Medical Electives Scheme
RCPath/Specialist Society Medical Elective small grant scheme
The RCPath/Specialist Society Medical Elective small grant scheme was a new scheme launched to mark the College’s Diamond Jubilee in 2022.
The scheme is joint funded by RCPath and partner Societies from the different disciplines and will offer small grants of value up to £1000, to help support undergraduate medical and veterinary students who wish to undertake electives in pathology disciplines.
Electives may be clinical or research-based and may be undertaken in any part of the world.
A minimum of £500 must be used for student travel and subsistence with the remaining amount being spent flexibly for project-related costs such as consumables, or for student costs, as appropriate for the project.
Six awards will be made annually:
RCPath/Association for Clinical Biochemistry elective award: to support an elective relevant to clinical biochemistry
RCPath/ British Society for Haematology elective award: to support an elective relevant to haematology
RCPath/British Society for Immunology elective award: to support an elective relevant to immunology
RCPath/ British Society for Veterinary Pathology elective award: to support an elective for a veterinary student, in any pathology discipline
RCPath/Microbiology Society* elective award: to support an elective relevant to infection, microbiology, or virology
RCPath/Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland* elective award: to support an elective relevant to cellular pathology
*In these schemes, the partner Society can assist you in finding a short research project and project supervisor, if you so wish. If you would like to take this up, please email [email protected] or [email protected] to discuss further, at least 2 months before the application deadline.
Applications for this year's RCPath/Specialist Society Medical Elective small grant scheme are now closed.
When the application timeframe opens, please apply by completing the webform on this page, indicating which award you are applying for, and submitting the documents requested to [email protected].
Terms and conditions of award
Applications must be submitted in advance of the proposed elective. Awards will not be made for electives already undertaken.
Electives must begin within 1 year of the award announcement.
Applications must be accompanied by letters of support, both from the head of the host department/clinical director of department and from the applicant’s own personal tutor in their medical or veterinary school.
A minimum of £500 must be used for student travel and subsistence with the remaining amount being spent flexibly for project-related costs such as consumables, or for student costs, as appropriate for the project.
Award holders must provide a report to RCPath and to the partner Society within 30 days of the end of their elective. The format and length of the report will be consistent with any other existing elective reporting arrangements stipulated by the relevant partner Society. If there are no existing elective report arrangements, a 700–1000-word report must be submitted to both organisations, accompanied by a suitable photograph.
Award holders may be invited to present their elective experience at meetings held by RCPath or partner Societies. In that eventuality, expenses incurred would be reimbursed as per standard policies.
Applicants for either of the following awards may, if they wish, request assistance to identify a suitable research project and supervisor in the UK or Ireland:
RCPath/Microbiology Society award
RCPath/Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland award
In order to take up this opportunity applicants should ensure they contact the relevant Society 2 months before the deadline, so they can prepare their application.