Please be advised that students are prohibited from contacting preceptors or departments directly to arrange visiting electives. Any attempt to do so may result in rejection. Students must apply for all visiting electives directly through the AFMC portal.
ANNOUNCMENTS- Capacity-Based Model Launch
Electives beginning August 4 and later: applications will open on a rolling schedule
- 12 weeks before the elective start date, beginning on May 11, 2025
Please continue to visit the AFMC Student Portal for future updates regarding application timelines, eligibility criteria, required documents, policies and fees.
1- ELIGIBILITY
CANADIAN STUDENTS
You can apply as a Canadian student if you attend a Canadian medical school (outside of Dalhousie University) and are in your penultimate or ultimate year of your Undergraduate medical program.
MD EXTENSION PROGRAM STUDENTS
This student type has been implemented for Undergraduate learners who are interested in completing electives after completion of their final undergraduate year and have gone unmatched through CaRMS.
2- APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & POLICIES
PRECEPTOR SEARCH
Learners are prohibited from contacting their own preceptor. Departments will attempt to match you to a preceptor in your preferred area of specialty or community.
NUMBER OF ELECTIVES
- Learners can apply for up to three electives at Dalhousie University for the same two-week elective block, but are only permitted to accept one offer for each block.
- The maximum combined elective duration is four weeks per calendar year, while the maximum combined elective duration is eight weeks per academic year. Our academic year is September to August.
CAPACITY-BASED MODEL APPLICATION PROCESS
Students will apply for domestic visiting electives in 2-week blocks with alignment on dates for 2-weeks blocks across all school. Application rounds will open on the same days for all medical schools across Canada. A standardized approach during the 2-week blocks has been defined. A lottery will be applied to determine students who will receive elective offers. Please apply to domestic visiting elective opportunities on the AFMC portal under the year level labelled “eligible”.
Please note that cancellation of accepted domestic visiting electives is not permitted, except for mitigating circumstances where both the home school and host school are in agreement.
More detailed information on the capacity-based model application process can be found here: AFMC Student User Guide
CONFIRMATION PROCESS
Students will receive a confirmation letter via email after acceptance of their visiting elective offer. They will then be contacted via email by the placement contact for their elective, with reporting instructions for their first day.
Students offered an elective as a Nova Scotia Health site, will be prompted and required to submit an NSH Pledge of Confidentiality to their placement contact via email, once they receive their reporting instructions. This is a Nova Scotia Health requirement.
3- DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT DEPARTMENTS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT AFMC REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
Please note that we are working with AFMC to finalize a home school verification process for required documents for visiting electives. Until this process has been finalized the following documents are still required to be uploaded with your visiting elective applications.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED WITH APPLICATION SUBMISSION
- A recent and clear photo of yourself (Registrant Account)
- Colour photo only; black and white photos are not accepted.
- AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form
- COVID Vaccination
- Letter of Good Standing with anticipated graduation date
- This document is obtained from your home school.
- Police Records Check for Service with Vulnerable Sector
- Must be valid within 12 months of the end date of the placement OR if you have submitted a Police Records Check for Service with Vulnerable Sector to your home school upon entry to medical school, with no changes since, you may complete the (Dalhousie Visiting Electives VSC Attestation Form) Influenza vaccine
- Proof of current N95 Mask Fitting
- Proof of current CPR-HCP or BLS
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Electives start on Monday and end on Friday (except holidays), with the exception of Emergency Medicine – Halifax electives, which end on Sunday.
- In the comment section, PRIOR to submitting your application, add any additional information that you want departments to see (i.e., preceptor and/or language preferences, etc.).
- Visiting elective students may be asked by a preceptor to provide their Student ID during their elective experience in Nova Scotia, and are therefore required to have their home school Student ID with them at all times.
4- EVALUATIONS
Should an evaluation for this rotation be required, please remember to bring a copy of the appropriate form from your home University. Should you need assistance tracking down an assessment post-elective please contact the UGME Office at CdnElectives@dal.ca.
Please be advised that students are prohibited from contacting preceptors or departments directly to arrange visiting electives. Any attempt to do so may result in rejection. Students must apply for all visiting electives directly through the AFMC portal. Failure to comply with any policies may result in cancellation of your elective and/or application, and/or a Letter of Professionalism.
EVALUATIONS
Should an evaluation for this rotation be required, please remember to bring a copy of the appropriate form from your home University. Should you need assistance tracking down an assessment post-elective please contact the UGME office at intl.electives@dal.ca
Dalhousie does not enter into (nor will sign) individual affiliation agreements with home institutions for short‑term elective placements. Objective breakdowns may be reviewed directly with the preceptor once a placement is confirmed.
For any questions please contact intl.electives@dal.ca
Please see the available elective rounds below for both CSA and non-Canadian student studying abroad.
Note that students must choose one of the blocks listed. Off-cycle electives are not permitted. If you submit an off-cycle request, your application will be cancelled.
