Canada
Canada is the world’s third largest country, stretching across six timezones from Queen Charlotte Island on the Pacific seaboard to Newfoundland on the Atlantic. Its population of 31 million is mainly located in a corridor that sits close to the US border with the vast majority of the country virtually uninhabited. Montreal is located in Quebec in the East of the country and is part of French Canada which gives the province a highly cosmopolitan air.
Montreal is a wonderfully relaxed city and is famous for its friendly artistic atmosphere. A Major financial and business centre scattered with skyscrapers it has lots of bars, restaurants and night clubs which make it a vibrant, fun place to visit. For the more cultured among you there is an opera house, lots of art galleries and museums and the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Sporting enthusiasts can see the famous Montreal Canadiens playing Ice Hockey or even the Canadian Grand Prix held in June each year. Montreal is an ideal base from which to discover the rest of Canada, perhaps a short trip up to the Laurentian mountains to ski, or travel south to visit Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes. For walkers and hikers its easy to visit Banff National Park and Lake Victoria, while shop-aholics can catch a plane or train to New York. Although French is the main language in Montreal, native speakers of French and English account for about 50% of the population each. Virtually everyone is bilingual, and the hospitals are specifically English speaking.
The Medics Away associated institution in Montreal represents five teaching hospitals. The Montreal Children’s, the Montreal General, the Royal Victoria, the Montreal Neurological hospital, and the Montreal Chest Institute. Students may also be placed at St Mary’s Hospital or the Jewish General Hospital. The institution continues to shape the course of academic medicine by attracting clinical and research authorities from around the world and by training the next generation of medical professionals. Medics Away has formed strong bonds with the institution and the city of Montreal over the years and is sure that any student travelling with us will be welcomed and made to feel part of the team. Canada is unusual in that all its medical services are provided by the State through the Regie, which is the equivalent of our National Health Service.
There is very little private health care, and in fact the Canada Health Act makes private medicine illegal. While the Federal (Canadian) government provides much of the funds for the Regie, all health care is administered by the Provincial (Quebec) government. In common with health systems all over the world, the Regie has some problems, specifically over long waiting times, but generally Canadians are very proud of the Regie, often in stark contrast with the British opinion of the NHS.
As Canada is a developed country, students are required to fulfil a number of expectations by the host hospital. Electives must be between 4 and 8 weeks long and only senior medical students in their 4th or 5th year of study may apply. Students must provide a letter from their Dean of Medical Education stating that their medical school is recognised by the World Health Organisation. Students must have all vaccines required. Students must also have liability insurance or if they do not then they may only work at the central sites. All students must have an official medical exam at least 2 months before their elective. All students must register with the College Des Medecins du Quebec at the time of the application. Submitting an application does not guarantee a space. Electives will be refused if the paperwork is incomplete or there is no space for the student. The students can make 4 choices of elective. Once an acceptance letter has been sent the elective cannot be changed. All applications should be received between 5 and 9 months before the elective. This time period is not fixed but preferred. If you are applying within less than 5 months of your elective depature date, then Medics Away may be able to pull some strings to resolve this issue. Applications can take up to 8 weeks to process. Medics Away will assist you with all requirements.
The following areas of medicine and education are available to Medics Away Students:
Anatomy & Cell Biology; Anaesthesia; Biomedical Engineering; Critical Care Medicine (ICU); Emergency Medicine; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Medical Informatics; Medicine & Subspecialties; Military Medicine; Neonatology; Neurology; Neurosurgery; Nutrition and Food Sciences (McGill); Oncology; Ophthalmology; Otolaryngology; Parasitology; Pathology; Paediatrics and subspecialities; Pharmaceutical Industry; Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Physiology; Psychiatry; Radiation Oncology; Radiology (Diagnostic); Social Studies of Medicine; Sports Medicine; Surgery & Subspecialties; Therapeutics (Acupuncture) and the McGill Centre for Tropical Diseases.
The following areas are NOT available to Medics Away students: Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, General Surgery, Family Medicine, Anaesthesia, Ambulatory Paediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology.
All of our electives are tailored for the individual, with different students spending different amounts of time in Canada and having different requirements. A typical elective includes hospital fee, accommodation, a medical kit, visa and vaccine advice, travel and indemnity insurance advice. Students must provide Medics Away with a £150.00 non-refundable deposit for the applciation process in Canada. This is the only elective that requires a depoist. This fee will be deducted from the final invoice for the elective once acceptance onto the elective program has been confirmed.
Medics Away electives can be arranged for any duration. Students need to tell us how long they want to go to Canada for and how much of that time they wish to spend in the hospital (4 or 8 weeks), or on independent travel. All students should have travel insurance and we only recommend the BMA Elective travel insurance which covers students for needle-stick injuries, HIV and in cases where a student fails their exams and can’t go on their elective. British, U.S., and Australian students will require a special elective visa that Medics Away will assist you in obtaining. Students applying from countires other than these will be advised on an individual basis about visa requirements. All students should have the relevant vaccines such as Hep B, Hep A, yellow fever, typhoid, tetanus and polio; more information on the vaccine requirements will be given upon reservation. For more information about Canada, our Canadian elective or anything elective related then please go to the Electivepage, email us at or phone us on +44 (0)1305 815 231. We’re sure that you’re going to have a great elective and an amazing experience.