Angie Hill
Administrator, Visiting Electives
CdnElectives@dal.ca
Canadian Students (includes MD Extension Program and Family Medicine student types)
intl.electives@dal.ca
International Students (includes CSA and IFMSA student types)
homeelectives@dal.ca
Dalhousie University Students
c/o Undergraduate Medical Education
PO Box 15000
Halifax, NS B3J 1T0 CANADA
Please ensure you review Dalhousie UGME Policies prior to your elective, including policies on health and safety, professionalism and harassment
Dalhousie Medical School is the medical school of Canada’s Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island). We offer elective experiences in a variety of disciplines, and at over 100 teaching sites, in both tertiary and community-based settings in all three provinces. We welcome visiting medical students from both Canadian and non-Canadian schools.
Almost 900 electives are offered to visiting students each year! Please come join us!
Canadian/Domestic Students:
Electives beginning August 4, 2025 onwards: Applications will open on a rolling schedule 12 weeks prior to the elective start date, beginning on May 11, 2025. This timeline is in alignment with the new AFMC capacity-based model for domestic visiting electives, being implemented across Canada.
Please continue to visit the AFMC student portal for future updates regarding application timelines, eligibility criteria, required documents, policies and fees.
International Visiting Elective application rounds
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 ne sont pas permitted. If you submit an off-cycle request, your application will be cancelled.
International Visiting Elective application rounds (Jan-May 2026)
Application Period | Portal Opens | Portal Closes | 2-week placement | 4-week placement |
Round 1 | Sept 29, 2025 | Nov 2, 2025 | Jan 5-18 , 2026 Jan 19-Feb 1 2026 Feb 2-15, 2026 | Jan 5-Feb 1, 2026 Jan 19-Feb 15 2026 |
Round 2 | Nov 10, 2025 | Dec 8, 2025 | Feb 16-March 1, 2026 March 2-15, 2026 March 16-29, 2026 | Feb 16-March 15, 2026 March 2-29, 2026 |
Round 3 | Dec 15, 2025 | Jan 19, 2026 | March 30-Aprl 12, 2026 April 13-26, 2026 April 27-May 10, 2026 May 11-24, 2026 | March 30-April 24, 2026 April 13-May 10, 2026 April 27-May 24, 2026 |
Please note that the International electives office will be closed from December 22, 2025-January 3, 2026. Emails will not be responded to during this time.
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
Please continue to visit the portail des étudiants de l'AFMC for future updates regarding application timelines, eligibility criteria, required documents, policies and fees.
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.
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
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”.
More detailed information on the capacity-based model application process can be found here AFMC Capacity-Based Model Student Presentation.
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.
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
IMPORTANT NOTES
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 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 ne sont pas permitted. If you submit an off-cycle request, your application will be cancelled.
International Visiting Elective application rounds (Jan-May 2026)
Application Period | Portal Opens | Portal Closes | 2-week placement | 4-week placement |
Round 1 | Sept 29, 2025 | Nov 2, 2025 | Jan 5-18 , 2026 Jan 19-Feb 1 2026 Feb 2-15, 2026 | Jan 5-Feb 1, 2026 Jan 19-Feb 15 2026 |
Round 2 | Nov 10, 2025 | Dec 8, 2025 | Feb 16-March 1, 2026 March 2-15, 2026 March 16-29, 2026 | Feb 16-March 15, 2026 March 2-29, 2026 |
Round 3 | Dec 15, 2025 | Jan 19, 2026 | March 30-Aprl 12, 2026 April 13-26, 2026 April 27-May 10, 2026 May 11-24, 2026 | March 30-April 24, 2026 April 13-May 10, 2026 April 27-May 24, 2026 |
Please note that the International electives office will be closed from December 22, 2025-January 3, 2025. Emails will not be responded to during this time.
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
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.
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
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:
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT DEPARTMENTS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT AFMC REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
AVEC LA SOUMISSION DE LA DEMANDE
CLOSER TO ELECTIVE START DATE
IMPORTANT NOTES
École | Frais de demande d’admission des étudiants canadiens | Frais d’acceptation des étudiants canadiens | Frais de demande d’admission des étudiants International | Frais d’acceptation des étudiants International | Frais supplémentaires en dehors du portail |
Dalhousie University | $0 | $200 | $100 | $744 | International Acceptance Fee includes $244 malpractice insurance fee. |
CANADIAN
While extremely rare, should a confirmed/accepted elective be cancelled by Dalhousie University (via site or preceptor) due to unforeseen/mitigating circumstances, a student must complete the following steps:
Prenez note qu’il n’y a aucun remboursement si un stage de remplacement est offert.
