Our elective programmes offer a number of openings for student medics to work alongside experienced colleagues and get some eye-opening and hands-on experience. Or as a language student, you could spend your ‘year abroad’ with SIM, serving God cross-culturally.

Electives can be a good opportunity to explore whether God is calling you to use your professional skills in full-time service overseas in the future. Placements are normally for a minimum of eight weeks.

Medical Electives

Do you have a serious interest in overseas Christian mission work?

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 a Medical Elective form.

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
  • fundraising
  • prayer support
  • orientation
  Arrange accommodation, elective supervision and pastoral care while overseas.
• Organise a debriefing to evaluate the experience.

What will it cost?

You will be responsible for all expenses involved in your elective placement. We will draw up an individual budget for you, based on where you are going. It will include flights & internal travel, visa, insurance, living costs, UK orientation course, and SIM support services.

If you already have a good level of Spanish, French or Portuguese language study you will be able to make a significant contribution to mission work during your year abroad.

Four to twelve month placements are available in South America, Francophone West Africa and Portuguese speaking Angola and Mozambique. Tell us about your interests and skills and we'll suggest suitable placements for you.