Experiencing global healthcare
5 December 2012
Opportunities for Cardiff medical students to experience first-hand healthcare in other countries, gaining new skills and experiences have been boosted by a £10,000 charity donation.
The University's School of Medicine has received a charitable donation by The Hospital Saturday Fund to boost its Elective programme.
"The Elective is a long-standing programme offering students an opportunity to experience and witness first-hand clinical practice and the delivery of healthcare globally," said Professor Paul Morgan, Dean of the School of Medicine.
"Despite much interest amongst our students in our Elective programme, unfortunately the number of students who get the chance to gain this unique opportunity is limited by cost.
"Securing this additional funding from The Hospital Saturday Fund is extremely welcome and will give our Elective programme a much needed cash injection and allow even more of our medical students and Wales' future doctors to gain vital new skills and experiences," he added.
The final year as a medical student is designed to build students' confidence, communications skills and gain the necessary clinical skills for work as a Junior Doctor.
In addition to formal hospital and community based placements, students can also opt to undertake an eight week 'elective' period offering the chance to gain new skills and experience a different country's health service.
Presenting the award, Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of The Hospital Saturday Fund said:
"The Hospital Saturday Fund is delighted to support the School of Medicine at Cardiff University.
"It is good to know our donation will go towards training the doctors of tomorrow."
The Elective is already a long-standing feature of the Cardiff medical degree.
Previous Electives have seen Cardiff medical students practising medicine in developing countries in Africa; examining infectious diseases in South-East Asia; and experiencing the challenges of practicising medicine in the Australian out-back.
John Robertson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations added: "The University is extremely grateful to The Hospital Saturday Fund because it is donations such as these that make a real difference to the student experience, providing additional training and development opportunities that would not normally have been available."