Why undertake your medical elective overseas?
Escape the ordinary with an overseas medical elective. Imagine gaining eye-opening clinical experience in diverse healthcare settings, expanding your medical knowledge with unique cases, and immersing yourself in new cultures.
Make your CV stand out with unique experience and forge unforgettable friendships with like-minded healthcare students from across the globe.
Can I do this for my elective?
Yes, you can.
Trusted by Australian universities. Backed by decades of experience.
Planning a medical elective abroad shouldn’t be complicated. That’s why some of Australia’s leading medical schools trust Work the World as a pre-approved third-party provider for overseas electives.
- We understand the paperwork, the processes, and the timelines
- We can adapt to changes — dates, destinations, even requirements
- We’ll speak directly with your uni if they have questions
- No unanswered emails. No guessing. No last-minute surprises
And from the moment you register, your placement is locked in. You’ll know your destination, your hospital, your supervisors and more.
"The hospital team included me as if I were part of it, making it very real. It was an incredible learning opportunity.” - Theodore Ives, University of Tasmania (Medical elective in Vietnam)
Safe and structured
With Work the World, you're not just booking a placement; you're gaining a dedicated support system meticulously designed for your well-being.
From comprehensive pre-departure guidance and in-country teams available 24/7 to Private, catered accommodation and long-standing hospital partnerships, we leave nothing to chance.
You can immerse yourself in incredible clinical experiences, knowing your safety is paramount. This lets you focus on learning and growth with complete peace of mind.
Plus, our teams vet and regularly review every destination. We work closely with local hospitals and communities to ensure your placement is safe and supported and meets strict university risk and compliance standards.
Eye-opening Clinical Placement
You can choose from a huge range of hospitals and departments for your medical elective placement overseas.
As a medical student, you'll find elective opportunities in departments like general medicine, surgery, A&E, ICUs, anaesthesiology, OBG, and paediatrics. There are also unique opportunities in more specialist areas like cardiology, neurology, and oncology.
And as far as clinical settings go, you can spend time in teaching hospitals, regional hospitals, large government hospitals, tertiary referral centres, specialist hospitals, small rural health posts… You have a wealth of options.
Some things you could observe on your medical student elective include:
- Extremely late presentation of advanced conditions
- A heavy reliance on manual diagnostic skills
- Local staff using ingenuity to overcome chronic resource shortages
- Split-second decision making in high-pressure situations
- Different cultural attitudes towards care
- Religious beliefs affecting clinical practice
You also have flexibility when it comes to shift patterns. Most of our partner hospitals are open 24/7, so you can undertake day shifts, night shifts, or both.
Why choose Work the World?
This is the kind of trip you only take once, so it needs to be right the first time. And with Work the World, you can rest assured that you're in experienced hands.
We are experts in planning, customising, and building medical electives abroad. Founded in 2005, we are the longest-running and most experienced overseas elective organisation.
We’ve created unique electives for over 20,000 students and graduates worldwide, independently rating us 5 out of 5 on Google.
Get Total Peace of Mind
We’ve heard it all before:
- “My hospital contact stopped replying.”
- “My supervisor didn’t show up.”
- “My placement was cancelled last minute.”
When you go it alone, you're taking a risk. With us, you’re not.
No other provider matches our level of detail, support, or peace of mind. Everything is taken care of from the moment you register to the day you arrive home.
Let us handle the logistics, paperwork, and pressure so you can focus on what matters: making the most of a truly eye-opening clinical experience.
It’s easy to secure your place
It’s simple — forget lengthy applications and complicated forms. Getting started on your overseas medical elective with us is straightforward:
- Tell us what you're looking for - Share your goals and interests
- We'll guide you through your options - Based on your preferences, we'll present you with suitable placement opportunities
- Secure your placement - Once we've found the perfect fit, you can secure your placement for $500AUS
- Quick confirmation - We will send your placement confirmation within 24 hours
Here's what happens, step-by-step:
Get access to MyTrip - Your personalised online placement planner includes information on:
- Placement hospital
- Accommodation
- In-country team
- Who your housemates will be
- Visa guide
- Local culture guide
- Language guides
- Insurance guides
- + more
Clinical interest call
Around three months before your placement, you’ll receive a call from our team to plan your placement in fine detail.
Pre-departure call
Before departure, we will contact you with information about your arrival.
Airport transfer
When you land at the airport, a member of our team will be waiting to meet you and take you back to the Work the World house
City orientation
To help you get your bearings, the in-country team will take you on a tour of the city you’re based in
Hospital introduction
Before your placement starts, your in-country team will take you on a tour of your placement hospital, introducing you to local staff and your supervisors in whichever departments you’ve chosen
24/7 support
The locally-hired team based in the Work the World House are there to help you every step of the way
Flexibility
If you're more independent, you'll have the freedom to navigate your experience on your terms.
Your next step
We handle the details, making your dream placement a reality without the hassle.
To go from thinking about an overseas elective to having one secured, click or tap below.
Destinations where this elective is available
Sri Lanka - Kandy
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On a medical elective in Sri Lanka (Kandy), you can undertake your placement in either a specialist paediatric institute, a government teaching hospital, or both. The teaching hospital is immense, and is home to eleven special units, seven ICUs and 23 theatres. This hospital serves a region with a population of around 2.5 million — you can expect busy wards throughout the institution. The paediatric hospital admits children from 0 to 16-years-old, and has an exceptional national reputation. You could see everything from premature babies to complex paediatric surgeries. Whichever you choose, experiences will be varied. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Kandy.
