visiting medical

Elective Program

Partnering with Local, Rural and Regional health networks in South Australia and Northern Territory, Flinders University offers a Visiting Medical Elective program for external medical students to undertake up to 6 weeks of placement in the disciplines of Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Rehabilitation and Emergency.

Medical students who are in their final year or second to last year (at the time of application) can apply for this medical elective placement. Placements give medical students practical experience in different healthcare settings, where the experience plays a vital role in preparing students for medical practice. Placements occur in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), as well as rural and remote areas within South Australia.

The placement should help you to:

Gain a realistic awareness of the everyday realities of life in the health service
Acquire knowledge about your own abilities and limitations
Communicate well with all sorts of different people
Take responsibility for your learning and plan future goals

Placement Discipline areas

Medicine

Surgery

Psychiatry

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Rehabilitation

Emergency Department

South Australia

Eligibility

Elective medical placements are open to medical students studying with an international institution, that accept elective placement experiences, up to 6 weeks in length. Places within the Visiting Medical Elective Program are limited.

Visiting Medical Elective Program pre-placement compliance checkist

Dates

Medical elective placements must occur within the Flinders University 6 week placement blocks. You may start or finish placement within a single placement block. We cannot accommodate dates that overlap two placement blocks. All 2025 electives will occur in the second half of 2025.

2025 dates

23 June - 1 August
4 August - 12 September
15 September - 24 October

Outside of Flinders Terms

Medical elective placements can occur during the end of year period.

27 October 2025 - 16 January 2026

Program Fees

A $200AUD (non-refundable) application few is payable when submitting your application.

Payment of the application fee doesn’t guarantee an elective placement. This fee covers the costs associated with the review process.

If successful in your application, the elective placement fee of $100AUD per week (non-refundable) is payable in full, one week from receiving your acceptance offer.

Applications Open

Applications for 2025 elective placements in South Australia open

10 February at 12 noon, (via an online form below) and close 9 March at 5pm.

The AUD$200 Application Fee is payable when submitting your application. Applications submitted without payment will not be processed.

Processing Time

Applications will be processed after the closing date. Please allow 6 weeks processing time.

Additional Information

Costs: Applicants are responsible for all travel, accommodation, and living expenses.

Visas: It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact their nearest Australian Consulate with respect to visa requirements. Flinders University cannot provide advice on requirements to enter Australia.