The University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine is able to arrange a number of elective placements each year.  These placements are split into eight blocks of six weeks throughout the year.

Each block offers different specialties and, when you apply for Stage 1, you will be able to list up to five preferred specialties for each block you wish to apply to. Please note that you can only list preferences within the block you are applying to (eg: 1.1, 1.6, 1.9, 1.10, 1.13). Students must submit one application for each block they wish to apply to. Therefore, you are not allowed list different blocks in the same application (eg: 1.1, 2.1, 3.1…). It is not possible to be accepted into more than one block.

To help with filling in the application form, students are asked to make a note of the placement numbers for the blocks/specialties of interest. 

The Clinical School will make every reasonable effort to allocate students to their preferred block and specialty; however, due to the ‘first come, first served‘ nature of our recruitment process, we cannot guarantee that you would get your top choices. The Clinical School is limited to a certain number of students per block, so it is not possible to allocate a student to every specialty within each block.

Important Note: To allow successful applicants enough time to complete Stage 2, applications for Blocks 1 and 2 will be processed first and successful applicants will be announced before the rest of the applications close. We recommend that you submit your application at the earliest possible opportunity.