IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As of May 11, 2025, the University of British Columbia domestic electives program will be participating in the AFMC’s AFMC’s Capacity-Based Model. For more information on this process, please review the AFMC’s Student Training for Student Training for Capacity Based Model.

• Electives are to be completed in two-week durations only, as per the AFMC Capacity-Based Model schedule noted under “Application Dates”. Date changes will no longer be accommodated/permitted.
• Each elective must be done in consecutive weeks with no breaks in between (i.e. vacation time).
• All electives begin on a Monday – except when Monday is a public holiday, in which case the elective will begin on Tuesday – and end on Friday.
• Due to the significant volume of applications, email responses regarding status updates, site assignment information or declined applications are not possible. Thank you for your understanding.

ELIGIBILITY

• Were enrolled in a Canadian Medical School
• Participated in the CaRMS R1 Match and submitted their Rank Order List
• Subsequently went Unmatched in the R1 CaRMS Match, and
• Are registered in an MD Extension program affiliated with their Undergraduate Medical program

ELECTIVE SCHEDULE

• https://afmcstudentportal.ca/application-window-schedule

APPLICATION TIMELINE and PROCESS:

• Student Training for Capacity Based Model.
• Students can use the comments sections to provide more details on preferences, UBC will do their best to accommodate based on availability.
• Rotations may include call and evening/weekend shifts
• No repeat electives are allowed
• Students must refrain from contacting: doctors, departments, sites or others to arrange elective placements with UBC. All placement requests to go through the AFMC portal in correspondence with the UBC Visiting Electives Office.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED WITH APPLICATION:

• SPECO (PDF) see SPECO tab for more detailed instructions

• Professional Standards Acknowledgment Form(PDF, Doc)
• AFMC Immunization and Testing Form
  • Note: IGRA is suitable if you cannot obtain the 2 Step TST.

AFTER ELECTIVE CONFIRMATION:

• Once confirmed in an elective, students will receive a confirmation email denoting placement details and instructions on how to access the mandatory educational licensing documentation.
• Reporting instructions and site-specific information will be sent to students directly from the clinical department administrator 6-8 weeks prior to the elective start date.
• Please note; additional training could be required based on Health Authority requirements

**IMPORTANT: EDUCATIONAL LICENSING – CPSBC (MANDATORY)

A temporary educational license through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is mandatory for each elective completed in B.C. Once your elective is confirmed;

• CPSBC will email students directly with instructions on completing the CPSBC license package
• Student submits all documents, pays fees and sends payment receipt to CPSBC
• CPSBC sends student CPSBCID’s to students and UBC

*Please review the instructions in the email from CPSBC carefully and action in a timely manner. There are a few steps involved to formally complete the application in full, eg. follow up email to the CPSBC to confirm fees are paid. Delays to licensing could result in cancellation.

*Students can not start an elective without a confirmed license from CPSBC.

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

• UOttawa and Quebec school students must have the Electives Coordinator (elective@uottawa.ca) submit a “statement of studies”/”attestation d’étudies” to undergrad@cpsbc.ca when applying for their CPSBC license.
• Application for the license happens after students receive confirmation from UBC, which denotes whether the student is in the Anglophile or Francophile stream of study.
• Students in the Francophile stream will need to meet CPSBC language requirements by completing the IELTS, CELPIP or OET Academic exams.

CANCELLATION PROCESS:

• Once a student has accepted an elective/paid an acceptance fee, the elective is considered confirmed and students are no longer permitted to cancel the elective.
  • If an extenuating circumstance (i.e.: illness) arises, we advise that the student contact their home elective office/director for advice.
• No refunds will be issued once an elective is confirmed by the student.
• While extremely rare, should a confirmed/accepted elective be cancelled by the University of British Columbia due to unforeseen/mitigating circumstances, the following options are available:
  • student must provide consent if they desire the University of British Columbia to find an alternative elective, with the understanding that a student must proceed with the offered alternative. All attempts to find a reasonable placement will be made, however since this is highly dependent on capacity, students must be prepared to be flexible. Students can decline the alternative elective offered, but a refund will not be issued in these circumstances.
  • 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 the University of British Columbia to search for a reasonable alternative OR if an alternative elective placement is not available/offered.

1. ADMISSIBILITÉ 

Students at international medical schools are eligible for UBC electives if their school has a ‘Canada’ designation on the World Directory of Medical Schools and if they are in their final year of study. (Canada designation means Canada is noted under “Sponsor notes”)

Students must be in their final year of medical school at the time the elective(s) take place.

By the time of the Elective, an applicant must have successfully completed a clinical elective or core rotation in the discipline(s) for which they are applying for (see some exceptions noted below). Please note that pre-clerkship electives do not meet the eligibility criteria for a clinical elective.

All International students must meet the Language Requirements as mandated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC:

Language Requirements

To be eligible for a UBC elective, students must comply with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) English Language Proficiency (ELP) Policy. The CPSBC Registration Committee may determine that an applicant has demonstrated English language proficiency if the following conditions are met:

1. The primary language of medical education was English
2. The primary language of patient care was English.

Please read this information more details.

