Electives Supervisor Information

What is the Elective block?

The Elective Block is a 6-week block occurring at the end of Year 4 of the MB ChB course (March/April 2027). In this block students study a field of healthcare or human health of their choice and take responsibility for planning relevant activities. At the end of the block, all students need to submit a piece of work for assessment (written report of 3,000 words, or student-devised piece plus reflective essay of 1,500 words) and achieve a pass mark.

Students often take the opportunity to experience health care in a new environment or focus on aspects of health care, which they have not had any exposure to during the course or wish to explore in some more depth. Students may undertake their project in an international location, in the UK, or locally.

Regardless of what they do, all students have been asked to find an elective home supervisor and submit an elective proposal, which includes project aims and a timetable for the 6-week period.

Elective learning outcomes

Demonstrate an awareness of risks to self, others and the project by conducting a thorough risk assessment.
Demonstrate an understanding of health care from a broader perspective.
Evaluate the impact of social, political, economic and cultural factors on health in the chosen area of the project.
Demonstrate the ability of problem solving and creative thinking.
Demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues involved in the experiential learning and project work.
Present evidence in a subject appropriate way taking into account the nature of placement and project.
Demonstrate the development of transferable professional skills.
Critically and systematically reflect on practice, and whenever necessary, translate that reflection into action.

How can you get involved in Elective supervision?

Considering the wide range of projects, there are various options for how you can become involved in elective supervision. The options are as follows:

Supervision (home supervisor for project outside WMS/NHS partner)

Students may arrange a placement internationally, or somewhere else in the UK. They will have a location supervisor for the placement. Your main task will be to support students when they prepare for the elective, discuss health and safety issues, and have a debrief meeting with the student. If you wish, you can indicate which location(s) and/or clinical areas you would be particularly interested in.

Guided elective

This type of elective is more supervisor-led and would involve a series of regular sessions, e.g. one session per week, on a particular topic. The supervisor would meet the students as a group for topic-related activities and provide guidance on how students pursue their self-directed study between sessions. You should indicate the topic of the elective, e.g. medical humanities, and how sessions will run.

Placement

You may wish to offer a placement, which may be clinical, e.g. a placement in a clinical specialty in a hospital or a GP placement, or non-clinical, e.g. a placement in medical education. The duration of a placement should be at least 2 weeks. You should indicate location and clinical area of the placement. You may also give the dates of the placement if you are not available for the whole time.

Desk-based project

You, or the student, may have some idea for a project that involves desk-based study in a field of healthcare and can be done locally. You should provide some further details on the project, e.g. topic, activities, or, if you don鈥檛 have a particular project in mind, just indicate which topics you would be particularly interested in.

Formal enquiry project

You may have got a specific research, audit or service evaluation project in mind. Here it is important to consider that students will need to apply for BSREC approval if the project involves human participants, their tissue, and/or their data and submit a study protocol with the elective proposal. You should provide some further details on the project, e.g. topic, aim and methods.

Other

You may have a specific project in mind, which does not fit neatly into these categories, as it may involve a combination of activities. You should provide some further details of the project, e.g. topic, activities.

What does the role of an elective home supervisor involve?

The role of an elective supervisor involves the following elements:

Supporting students to develop their elective project and reviewing their elective proposal.
Providing learning opportunities in a placement (if applicable).
At least 3 meetings with the student (proposal; at the beginning and at the end of the block).
Providing support and guidance during the project as required.
Completion of the Elective Home Supervisor Form.

The time commitment may vary between projects. You will have at least 3 meetings with the student: discussion of elective proposal, a meeting at the beginning of the block, and a debrief meeting at the end of the block. In some projects you may be in regular contact with the student during the elective period, e.g. when you supervise a student in a clinical placement or for a research project, or when you offer a guided elective.

Supervisor training will be provided to prepare you for this role.

Timeline

August/September 2026

Student: Students find elective home supervisor.
Elective Home Supervisor: Supervisor indicates interest in supervising a student by using electronic form. Supervisor accepts/declines student requests for supervision.

September/October 2026

Student: Student prepares elective proposal.
Elective Home Supervisor: Supervisor meets student to discuss elective proposal.

12 October 2026

Student: Student submits elective proposal (international electives)

9 November 2026

Student: Student submits elective proposal (UK electives).

January/February 2027

Student: Exam revision

February/March 2027

Student: First Sit Final Examination

22 March to 28 March 2027

Student: Week 1 of Elective Block
Elective Home Supervisor: Supervisor meets student

29 March to 25 April 2027

Student: Week 2 to 5 of Elective Block
Elective Home Supervisor: Supervisor meets student (as required)

26 April to 2 May 2027

Student: Week 6 of Elective Block
Elective Home Supervisor: Supervisor meets student. Supervisor completes Elective Home Supervisor Form.

10 May 2027 (12 noon)

Student: Submission of assessed work. Submission of Elective Home Supervisor Form.

May 2027

Elective Home Supervisor: Marking of assessed work (optional).

Elective home supervisor training

Recording and slides will be made available here soon.

Elective proposal review checklist

Elective proposal

The correct form has been used:

International elective proposal form (all electives, which include an international placement).
UK elective proposal form (all the other electives).

All relevant sections have been completed.

The project topic relates to healthcare or human health.

The proposal is coherent (summary, aims/objectives, and activities).

Elective project title

Title reflects content of project and goes beyond a broad topic area, e.g. 鈥榗hallenges in the management of asthma鈥� rather than 鈥榓sthma鈥�.

Elective project summary

Information is provided on what is known about chosen topic, why the student wants to study it, and what the student hopes to achieve.

Information has been referenced (5 to 10 references).

Word count: 400 to 500 words.

International travel

All students planning an international elective should have completed this section.

Elective project aims

The overall project aim is stated.

Elective project objectives

6 specific project objectives are formulated.
Some project objectives include key words indicating an appropriate level of intellectual activity, e.g. analyse, discuss, assess.
One project objective refers to the literature.
One project objective refers to the broader perspective (consideration of topic beyond specific situation, e.g. global or national perspective).

果冻传媒 programme

The timetable provides project activities for each week.

Elective place of study

All students planning a placement should have completed this section including dates of placement.

Dates should be within the 6-week elective period (22/03/2027 to 02/05/2027).

Health & Safety

The section has been fully completed (plus overseas travel risk assessment if students plan an international elective).

Students have adequately reflected on relevant risks.

果冻传媒 agreement

The form has been signed by the student.

Elective home supervisor agreement

You have reviewed and signed the elective proposal form (all electives).

Elective overseas travel risk assessment form

You have reviewed and signed the form (international electives only).

Formal enquiry project form

You have reviewed and signed the form (research, service evaluation and audit requiring ethics approval).