Ghana - Takoradi
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On a medical elective in Ghana, you have the opportunity to undertake your placement in a district hospital, a dedicated maternity clinic, or the best-equipped clinical institution in the city. Regarding the latter, it’s important to note that ‘best-equipped’ doesn’t always means ‘well-equipped’ — Your experience of medicine in Ghana will be entirely different to what you’re used to in Australia. You’ll immediately notice that resources are limited, and this makes a placement in Takoradi particularly eye-opening. But in spite of the challenges, you’ll see local staff work creatively to providing the best possible level of care for their patients. Read stories from those who've already travelled with us to Takoradi.
Vietnam - Hue
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On a medical elective in Vietnam, we’re partnered with a 600-bed university teaching hospital in which you can gain experience. Almost half of the hospital’s patients are from Vietnam’s most economically disadvantaged areas. Healthcare is actually free for many patients. However, heading to hospital often means a costly journey, sacrificing days of paid work in the process. Because of this, patients tend to delay seeking treatment. This often results in extremely late presentations of severely advanced conditions. Worsening matters, a lack of resources limits the care local specialists are able to provide. As far as medical placements overseas go, Hue is a fantastic option.
Tanzania - Dar es Salaam
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On a medical elective in Tanzania, you can choose to undertake elective in either a hospital well-known for maternity, an orthopaedics and traumatology institute, a well-reputed regional hospital, or the the country’s largest national referral hospital. Dar es Salaam is the largest city in the country. That means busy wards and patients with a breadth of unique health issues. One example is that economically disadvantaged areas are prone to communicable disease outbreaks — cholera, cerebral malaria, and tuberculosis to name but a few. When it comes to medical placements in Africa, Dar es Salaam is a serious contender. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Dar es Salaam.
Nepal - Kathmandu
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Our medical placements in Kathmandu allow you to choose between a major teaching hospital, a specialist maternity and women’s hospital, or a specialist children’s hospital. The teaching hospital has 22 departments, housing the greatest number of medicine specialties of any institution in the Nepal. 45% of the country’s population are under 15, so because the children’s hospital is the only one of its kind in Nepal you can expect a busy placement.Considering its cultural context, the women’s and maternity hospital is progressive — it offers family planning and reproductive services to all the city’s women. When it comes to medical electives overseas, Kathmandu is an excellent option. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Kathmandu.
Philippines - Iloilo
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On a medical elective in the Philippines, you can get experience in either Panay Island’s largest tertiary referral hospital, or a tertiary teaching hospital. National health insurance service does, to some degree, exist in the Philippines, but its coverage is limited. To give you some idea, local doctors often have to prescribe medicines based on patients’ ability to pay for it rather than what they need. This, combined with the fact that most patients are economically disadvantaged, has a detrimental effect on the care local professionals can provide. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Iloilo.
"Meeting new medical students and allied health professionals from all over the world was a highlight for me."
Tessa Thomas, University of Newcastle 2025
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"On my ED placement, I had the opportunity to practice several clinical skills, including venepuncture, catheterisation, suturing, and ABGs".
Joanna Rawlings, University of East Anglia 2025
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"I’ve seen more new diseases and treatments in 4 weeks over here than I did in the past year"
Meagan Ruth van Emmerik, University of Tasmania 2025
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"It may feel daunting, but it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll have as a student."
Brooke Dewar, Griffith University 2025
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"I had the opportunity of suturing a patient’s scalp in ED with no local anaesthetic because they forgot to buy it from the pharmacy. The patient was a champ and didn’t move at all".
Max Powell, University of Tasmania 2025
Read moreWhat do our medical electives offer?
A Work the World medical elective gives you the chance to undertake a clinical placement in the developing world. You will spend time in a low-resource hospital and see unfamiliar practices and advanced conditions. You can even choose the departments you want to rotate through. Learn more here.
How can I raise funds for my medical elective?
A clinical placement aims to give medical students practical experience while broadening their perspective on the medical profession. The benefits of our medical electives abroad include:
- Expanding your clinical knowledge and skill set
- Becoming more confident, independent and resourceful
- Making yourself more attractive to employers
- Doing some proper travelling
- Building your personal and professional network
- Sharpening your language and communication skills
- Renewing your perspective on care back home
What kind of cases will I see on a Work the World medical elective?
You will see cases like:
- Tropical infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya
- Advanced conditions that have been left untreated
- A high number of cases of HIV, sickle cell and other haematological diseases
- Much higher numbers of RTAs than you’re used to at home
- Conditions arising from socioeconomic issues, like pesticide-induced renal failure (at epidemic levels)
How long is a Work the World medical elective?
A medical elective is as long as you want it to be. Our minimum placement duration is one week, but medical students and graduates typically travel on their medical electives for 4 - 6 weeks. There is no upper limit to how long you can travel for.
What is a medical elective?
A medical elective is a clinical placement that medical students undertake as part of their MBBS degree. Medical electives give students the chance to gain practical experience in a relevant medical speciality. As many as half of medical students in Australia travel abroad for their elective placement. If you want to undertake your medical elective overseas, get in touch with us today.