A refund will only be issued if a student does not request/consent for Dalhousie University to search for a reasonable alternative, OR if an alternative elective placement is not available/offered.
POLITIQUE D’ANNULATION ET PROFESSIONNALISME
INTERNATIONAL
Demandes de modification
We do not accept requests to make changes to an elective once it has been accepted. If you can no longer attend an accepted elective, you will have to cancel it within a minimum of six weeks from the start date of the elective. Cancelling your elective under this limit is deemed unprofessional. Note: This will cancel your application.
Cancellations/changes less than six weeks from the start date of the elective are not permitted once an elective is accepted by the student, except under extenuating circumstances. Notice of this must be submitted in writing by your home school to the International Electives office via email to intl.electives@dal.ca
Accommodations and transportation are the responsibility of the clerk/student. If assistance is required with accommodation, it can be discussed with the site coordinator once an elective has been offered.
Please note that all accommodations listed below are community rentals and are not Dalhousie verified accommodations.
Contact: Ann
H: (902) 423-5663
Email: nortonan@icloud.com
CAD $425.00 per week or $825.00 per month
Furnished bachelor with cooking facilities, private bath and entrance. Safe, pleasant neighbourhood – short run with several buses going directly to the hospitals and universities. Includes towels, linens and Wi-Fi. On-site laundry. Quiet, non-smoking property.
Contact: Maureen Young
Email: ymaureen@hotmail.com
CAD $250.00 per week
North End Halifax fully furnished flat with separate entrance and parking included (partners welcome), 35 minute walk to the Infirmary, 4 minutes to the Robie Street bus stop, self-contained with your own kitchen, bedroom, den, bathroom with tub and shower, TV, Wi-Fi, double bed. Sheets and towels included with furnishings.
Contact: Cynthia Shupe
Email: cynsh@icloud.com
CAD $325/week (prorated if necessary)
One room in my home is available for rental. Room includes a double bed, your own bathroom, free Wifi, linens, full access to the shared living and dining rooms, kitchen and laundry. One parking space is also available if necessary.
I work in the medical field, and my home is a 15 minute walk from the QEII, and 25 min walk from Dalhousie University, Victoria General Hospital and the IWK. I am also a block away from Metro Transit, grocery store, drug store, liquor store, and several restaurants. The Halifax Commons is only a few blocks away with a long track speed skating oval that also has recreational skating times and I think free skate rentals.
REPORTING MISTREATMENT
Students experiencing mistreatment while doing an elective with Dalhousie University are encouraged to file a report through the Confidence Line. The Confidence Line reporting system offers a secure, state of the art, web reporting communications process that allows for direct and confidential communication between you and the Office of Professional Affairs (OPA), Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University.
Further details and instructions on how to create a report can be found here: https://dalhousiemedicine.confidenceline.com/%23backtotop.
Once you have reviewed this information, we encourage you to complete this voluntary survey regarding your knowledge of reporting mistreatment at Dalhousie University: https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=KnowledgeOfReportingMistreatment
Student elective requirements
Vanessa Voerman
Med4Coordinator@dal.ca
AFMC portal issues
AFMC portal Help Desk via the portal
General Elective Inquiries and Support
Tyler Creelman
homeelectives@dal.ca
Le Portail des étudiants de l’AFMC pour les stages à option pour étudiants visiteurs est actuellement fermé. Les stages à option pour étudiants visiteurs pour la classe de 2022 ont été suspendus à l’issue de la réunion du Conseil d’administration de l’AFMC qui s’est tenue le 18 avril 2021. Cette mesure englobe les stages à option pour les étudiants canadiens et pour les étudiants internationaux. Les doyens des Études prédoctorales des facultés de médecine canadiennes se réunissent régulièrement pour discuter des enjeux et la décision de rouvrir le Portail sera prise de manière collaborative et uniforme dans tout le pays en tenant compte des occasions d’apprentissage, des restrictions provinciales en matière de Covid et d’autres préoccupations de santé publique.
Nous travaillons avec notre nouveau fournisseur de services à la création du nouveau Portail. Il sera prêt lorsque les stages à option pour étudiants visiteurs seront à nouveau offerts.
Le portail des étudiants de l’AFMC sera hors ligne à partir du 23 décembre 2021. Le portail amélioré sera accessible à la fin du mois de février 2022.
Les candidats au programme d’aide financière du MCAT® pourront vérifier leur admissibilité et soumettre leur demande sur notre site web de l'AFMC.
Nous vous prions de nous excuser pour ce désagrément et vous remercions de votre patience.
Si vous avez des questions, veuillez contacter le service d’assistance à l’adresse suivante : service@afmcstudentportal.ca