Student Placements and Medical Electives

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.

 

Download the student placement enrolment form

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 Medical Elective Placements

 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.

Placement Start dates and Application Window dates:

Medical Elective Start date	Application Window
01st March 2027	31st August 2026 – 11th October 2026
10th May 2027	26th October 2026 – 06th December 2026
07th June 2027	26th October 2026 – 06th December 2026
05th July 2027	09th November 2026 – 24th January 2027
06th September 2027	30th January 2027 – 14th March 2027
04th October 2027	27th February 2027 – 11th April 2027
01st November 2027	27th March 2027 – 09th May 2027
05th January 2028	29th May 2027 – 22nd August 2027
31st January 2028	26th June 2027 – 08th August 2027
06th March 2028	24th July 2027 – 05th September 2027
08th May 2028	25th September 2027 – 07th November 2027
05th June 2028	30th October 2027 – 03rd January 2028
03rd July 2028	27th November 2027 – 16th January 2028

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

• Liaison Psychiatry

• Mental Health in Learning Disabilities

• 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.

Fees:

• There is a non-refundable application fee of £220 which will be taken as part of the application process.

• There is a placement fee of £100 per week. For the minimum four-week placement, this equates to a placement fee of £400 and for the maximum eight week placement a placement fee of £800 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.

 Insurance and Healthcare:

If you live outside the EU you must arrange personal health insurance for unlimited medical cover. 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. 

Elective students undertaking approved placements at King's are covered under King's liability arrangements for authorised activities undertaken as part of their approved Elective placement. This provides protection for claims arising from injury to third parties or damage to third-party property resulting from the negligence of King's or individuals acting on its behalf, subject to the relevant terms and conditions. 

 

As with King's students, this cover only applies to activities approved by the relevant department and undertaken in accordance with King's policies, procedures and supervision requirements. Students are only covered whilst undertaking their named placement at their named placement site. The cover does not extend to private practice or to "Good Samaritan" acts undertaken outside the approved placement. 

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.

Application Information:

Elective Placements are open to medical students who are in their penultimate or final year 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 may be rejected if you do not supply these once they have been requested

 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 four weeks and the maximum are eight weeks.

• You must be in your penultimate or 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 checks.

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  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 overall 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.
  • Please note that you are also required to attend an in-person induction session on the day specified in your offer letter (usually the Monday/first day of your Elective placement, detailed in your offer letter).

 Visa Information for International Students:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS WITH RESIDENCY HISTORY IN THE UK 

As we require criminal record checks to be completed ahead of the start of your Elective, we are not able to accommodate those applicants that previously lived in the UK for at least 6 months over the past 5 years or since the age of 18 (whichever is shorter) AND no longer have a UK address. As you would require an Enhanced UK DBS check (with Barred Lists) if you have lived in the UK, you would not have the sufficient time upon your arrival to the UK to complete this specific check.  

Current UK residents or those that, despite living abroad have retained a UK address, are eligible to apply as well as those with no residency history in the UK (of at least 6 months over the past 5 years or since the age of 18 (whichever is shorter)).  

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

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) 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.

Please read this document. If you do not think you will be able to meet these requirements and supply the correct evidence in the months leading up to your placement start date please do not apply. There is no capacity to undertake blood tests or immunizations on arrival in the UK. Please note, if you are a current UK student, you will be able to book an appointment for all relevant checks. Please inform our Occupational health provider of this once you have been sent instructions on how to gain relevant clearance.

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, and that you would be able to attend the in-person induction session

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:

Personal Statement 

For your Personal Statement, you will need to answer the following 3 questions, limited to 1800 characters (with spaces) each:  

• Question 1: Why are you applying for this specific programme, and how does it fit in with your future plans? 
• Question 2: How does your experience and education make you a suitable candidate for this programme? 
• Question 3: Please copy and paste the following template and fill out:  

- Intake applied for: [month] 

- Specialty preferences: [first preference], [second preference], [third preference]

- Preliminary compliance with Occupational Health requirements: [met/not met]  

- List of countries of ordinary residence for a cumulative period of at least 6 months each since the age of 18 or over the past 5 years (whichever is shorter): * [country 1], [country 2+ if applicable etc] 

- Pre-arranged supervision: [no/yes, [name if 'yes']. If 'yes' please provide email screenshots to 'Additional Information' under the Personal Statement section] 

- I declare that I have provided my transcript under the 'Education' section, permission letter and other documents (with all associated checks such as good conduct or English language mentioned) attached under 'Additional Information' below and have provided details of 2 referees (1 academic, 1 clinical) from my current institution, using their institutional email. I also confirm that I have provided a full list of countries of my ordinary residence above. [yes/no] 

**Note: By primary residency, we will consider place(s) where you have lived for at least 6 months or more for purposes of family, school, or long-term employment, or other form of permanent residency not tied to work, education or family.  

• References 

  • You need to submit details of 2 referees, of which one must be academic (focused on your academic abilities and performance) and one clinical (of someone who has gained significant exposure to your work during clinical placements) 
  • Upon submission of the application, your referees will receive emails inviting them to submit their reference. We do not accept references supplied directly by applicants 
  • You must supply details of referees that either work at the university you currently study at or work at a teaching hospital directly associated with your university. References cannot be coming from junior members of staff or trainees. We will not accept references from teaching or clinical staff that no longer work at your institution and associated sites. As it is your responsibility to ensure your references are adequate, we will not be asking for new referee details and your application will be disadvantaged in the application process 
  • Both references must be submitted using institutional email addresses (your university or public healthcare email domains) - we will not be able to accept generic email domains (gmail, yahoo etc) or those associated with private medical practices 
  • As a guide, you should advise your referees to refer to your course performance to date as well as experience and suitability for the elective placement 

• 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 penultimate or 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 penultimate or 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.

• Pre-Arranged Supervision 

  If you happen to have a pre-arranged supervision, this must be mentioned at point of application. The Personal Statement section will ask you for supervisor details, which you must fill out for them to be considered. Additionally, you must attach a screenshot of the emails confirming this arrangement between yourself and the supervisor within the 'Additional Information' section under the Personal Statement section of your application form. Failure to do this, or to apply within the application window specified for your pre-arranged intake, could result in us not being able to accommodate your pre-arranged supervision. 

  The start date of a pre-arranged placement must align with the start dates listed on our website as these are centrally coordinated. Before applying, you must advise the supervisor that they need to email/forward details of the agreement to the Programme team at ioppn.medicalelectives@kcl.ac.uk.  

Accommodation and Finance:

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 at kingsresidences@kcl.ac.uk. On 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 £220 will be taken as part of the application process. In addition elective students will be charged £100 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. 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 penultimate or 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 King's College London's medical elective completion certificate, or where the information required is already fully covered by King's College London's Medical Electives Certificate.

Please note that no evaluation forms will be completed after you have left King's College London.

Contact:

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.

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 two weeks, please contact the Medical Electives Officer (ioppn.medicalelectives@kcl.ac.uk) again.