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Inbound Medical Elective Program
Undertake an elective placement and enhance your clinical skills
Gain hands on clinical experience, broaden your specialised knowledge, and develop your clinical and patient care skills with our leading expert medical educators with an elective placement at one of our six clinical schools across Sydney.
We welcome elective applicants from international and Australian medical schools in their final or penultimate years of medical study.
Elective placements offered at the University of Sydney are observational and provide clinical experience, they do not fulfill course requirements for experience in specific disciplines.
Application Timelines
Applications for 2025 Elective placements have now closed.
Please note: Due to extremely high demand All Clinical Schools have reached their capacity and there are no further elective placements available. The elective portal has been closed and we recommend you seek placements with other Universities.
- The University of Sydney offers elective placements for inbound elective applicants from 1 March – 30 November.
- Each Clinical School will indicate their start date and duration of placement available within the application form. You must select from the availability.
- Elective placements will only be offered for a duration of 4 weeks or 8 weeks. All other requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis by the relevant Clinical School.
Available placements
The University of Sydney currently offers elective placements at the following locations. University of Sydney Clinical Schools coordinate the placements in liaison with each of our affiliated teaching hospitals.
Clinical Schools |
Affiliated Teaching Hospitals |
Central Clinical School |
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Hospital Sydney Eye Hospital |
Concord Clinical School |
Concord Repatriation Hospital |
Westmead Clinical School |
Westmead Hospital |
Childrens’ Hospital Westmead Clinical School |
Childrens Hospital, Westmead |
Nepean Clinical School |
Nepean Hospital |
Northern Clinical School |
Royal North Shore Hospital Ryde Hospital Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital |
- The full list of Clinical Schools and elective placements that are offered can be found in the application form.
- Placements are subject to availability and will be arranged by the participating clinical school.
For rural site elective applications please follow the instructions provided by the School of Rural Health (Dubbo/Orange).
To be eligible to apply for an inbound elective placement at the University of Sydney you must satisfy the minimum criteria outlined below.
- An international or Australian medical student in their final or penultimate year of study
- You are currently in academic good standing and have the support of your current Dean of Medicine (or Course Coordinator or equivalent).
- The elective placement needs to be a requirement of your degree and applicants must have undertaken 12 months of clinical experience prior to the start of your elective placement.
- Be proficient in both written and spoken English.
- You can meet all NSW Health compliance
requirements (Vaccination, police check, and insurance requirements).
The University of Sydney requires all incoming applicants to complete an Application for Elective Placement - Academic Verification Form. We will be unable to proceed with your application if you are unable to meet the above requirements.
Please read the following conditions before applying for your elective placement.
- The University of Sydney reserves the right to cancel an elective placement if any information provided is incorrect, misleading, or not received by the requested deadline.
- Elective placements are provided on the basis that they are clinical electives or observerships. This opportunity for clinical immersion does not fulfil course requirements for experience in specific disciplines. Clinical supervisors will not be responsible for any formal assessment.
- Clinical Schools will only sign forms provided by students to certify that they have “the same practical (or clinical) rights and responsibilities as local students.” If your university does not accept this statement, please do NOT submit your application.
- Elective Placements are subject to the availability of clinical resources and an offer can be withdrawn at any time.
- You are not guaranteed your preferred placement, placements are subject to availability at the clinical school.
STEP 1 – Prepare your elective application supporting documentation |
Please prepare the following documents, these supporting documents will be uploaded when you complete the online application form.
You will need to submit the documents as a single pdf file, using your Given name, Family name, and Home University as the file name. *Ensure you check all your documents prior to filling in the form as any missing details will delay the processing of your application: |
Step 2 – Complete the online application form. |
Applications must be submitted a minimum 6 months prior to your placement start date. The online application form displays the placements that are available at each of the Clinical Schools. You are applying for one of these placements. You are not submitting preferences. |
Step 3 – Processing by University of Sydney Elective Team |
Once you have submitted the online application form, you will receive an automated response to confirm that it has been received. A staff member from the Electives Team will process your application and this can take up to 6 weeks. |
Step 4 – Conditional Offer Letter sent to student |
You will be issued with a Conditional Offer Letter outlining which department you will be allocated to and the duration of your placement. |
Step 5 – Payment of Elective fee as confirmation that the offer has been accepted. |
Elective fee payment is required within two weeks of receiving your placement offer letter. Payment of the elective fee confirms your acceptance of the placement. |
Step 6 – Instructions sent to student from Student Verification Team. |
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Step 7 – Student submits Compliance documents. |
Application and elective fees are payable online at OneStop via Visa or Mastercard. Processing of your application will not be undertaken without receipt of application fee. Elective fee payment is required within two weeks of receiving a placement offer
- Non-refundable Application fee: $200
- Elective fee (4 weeks): $900
- Elective fee (5 - 8 weeks): $1,300
- Elective fee (9 weeks or more): $500 per week*
* Elective periods longer than 8 weeks in duration are subject to availability and approval by the relevant clinical school.
