other Expenses
Visiting medical 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 medical elective students, and this includes daily travel costs during the elective placement. It is advisable that students take the travel, accommodation and other general living expenses into consideration before applying for a medical elective placement.
FAQs
Q: What fees are charged for Medical Elective students?
A: A non-refundable application fee of £100 will be taken as part of the application process, including a £50 placement fee/per week.
Q: I have contacted a supervisor directly and they have agreed to offer me a placement. What do I need to do to take this forward?
A: Students who arrange elective placements directly with NHS Trusts, King's College London/IoPPN Academic Divisions should note that:
- You are required to submit an application, the same as every applicant.
- You must state in your personal statement that you have secured a placement, giving the full contact details (name, location, email address and telephone number) of your intended placement provider on top of mentioning their name in the ‘Research Proposal’ section of your application form. Failure to provide this information at point of application may mean that we will not be able to accommodate this further down the line.
Q: What year of my university studies should I have reached when I take up a place on the Elective Programme?
A: Students need to be in their final year of their course at their home university when they take up their place on the Elective programme.
Q: How many Elective places are offered each year?
A: We are able to offer up to 30 Elective placements per academic year (September – August). Medical students from any country (including the UK) are eligible to apply for an Elective. You must be a medical student at the time of your Elective placement.
Q: What are the minimum/maximum number of weeks of an Elective placement?
A: The minimum number of weeks for an elective placement is four weeks and the maximum length is eight weeks. You must attend for the duration of your Elective placement. If you are planning on spending some of your time in England/Europe as holiday, this must be taken before or after your placement NOT during your Elective placement.
Q: My school requires certification of satisfactory completion, where can I get this?
A: We will, upon request, provide students with an elective Completion Certificate at the end of their elective, confirming the details of their placement.
If your medical school issues its own report/evaluation form, you may ask your clinical supervisor to complete this at the end of your placement. However, completion of your medical school’s form is at the discretion of your clinical supervisor, and may be declined if it requires assessments beyond those made to complete KCL’s medical elective completion certificate, or where the information required is already fully covered by KCL’s Medical Electives Certificate.
Please note that no evaluation forms will be completed after you have left the King's College London.
Contact
We aim to respond to enquiries within five days. However, please do not seek an update on your enquiry before then as this may delay rather than hasten our response. If a truly urgent matter related to your application arises for reasons beyond your control, and you require a more rapid response, please mark your email as urgent in the subject line.
While we will try to respond as soon as we can, we cannot guarantee to do so more rapidly than for routine correspondence. If you do not receive a response after 2 weeks, please contact the Medical Electives Officer (ioppn.medicalelectives@kcl.ac.uk) again.
If you have queries pre-application, or post-offer, then contact the Programme Team via ioppn.medicalelectives@kcl.ac.uk. For queries whilst you are an applicant, including technical problems, contact the King's Admissions Team by sending a message via King's Apply.