Gain practical skills in core medical specialties

Our course focuses on providing high quality clinical experiences for all our students, creating a pathway to gain healthcare industry experience and help shape their future professional careers.

The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University is pleased to offer elective placements to any final year Doctor of Medicine student, both domestic and international inbound.

We oversee elective placements at both MQ Health and Northern Beaches Hospital:

  • MQ Health is Australia’s first university-owned teaching hospital, combining world class clinical care, teaching and research.
  • Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) is a state-of-the-art facility, with 24/7 emergency department, dedicated to the care of the people and families of the Northern Beaches community.

Elective placements across both hospitals are designed to prioritise student learning experiences and practical skills in core medical specialties. Learn more about the application process below.

Dates, locations and disciplines

Placements are a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of eight weeks.

You can apply separately to do four weeks at MQ Health followed by four weeks at NBH or vice versa. We are unable to offer you a placement at both hospitals within the same four week block.

There are a variety of disciplines available at each location, see below for the disciplines and the 2025 start dates.

AreaElectives
Medicine
  • Anatomical Pathology
  • Cardiovascular
  • Endocrinology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology/Haematology
  • Paediatrics/Allied Health
  • Respiratory
Surgery
  • General/GI Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopaedics
  • Plastic/Breast Surgery/Lymphoedema
  • Skin Cancer, Breast/Clinic/Day Surgery (ISHC Miranda)
  • Urology
AreaElectives
Critical Care
  • Anaesthetics
  • Emergency Medicine
  • ICU
Medicine
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Haematology
  • Infectious Disease, Rheumatology and Endocrinology
  • Medical Oncology
  • Neurology
  • OrthoGeriatrics
  • Radiology
  • Renal
  • Respiratory
  • Surgical Geriatrics
Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology (limited availability)
  • Paediatrics (limited availability)
Surgery
  • ENT, Head and Neck Surgery
  • General Surgery On-Call
  • Orthopaedics (Hand, foot, ankle, elbow, spine)
  • Orthopaedics (Hip, knee)
  • Plastic surgery
  • Urology

The below start dates align with the Macquarie University medical course. Each block is four weeks but you can apply to do two consecutive blocks to make up to eight weeks of placement.

If your dates do not align with our set block dates we will try to accommodate your request but you will have a stronger chance of successfully being accepted if your dates align with the dates listed here.

BlockDates
Optional zone 16–31 January
Block 1A3–28 February
Block 1B3–28 March
Block 2A31 March – 25 April
Block 2B28 April – 23 May
Optional zone 226 May – 20 June
Block 3A7 July – 1 August
Block 3B4–29 August
Block 4A1–26 September
Block 4B29 September – 24 October

Macquarie University also offers placement opportunities at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad, India, to students at partner universities. To enquire about a placement at Apollo, contact apollo.placements@mq.edu.au.

Application process

Applications for 2025 will be accepted during the below dates. Applications will be reviewed once the window has closed.

  • 30 September – 15 November 2024
  • 3 February – 7 March 2025.

Applications will not be considered if the requested start date is less than three months after the application submission date. We recommend students submit applications as soon as practical, especially candidates from overseas, to allow sufficient processing time.

Inbound elective placements are only available for medical students undertaking elective placements in an AMC recognised medical degree.

View lists of AMC recognised medical degrees for:

How to apply

The application process for inbound elective placements at both hospitals is via Macquarie University. While students may have contacts with clinicians or staff at MQ Health or NBH, elective placements cannot be arranged independently to the below application process.

If there is a particular discipline or supervisor that you would like to oversee your elective placement, include this information on your application form and we will endeavour to accommodate your request.

Download and complete the application form during the application windows.

Completed application must include:

  1. completed application form with home university stamp
  2. official academic transcript
  3. current CV
  4. letter of good standing
  5. copy of your passport
  6. English language proficiency (if applicable). If your current studies are not in English we require a Statement of English Proficiency from your home university or evidence of IELTS score of 7.0 (both overall and in each sub-band) within two years of completion
  7. evidence of your medical school’s indemnity insurance which covers you for the period of this elective placement.

If we can accommodate your preferred discipline and dates, we will email you an offer letter.

To confirm your placement you must accept that offer within two weeks, and provide a receipt of $250 application fee.

You will have a further six weeks to complete the health course requirements module.

Once your offer has been accepted and all required compliance documents have been received, you will be emailed an information pack that includes details about:

  1. your orientation to our health services
  2. a number of online modules that must be completed before your first day of placement.

Payment

  • Application fee: $250 is due at time of accepting your offer. You will be sent payment information and instruction of how to pay with your Letter of Offer. Your placement application will not be progressed following your Letter of Offer until payment has been received.
  • Refunds: The application fee is non-refundable should you wish to cancel your application or not meet compliance requirements.
  • Cancellations: If circumstances change or you have a change of mind, let us know as soon as possible. The application fee is non-refundable.

More information

Visas

You may be required to obtain a visa if you are travelling to Australia for placement.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they have the correct visa for the placement. For more information on Australian visas, contact the Department of Home Affairs.

Macquarie University cannot arrange your visa and cannot provide information in relation to what visa you require while on placement/in Australia.

Arriving in Sydney from overseas

We recommend you allow at least one week between your arrival date and your placement start date in order to give you time to apply for certain compliance documents.

The three documents are:

  1. Working With Children check. You will need to visit a Service NSW office in person to complete this application. You will then be given a receipt number, which is needed to start placement.
  2. Influenza vaccine certificate. You can arrange this vaccination from a general medical practitioner (GP) or some pharmacies in Australia. It must be the southern hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccination.
  3. COVID-19 vaccination certificate. International COVID certificates are not accepted. All non-Medicare holders must create a MyGOV account, and apply for a IHI number. Once you receive this, take your IHI number and international COVID certificate to a GP in Australia. If these COVID vaccinations are approved in Australia (check the approved list) then the GP will update these on your Australian Immunisation History Statement (AIR).

Note: you won’t be able to start your placement until proof of these has been submitted.

Accommodation is not included with the placement. Inbound students will need to arrange their own accommodation.

Learn more about Macquarie University accommodation and potential options while on placement. Other suggestions can be provided upon request.

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E: Macquarie MD