Students who require and English language proficiency exam, must include their IELTS-Academic examination scoresheet at the time of application which confirms that they have met this requirement.

Please note the submission of the English language proficiency exam is not mandatory and is only required from those students who do not meet the requirements in the first bullet point above.

Prospective students should proceed with the IELTS-Academic exam. Each component must have a minimum score of 7.

Exemption Question:

As per College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC licensure policy, they only view the primary language of education and patient contact of the student’s medical school.

In such situations where English may not be the primary language – to be exempt from writing the IELTS exam, students need to have their medical school provide a letter which needs to directly specify that at least 51% of medical education and patient contact are conducted in English. The medical school would need to email us the letter directly to undergrad@cpsbc.ca.

Malpractice Insurance

Mandatory for International Medical Students

• To ensure complete and inclusive protection for all stakeholders, ALL students studying abroad must purchase malpractice insurance through UBC ($5 million Canadian).
• This also applies to students who already have malpractice insurance provided by their home university.
• The cost is $325 which is included in your confirmation fee and processed on your behalf through the VSE office.

Personal Health Insurance

Students undertaking electives are strongly encouraged to obtain personal health insurance prior to arrival. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has adequate health insurance coverage.

Elective Requirements

*The following disciplines do not have the clinical elective/core-rotation requirement:

• Public Health (completion of FP is preferred)
• Emergency Medicine, excluding Kamloops and Kelowna (Vancouver Emergency electives are 4 weeks ONLY, no exceptions)
• Pathology
• Medical Genetics
• Radiology
• Dermatology
• For surgical subspecialties (e.g.: Urology, or Neurosurgery, or the like), a core rotation or clinical elective in General Surgery or another surgical subspecialty is sufficient.
• For medical subspecialties (e.g.: Neurology or Hematology) a core rotation or clinical elective in General Internal Medicine or another medical subspecialty is sufficient.
• Orthopedics

Departments that do require students meet our clinical elective and/or core rotation eligibility:

• Anesthesia
• Emergency Medicine, Kelowna: Students should have completed most of their core rotations. Kamloops: Students should have completed at least 3 of their core rotations
• Emergency Medicine, Cranbrook: Accepts applications from University of Calgary & University of Alberta students only.
• Ophthalmology
• Pediatrics
• Pediatrics – Derm (a pediatric elective/core is required)
• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine (IM – Salmon Arm requires students have their core completed in IM).
• *CTU at the Vancouver sites: Students are expected to have completed their core general medicine rotations as 3rd year medical students and have CTU experience at their home university prior to doing a CTU elective at either SPH or VGH. No exceptions to this policy.
• Psychiatry
• PS-Psychosis-UBCH requires that students have completed their core rotation at their home university in psychiatry before the start date of their elective in psychosis. *No exceptions to this policy.
• Obs/Gyn
• Surgery

2. INSTRUCTIONS POUR LA PRÉSENTATION DE DEMANDES 

• Students must refrain from contacting: doctors, departments, sites or others to arrange elective placements with UBC. All placement requests to go through the AFMC portal in correspondence with the UBC Visiting Electives Office.

• Note: Students should only provide dates/choices as per the allotment of their application settings; if the original dates/choices are not available students will be emailed to provide alternatives. The VSE office cannot track student comments through the Portal.

  Nous joindre visiting.electives@ubc.ca if you have not received any information by 8 weeks before your elective start date.

• Elective dates cannot overlap UBC academic years which typically change over between the end of June and the beginning of July each year (email the visiting electives office for specific dates for the current academic year)

Application window

The application window is rolling and opens bi-weekly on Mondays at a maximum of 24 weeks in advance and closes 12 weeks prior to the elective start date

Placement Priority & Process

Applications cannot be processed until the student’s home school validates that the information submitted by the student is correct. This is called the Home School Verification process (HSV). Student have to start by submitting an HSV form to AFMC.  Once complete, AFMC will send it to their homeschool. Here is the link:

https://www.cognitoforms.com/AFMC3/HomeSchoolVerificationForm

Once verified, the AFMC Portal Team will create your account, and you will be able to apply.

When the placement process has begun and the Visiting Office is awaiting feedback from the clinical department, the Elective Status will be ”pending’.

Placement into an elective is based on capacity.

Elective Capacity

Please note that for UBC, the elective portal options are 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. For a current capacity report on available electives.

UBC Electives Capacity Report – updated weekly on Mondays

Confirmation Timeline: 8 week rule

We will attempt to secure a placement until 8 weeks prior to the elective start date. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served 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. Students will receive regular communications regarding their application status.

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

The VSE Office will email students directly to request new elective choices if there is no capacity in their desired selections.

