SIM can give you an opportunity to combine your interest with your elective. This supervised period is part of your medical training.

Each year SIM is able to arrange for a limited number of medical students to take their elective in one of several SIM or EHA (Emmanuel Hospital Association) hospitals.

During such an elective, you will have an opportunity to gain medical experience not to be found in the UK, while you discover what life is like in another culture.
 
In addition, you'll have an opportunity to be involved in the Christian community around the hospital, and to assess whether God may be calling you to overseas medical missionary service in the future.

What do I do now?

• Establish the dates you are available for your elective period. You should plan to have at least 6 weeks at the hospital.
• Select the hospital in which you are most interested. We will try to get an allocation for your first choice, but please indicate if you would also be interested in going elsewhere.
• Since SIM works in partnership with local churches, it is important at this stage that you discuss your plans with your church leaders.
• Complete an application form, ideally 12–18 months ahead of your elective. Click here to fill in an enquiry form.

PLEASE NOTE: we cannot accept any further applications for medical electives for 2008, having already filled our limited number of placements. Thank you for your understanding.

What will SIM do?

• Take up references and call you for interview. Upon acceptance, we'll send you detailed information on all aspects of your preparation, including:
  • travel
  • medical
  • fund raising
  • prayer support
  • orientation 
• Arrange accommodation, elective supervision and pastoral care while overseas.
• Organize a debriefing to evaluate the experience.

What will it cost?

You will be responsible for all expenses involved in your elective placement. You need to take into account costs for each of the following:

Travel and insurance	£860*
Medical costs	£200*
Orientation	£90
Overseas daily rate (basic living costs) 56 days at £9	£504*
Placement fee	£300**

*Note that these charges may vary greatly
**Subject to annual review

Here is a video about Galmi Hospital in Niger, one of the hospitals wehere we work. It will give you an idea of what it is like to work in a hospital very different from the UK. For more information on hospitals click on the link after the video.

Click here  for info about SIM hospitals.