Teaching & Learning
Elective Attachment

All non-local students are required to obtain a student visa in order to study in Hong Kong.  Non-local students cannot start their elective attachment without a valid student visa, for which you should apply for upon receipt of the official letter of acceptance. Failing to do so will result in cancellation or postponement of the elective.

The Faculty of Medicine does not handle visa issues. For enquiries, please contact:

1. Taiwan/Macao/other overseas students: visa-overseas@hku.hk
2. Mainland Chinese students: visa-mainland@hku.hk

Visa Application Procedures

Students may access the online visa application system at HKU Student Visa.

Duration of the Elective

Applicants may apply for elective attachment in any department(s) for a period as specified in the following table, depending on places available in the department(s) concerned. Please pay attention to the black out periods and the maximum elective duration of certain departments when choosing your choice of disciplines.

Provided that the minimum attachment period requirements of the departments concerned are satisfied, applicants may choose to split their electives and attach to more than one department during the attachment period.

Elective Opportunities Available at Individual Departments

* The departments may accept elective students. An applicant who wishes to work in any of these departments or in a specialized field is required to give full details of the proposal at the time of application.

Information on Elective Work

1. Insurance: Elective students MUST arrange and be covered by medical malpractice insurance and medical/health insurance for the period of attachment. Upon being granted an offer to undertake electives at the University, applicants are required to submit details of all the above-mentioned insurance schemes or indemnity cover that are arranged for the period of attachment in Hong Kong. The elective offer will be automatically withdrawn if an applicant fails to submit the necessary insurance documents before the commencement of the electives.
2. Language: Elective students will normally be arranged to attend teaching and learning activities with our medical students under the Year 5 Specialty Clerkship. The official medium of teaching is English, except under some circumstances where spoken Chinese (Cantonese) may be used for patient clerking.
3. Attire: Elective students should bring their own white laboratory coats to all clinical sessions. They should also wear decently, and causal wear/footwear such as jeans, T-shirts, sports shoes, sandals and so forth are not allowed.
4. Tuition fee: No tuition fee is charged for elective attachment, nor is any stipend to be paid to students. Applicants should have sufficient fund to cover all expenses incurred during their stay in Hong Kong. No financial assistance will be offered to elective students.

Payment Method

1. Applicants, except those under nomination of partner institutions holding valid exchange agreement with the Faculty, are required to pay a non-refundable administrative fee of HK$800 (on the basis of each application made).
2. Payment should be made in the form of a crossed cheque or a bank draft, in Hong Kong Dollars only, payable to “THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG”. *International students are advised to purchase an international bank draft in Hong Kong currency from their local banks. Payment by automatic bank transfer is NOT acceptable.
3. Applicants should submit payment of the administrative fee together with the application form.
4. They should put down their names and quote “elective application” on the back of the cheque/bank draft for easy reference.
5. Official receipt will be sent to applicants upon request.

Application

1. A duly completed application form must be submitted at least 6 months in advance of the commencement of the proposed period of elective attachment.
2. Late applications will NOT be accepted or considered under any circumstances.
3. Applicants should submit the following documents together with the application form:
   • a recent photo affixed to the application form;
   • HKID card copy/ passport copy /entry permit; 
   • a recommendation letter from the Dean’s Office of the applicant’s medical school;
   • a letter certifying the completion of infection control training issued by the applicant’s medical school;
   • a crossed cheque/bank draft for payment of the administrative fee; and
   • information of insurance coverage (to be provided upon acceptance of application).
4. Applicants should send the completed application form (download here) together with the above-mentioned documents to the following address:

LKS Faculty of Medicine
The University of Hong Kong
5/F, William MW Mong Block
21 Sassoon Road
Pokfulam
Hong Kong

“Elective Attachment Application” should be specified on the envelope.

5. Applicants will be notified in writing of their application results within 3 months after submitting the application forms.

Applicants who are applying for Elective Clinical Attachment are required to fulfil the following requirements:

Chickenpox

• Vaccination for Chickenpox is important as elective students may have contact with patients, who have a weak immune system.  Chickenpox infection will be fatal for these patients.  For patient safety, applicants should either be vaccinated or immune, and are required to submit documentary proof of vaccination or immunity, where applicable.

Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B carriers could apply for Elective Clinical Attachment if they are not required to perform any Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs).  In this connection, applicants are advised not to apply for attachment with departments where EPPs are required, e.g., Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

COVID-19 Vaccination

• With immediate effect, anyone who wishes to enter any part of the HKU campuses must comply with the vaccination requirement of having completed 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.  Please refer to “HKU Vaccine Pass” webpage for details.

Infection Control Requirements

• Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has implemented various border control measures for inbound travellers.  Elective students should pay attention to the relevant boarding, quarantine and testing requirements as imposed by the HKSAR Government.
• Meanwhile, incoming elective students are also required to follow the prevailing infection control requirements prescribed for HKU medical students for accessing clinical areas at hospitals, e.g. undergoing daily Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 at your own cost, which are subject to change depending on the COVID-19 development.

Elective students are responsible for arranging accommodation on their own. A list of hostels with contact details will be available to accepted applicants for reference.

Limited accommodation is also available at the Patrick Manson Student Residence (“the Residence”) of the University which is located at 7 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam (near the main teaching hospital, Queen Mary Hospital). Applicants who would like to apply for the Residence should specify so on page 2 of the application form. The Faculty Office will then help to check the availability. Please note that accommodation at the Residence will only be offered, subject to room availability, on a first come, first served basis.

Official offers will only be granted to applicants who have successfully arranged accommodation for their elective stay in Hong Kong. Otherwise, only conditional offers will be made.

Please note that the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty Office would NOT endorse/sign any document from your University or any other special request forms containing statements like “The student has had the same rights, duties and responsibilities like the regular medical students of the University of Hong Kong...” or with similar meanings. Such kind of documents or forms will NOT be acknowledged in view of possible legal implications.