We generally do not grant refunds if you have to cancel your placement unless your reasons for cancellation are deemed exceptional. If granted, only the elective fee will be refunded and the amount refunded will be based on your date of notification.
Date of notification |
Refund amount |
Six or more months prior to the start date of your placement |
75% of the elective fee |
Less than six months and more than three months prior to the start date of your placement |
50% of the elective fee |
Three months or less to the start of your placement |
No refund |
To undertake a placement in a Hospital within Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia - all students must be verified by NSW Health. The University of Sydney is bound by polices of NSW Health, you must complete the mandatory requirements as outlined to attend a placement at any NSW Health site.
After you have received your conditional placement offer letter, applicants will be contacted by the University of Sydney, Student Verification team with details pertaining to how to upload compliance documentation. All compliance documentation required by NSW Health must be uploaded to the SONIA portal at least 12 weeks before commencement of your placement. This ensures you have sufficient time to action any compliance gaps or to provide any further information as needed
Students must have a status of either compliant or temporary compliant at least 4 weeks before the commencement of their placement.
Please visit Health Education and Training (HETI) to view detailed descriptors of the following requirements.
All students must submit the documents below as part of the compliance process. All documents must be completed and submitted.
- Student Summary Sheet
- Code of Conduct
- Australian National Police Check
- Overseas Police Check or Statutory Declaration (only need to provide if you are not an Australian citizens or permanent resident). We recommend you provide the Statutory Declaration
- Undertaking Declaration Form
- Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool
- NSW Health Vaccination Record Card
- Evidence of 2 COVID vaccines
- COVID vaccination certificate which must be:
- issued by a national or state/provincial-level authority, or an accredited vaccination provider,
- submitted in English or accompanied by a certified translation, and
- state the vaccine brand name and date of each dose recorded.Blood Borne Virus Declaration
- Influenza Vaccine:
- Please be aware that Students undertaking a placement between 1 June and 30 September must provide evidence of the current southern hemisphere influenza vaccine registered for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). You will need to receive your flu vaccine when you arrive in Australia (flu vaccines are available at pharmacies) and provide evidence of this before your first placement day We recommend students who undertake a placement during flu season arrive at least 4-5 days before their commencement to ensure they have time to receive the flu vaccine and submit their evidence.
Applicants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, living expenses, health, and indemnity insurance.
Visas
It is the responsibility of the overseas applicant to contact their nearest Australian Consulate with respect to visa requirements. The University of Sydney cannot provide advice on requirements to enter Australia. Please note you will not be eligible to apply for a Student Visa under this Elective Program.
Accommodation
The University of Sydney maintains an extensive database of accommodation options in various areas (but primarily close to the University or within easy access to public transport). More information can be found on the website of the University of Sydney Accommodation Service.
Clinical Schools offering accommodation:
Nepean Clinical School
- Nepean Hospital
The Nepean accommodation units are located at 29-33 Rodgers Street, Kingswood, a 5-minute walk from the hospital. The units have 2-3 bedrooms each and are fully furnished with heaters, kitchen appliances, linen, and a coin-operated laundry on-site.
Westmead Clinical School and Childrens Hospital, Westmead Clinical School
The Westmead accommodation facilities are located within the Adult (Westmead Hospital) or the wider Westmead area.
Accommodation options are as follows.
- Accommodation located within Westmead Hospital (rent based on a weekly rate)
- Private home rental (best suited for a longer period). To arrange accommodation for onsite Westmead Hospital accommodation or private home rental please contact the Western Sydney Baludarri Prencinct on fmh.westernprecinct@sydney.edu.au
- Staff Accommodation on Darcy Street Westmead (located across from Westmead Private Hospital). To arrange a booking or staff accommodation, please contact WSLHD-staffaccomodation@health.nsw.gov.au