Confirmation Process

• Students will receive an elective offer via email and must accept or deny the placement; an elective is not secured until the student logs into the Portal to accept the placement.
• If a student has one elective in their application and declines the placement offer, their application will automatically be cancelled. Be sure to contact the Electives Office if you have questions about the placement prior to denying the offer.
• Students will have 7 days to accept a placement offer.
• If a student has a confirmed elective at another school whose dates overlap with the UBC elective, the student will need to cancel or change the confirmed elective at the other school before accepting the UBC placement.
• Written or verbal confirmation directly from a clinical department or preceptor will not elicit a UBC elective.
• Students who accept a placement will receive a confirmation email denoting placement details and instructions on how to access the mandatory educational licensing documentation.
• Reporting instructions and site specific facility / patient information system information will be sent to students directly from the clinical department administrator 6-8 weeks prior to their elective start date.

Elective Duration and Schedules

• Electives are offered for 2 or 4 weeks only
• They begin on Mondays and end on Fridays
• Subsequent electives cannot be the same rotation.
• Specialty/Sub-specialty choices per elective application will have the same start date
• Each elective/rotation must have different start dates (do not apply for two electives with the same start date)
• Shifts may include call and evening/weekend work

APPLICATION MINS AND MAXES

*max 4 applications over your final year; 8 total confirmed weeks.

Note: Students should only provide dates/choices as per the allotment of their application settings; if the original dates/choices are not available students will be emailed to provide alternatives.

Nous joindre visiting.electives@ubc.ca if you have not received any reporting instructions by 6 weeks before your elective start date.

3. EXIGENCES RELATIVES AUX DOCUMENTS 

AVEC LA SOUMISSION DE LA DEMANDE

• SPECO (PDF) see SPECO tab
• Professional Standards Acknowledgment Form (PDF, Doc)
• Formulaire d’immunisation et de tests de dépistage du Portail des étudiants de l’AFMC (PDF, Doc)
  • Note: IGRA is suitable if you cannot obtain the 2 Step TST.
    
  • To be eligible for a UBC elective, students must meet the requirements identified on the AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form found on the Portal Immunization Page.
  • The new form is called: The AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form 2020. The Form (available in French and English) is intended for use by Canadian and international medical students applying for visiting electives in Canada. All documents are available on the AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing page of the Portal.
  • *All students entering the AFMC Student Portal process for the first time must use the 2020 form.
  • The completed immunization form is a required document at the time of application
• List of Completed Core(s) / Clinical Electives Document Requirement: Please provide a list of the cores and clinical electives you will have completed prior to the desired start date.  We would prefer a list that includes departments, dates and durations and title it List of cores completed / List of clinical electives completed (separate documents or together in one document).  

• Letter of Good Standing

  • A signed letter from your homeschool registrar or academic dean confirming your year of study and that you are in good academic and professional standing, meeting the requirements of your home school program and approved for visiting electives placements.

AFTER ELECTIVE CONFIRMATION

• Educational Licensing – CPSBC

  • More description for required documents can be added here. Note that you should do your best to make the information as concise and clear as possible.

• EDUCATIONAL LICENSING – CPSBC (MANDATORY)

  • A temporary educational license through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is mandatory for each elective completed in B.C. Once your elective is confirmed, you will be emailed further instructions on completing the CPSBC license package directly from the CPSBC approximately 3 months prior to your start date.

  • Documents to complete for licensing: *Updated version

    • Documents for licensing will be sent to you from the CPSBC 12 weeks prior to your start date.
    • Please ensure you also meet the Language Requirements as listed in the Policies & Requirements Tab.

    1. ED Document Citation

    2. Application Medical Students Visiting UBC

  • Meet the Language Requirements as listed in the Policies & Requirements Tab.

  • The completed licensure application package must be received by the CPSBC no later than 8 weeks prior to the start of the elective.

  • There are no exceptions to this deadline; students cannot commence an elective without a license.

  • Note: The CPSBC will not confirm receipt of documents; students will be contacted by the CPSBC directly if there are any concerns regarding an application.

  • The student will be emailed the license by the CPSBC approximately 2-4 weeks prior to the start of the elective.

  • Successive Electives & Licensing

    • The CPSBC requires students to complete one licensure application package once every licensing year (August 25 – August 24). Students completing successive electives through UBC that fall within one licensing year need only submit one package to the CPSBC. The Electives Office will request the required license for the subsequent electives arranged through UBC if your dates fall within these parameters.

    • The CPSBC will provide licensure for a maximum of 8 weeks during the CPSBC’s licensing year (August 25 to August 24 of the following year) for visiting medical students. (This is a combined total of 8 weeks should a student do both UBC and non-UBC electives arranged through the CPSBC)

• SPECO:

  • Please follow the AFMC Immunization document not the immunizations listed on the SPECO form.
  • Complete the modules under “Direct Patient Care”
  • You do not need to submit a Criminal Record Check as you will be required to do one once you are confirmed in an elective for the Province of BC. We will send you that information when confirmed.
  • You will not need to complete any Classroom Training modules
  • You are required to be mask fitted for an N95 Mask at the time of your placement. If you do not have access to that at your home school please go to the Mask Fitting tab for more information and applicable resources.
  • The CPR cert does not need to be submitted, just checked off that you have it.