FAQ

Accommodation : How far is the hospital from the accommodation?
The accommodation is approximately 10 minutes car ride to the hospital. Medics Away provides daily taxis to and from the hospital, but you have to bear in mind that there is just one taxi there and one taxi back for all students, so it is best to organise your time together so that you can all get in the taxi. Some students find it more useful to hire a car whilst in Tobago and Medics Away can assist you in accomplishing this. We have chosen this area for the accommodation as it is near our Representative, it's literally a stone throw from one of the nicest beaches in Tobago and there's a house next door to the apartments that Medics Away rents out at the busiet times of the year. It is ideal in every way and you will agree once you've been on the elective.
Accommodation : What is it like?
Accommodation comes in two forms: Apartments or House.

Apartments

Accommodation comes in the form of 3 air-conditioned apartments, which are very close to our Representative and in a lovely part of Tobago. The apartments are self catered with their own laundry facilities, have great access to the beach and are very near a shop for all your supplies. The apartment includes taxi rides to and from the hospital during the working week.

House

If the numbers of students travelling to Tobago during your elective block exceeds the capacity of the three apartments (Five or more students), we may also decide to rent a house. We have done this in years gone by and it has worked out very well. Our busiest time of year is between June and August.

All students will have access to this house, but not all students will be actually staying in this house for the elective. It is a nice place to meet up with fellow medical students and have parties, etc. Please make sure you respect the property and its contents as a security deposit has been put down and any damages will be taken from this. The house is located right next door to the apartments, so all students have a great chance to socialise with each other. The house also comes with option of a rented car that works out as £25.00 a day. All students will have the option of chipping in for this vehicle, giving all students the ability to move around Tobago freely.
Flights : What airlines would you recommend for flying to Tobago?
There are quite a few airlines flying into Tobago. The largest of these are Continental Airlines, British Airways, Excel Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. If you just intend on traveling to Tobago and no where else, it is worth booking directly with the airline. If you want to do multiple stops or even a round the world trip, then you may want to speak to a travel agent for this as they can get you exactly the flights you want and often at quite reasonable fares (e.g. STA Travel). From previous students’ flight details, a lot of them traveled via Barbados before connecting on to Tobago.
Hospital : What is the hospital like?
The hospital in Tobago is quite small, but has a full range of specialties. There are even some community placements available. We supply you with a taxi to the hospital and back to the house/apartment each working day. We are very good friends with the director and she will ensure you have the very best medical experience. Due to the size of the hospital and the popularity of the elective, spaces can become quite limited quite early on, so early reservations are necessary. Broadly speaking, services in the hospital include:

Number of Beds - 108

Departments - A&E, Paediatrics, Medicine, Surgery & Anaesthetics, Obs & Gynae, Psychiatry

Number of Consultants – 2 per discipline
Internet : Is there internet access?
There is currently no internet access in the accommodation, but we will review that in the future and it may become available. There is an internet cafe very near to the accommodation which is very convenient and runs a good speed connection.
Socialising : What is the night life like?
Tobago doesn’t have the busiest social scene in the Caribbean, but you will find yourself having plenty to do in the evenings. The restaurants are really the high light of the experience, as the food in Tobago is excellent. Together with the other students traveling on the elective, you are guaranteed a fun experience.
Spending Money : How much?
You will need some spending money for your trip to Tobago for food, souvenirs and some social money. Most things in Tobago are cheap and in general your eating expense will not add up to much. In saying that, a fancy meal out in a restaurant can be quite pricey so you may want to keep this kind of activity for the weekends and for those luxury moments. The currency in Tobago is the Trinidad and Tobago Dollar (TTD) but it is worth taking some U.S. dollars with you also. I would budget for between £500 and £750 GBP for your trip and you may expect to bring some change home with you afterwards. If this works out not to be enough, it is quite easy to take money out of the ATM machine, but you don't want to have to do this too much as the exchange rate you'll get will not be all that good.
Student Details : What capacity does Medics Away have in Tobago?
For our on peak season (i.e. between April and September) we would normally expect at least 6 to 8 other students traveling to Tobago. We may actually have few more or we may have a few less. We have full capabilities to cope with up to 12 students at a time in Tobago. Students generally come from the UK, but we are finding more international students applying nowhere days, so you may find the odd American, Australian, New Zealander or Canadian on the elective with you.
Visa : Do I need a special visa for Tobago?
You will not require a visa before departing to Tobago. You will be issued with a 90 day tourist visa on arrival, which should cost nothing. It's always worth carrying some USD with you, especially when leaving the country, for departure fees.