Request for approval of international elective

To be eligible for available funding you must submit your request by the deadlines indicated on the Mobility Opportunities section (International Opportunities for uOttawa Learners and Faculty).

Independently sourced international elective requests made outside of the deadlines will be considered but no funding will be available.

All learners must:

  • Submit their Request For Approval of an International Elective at minimum 2 months prior to elective start date.
  • Complete Pre-Departure Training and other requirements as instructed by the International and Global Health Office, once your elective has been approved

Please select your learner type (UGME, PGME, TMM or PharmD).

PGME

Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) international elective requests are jointly approved by the specialty/subspecialty program, the PGME office, and the International and Global Health Office (IGHO).

Elective Requirements

  • Ideally, the elective must be a minimum of 4 weeks (1 block)
  • A letter from the program director (to be uploaded below as part of the Request for approval of an International Elective). The letter must include:
    • Start and end dates of elective
    • Name of elective specialty, institution, and country
    • Learning objectives
    • Confirmation that the trainee will receive academic credit toward home program
    • Confirmation that the resident is in good academic standing
    • Signatures (e-signatures acceptable) from:
      • Program Director;
      • Host site supervisor

UGME

Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) international elective requests are jointly approved by the UGME office and the International and Global Health Office (IGHO).

Elective Requirements

International electives are expected to be a minimum of 2 working weeks (70 hours) in length.

Additional funding in the form of a reimbursement is also available for Low-Middle Income Country Global Health Electives and/or UGME learners with a self-declared financial need. For details please visit the Equity and Access Travel Reimbursement section of the IGHO’s Funding Opportunities page.

If you are applying to the Equity and Access Travel Reimbursement, please complete the additional questionnaire following the Request For Approval of an International Elective below.

Please select the international mobility opportunity you are applying for
Global Health Elective (UGME Year 4 only)
Medicine and Humanities International Program (MHIP)
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM)
Clinical Observership at Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Université Paris-Cité, and/or Université Paris-Saclay
KCMC University Group Elective with Clinical Rotations (UGME Year 4 only)
Independent International Elective
Please select the international mobility opportunity you are applying for
Global Health Elective
KCMC University Group Elective with Clinical Rotations
Independent International Elective
Please select the international mobility opportunity you are applying for
Global Health Elective
Université Grenoble Alpes Practical Internship
Type of Elective
Type of Elective
If your elective involves research, provide the Institutional Ethics Review information
One file only.
256 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt pdf.
Type of Elective
If your elective involves research, provide the Institutional Ethics Review information (either by sharing the relevant webpage or uploading the appropriate document)
One file only.
256 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt pdf.
Is this your first International elective?
If no, please specify the elective location, the year of medical training in which it was completed, and whether you completed any formal pre-departure training.
If you do not have this information at the time of request, you can provide it later.
One file only.
256 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt pdf.
Please answer the following questions as part of your application for the Global Health Elective:
All responses must be written in French.
 
Describe briefly your interest in international work and/or global health and how participation in this elective will enrich your education and career objectives. (max 200 words)
Describe your past experience in international work and/or global health, whether through work, volunteering, and/or research, and how the knowledge and skills acquired are relevant to this elective. (max 200 words)
Describe a moment where you encountered a challenge due to an intercultural difference. Describe the setting and key lessons learned from this experience. (max 100 words)
Describe what you expect from your elective experience and how you think it will affect the community you will be visiting. (max 100 words)
There are ethical considerations inherent in international work or volunteering, partially attributed to the history of international work. The key principles that students should observe when working internationally and/or clinically in global health are humility, introspection, solidarity, equity, and social justice. In your elective, what would you do to apply these principles? (max. 200 words)
One file only.
256 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt pdf.

The following questions are for your Equity and Access Travel Reimbursement Application:

Equity and Access Travel Reimbursement Application

For details, please visit the Equity and Access Travel Reimbursement section on the IGHO’s Funding Opportunities page. Under Available International Mobility Funding Opportunities, select your learner category (UGME, TMM, or PharmD) from the dropdown menu to view the relevant information.

Funding for Global Health/Low Middle Income Country (LMIC) Electives

uOttawa Faculty Supervision
Is your elective supervised by a uOttawa faculty member?
Describe the uOttawa faculty member’s relationship with the host organization or institution.(Select all that apply)
Examples may include ongoing research collaboration, education/training partnerships, continued engagement with the institution, supervision of multiple learners, etc. 
Evidence of a Sustainable Partnership (Rationale Requirement)
Has your supervisor collaborated with this host organization/institution before?
Is this elective part of an ongoing partnership between uOttawa and the host organization (research, education, training, clinical work)?
Does your supervisor anticipate continued engagement with this host site after your elective?

Self-declared Financial Need

Please read the details on the self-declared funding definition on the Funding Opportunities webpage.

No supporting documentation is required. Your declaration is sufficient. 

Do you self-declare financial need based on the definition above?

Statement of Financial Need 

Use this section to help us understand the financial gap for your elective and how the costs create a significant hardship. Please answer honestly and as clearly as you can. You do not need to upload documentation, but we may follow up if something is unclear.

Include the full estimated cost (travel, accommodation, meals, local transport, visa, insurance, elective fees, supplies). Enter 0 if not applicable.
This is the amount you can reasonably contribute without creating a significant financial hardship.
List any confirmed or pending funding (for example: savings, family support, scholarships, loans, line of credit, other bursaries). If none, write “None”.
A significant hardship means you would experience serious difficulty covering essential living or educational costs if you funded the elective on your own. Examples may include limited family support, dependents or caregiving responsibilities, high existing debt, high cost of living obligations, or unexpected personal or family circumstances. Please keep it to one paragraph.
5) If you do not receive this bursary, you would most likely…
Please explain in 1 to 2 sentences.