International Visiting Elective application rounds
Summer 2026 (please note that availability in July and August is very limited)
Application Period | Portal Opens | Portal Closes | 2-week placement | 4-week placement |
Round 1 | Feb 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026 | May 25-June 7, 2026 June 8-21, 2026 June 22-July 5, 2026 | May 25-June 21, 2026 June 8-July 5, 2026 |
Round 2 | April 6, 2026 | May 11, 2026 | July 6-19, 2026 July 20-Aug 2, 2026 Aug 3-16, 2026 Aug 17-30, 2026 | July 6-Aug 2, 2026 July 20-Aug 16, 2026 Aug 3-30, 2026 |
Fall 2026
Application Period | Portal Opens | Portal Closes | 2-week placement | 4-week placement |
Round 1 | May 25, 2026 | June 29, 2026 | Aug 31-Sept 13, 2026 Sept 14-27, 2026 Sept 28-Oct 11, 2026 | Aug 31-Sept 27, 2026 Sept 14-Oct 11, 2026 |
Round 2 | July 6, 2026 | Aug 3, 2026 | Oct 12-25, 2026 Oct 26-Nov 8, 2026 Nov 9-22, 2026 | Oct 12-Nov 8, 2026 Oct 26-Nov 22, 2026 |
Round 3 | Aug 17, 2026 | Sept 14, 2026 | Nov 23-Dec 6, 2026 Dec 7-20, 2026 | Nov 23-Dec 20, 2026 |
1- ELIGIBILITY
INTERNATIONALS & CANADIAN STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD
“International” student type = Students abroad, including Canadian citizens/permanent residents registered in a full-time undergraduate MD program at a FAIMER/WHO or LCME accredited medical school outside Canada.
Students must be in their final year of undergraduate studies and have completed five core rotations (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry or Surgery) prior to the start of the desired elective date. Students requesting Emergency Medicine and Emergency EMS electives MUST have their Emergency core completed prior to the start of the elective. Your application will not be processed if all five core rotations, whether completed and/or scheduled, are not entered.
2- APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
PRECEPTOR SEARCH
Learners are prohibited from contacting their own preceptor. Departments will attempt to match you to a preceptor in your preferred area of specialty or community.
ELECTIVE CAPACITY
Please note that the elective portal capacity feature is not an indication of capacity, but rather a representation of all the electives we offer throughout an academic year. Therefore, an elective may or may not be available for your intended timeline. Dalhousie University implements black outs for electives that are unavailable. Please check elective opportunities via the AFMC Student Portal. We endeavour to have these as up to date as possible.
NUMBER OF ELECTIVES
- Learners can apply for multiple electives at Dalhousie University; however, we do not accept multiple applications for the same dates. The maximum number of choices is two per application.
- The maximum combined elective duration is four weeks per calendar year, while the maximum combined elective duration is eight weeks per Dalhousie academic year. Our academic year runs from September to August.
PROCESSING TIMES
Student applications will remain in the portal queue until our home/domestic elective scheduling is complete. While we aim to process requests as promptly as possible, please note that you may not receive a response until up to 8 weeks before the start date of your requested elective
CONFIRMATION TIMELINE
We will attempt to secure a placement until eight weeks prior to the elective start date. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If an elective has not been secured by this time, applications will be cancelled to provide students the opportunity to book an elective at their home school.
Due to capacity, we cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective.
The timeline in which students receive a confirmation is subject to variables, such as:
- If there is capacity in the elective choices provided on the application.
- How many times elective choices are changed/updated.
- How quickly the department/preceptor provides confirmation of availability.
3- DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT DEPARTMENTS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT AFMC REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
WITH APPLICATION SUBMISSION
- A recent and clear colour photo of yourself (Registrant Account)
- AFMC Immunization and Testing Form -2024 version
- COVID Vaccination
- Letter of Good Standing with the following details:
- Your full name(s) and last name
- The program you are registered in as well as the program length in years and the language of education. Our electives are only offered in English.
- That you are in academic good standing, your current year of the program and that you are approved to do a clinical elective as part of your curriculum requirements.
- Expected graduation date (month and year).
- Police Records Check for Service with Vulnerable Sector
- Must be valid within 12 months of the end date of the placement.
- Completed or Scheduled Core Attestation of Core rotations and Electives
- Proof of language competence (Canadian students studying abroad may upload their driver’s license or passport)
CLOSER TO ELECTIVE START DATE
- Influenza vaccine
- Proof of current N95 Mask Fitting
- Proof of current CPR-HCP or BLS
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Electives always start on Monday and end on Friday (except holidays). Emergency Medicine – Halifax electives end on Sunday. Your emailed confirmation letter will have the correct dates.
- Add any additional available dates in the comments section. These are not considered official elective requests – they are just comments that departments may consider. Official requests are only those entered as an elective request in the application.
- Choices are processed in the order in which they are entered in your application.
- In the comment section, PRIOR to submitting your application, add any additional information that you want departments to see (i.e., preceptor and/or language preferences, etc.).
- All clinical electives must be done for academic credit. We do not offer core clinical training, pre-clinical electives, or observerships through the AFMC Student Portal.
- After being confirmed for an elective, it is okay to communicate with the Placement Contact to clarify scheduling or program specific details.
- Students may not cancel or make changes once an elective has been accepted
- Visiting elective students may be asked by a preceptor to provide their Student ID during their elective experience in Nova Scotia, and are therefore required to have their home school Student ID with them at all times.
