Preamble
This page concerns clinical and research exchanges. To learn more about international clinical immersion, see the following SCOI section: International Initiatives.
For the list of countries offering SCOPE exchanges, click here.
For the list of countries offering SCORE exchanges, click here.
For more information, see the Charte des échanges
General Information
SCOPE is a 4-week clinical exchange program abroad, where you can choose the 4-week period that suits you the best during the following IFMSA year, from April of that year to March of the following year at the latest. However, you will have to make sure that the countries you are interested in are available during the period you select (see the link below for the exchange conditions depending on the country). The exchanges generally take place during a calendar month (e.g. in July).
Two types of exchanges are offered: bilateral exchanges and unilateral exchanges
Bilateral Exchange
Includes:
- Internship
- Housing
- 1 meal/day (or pocket money)
- Social program (depending on the country and the internship dates)
Conditions
Provide a refundable deposit of $500 for housing fees: you pay an amount of $500 which covers the costs of accommodation during your internship. If you host an international student in your home (or find accommodation for the student), the $500 will be refunded to you. If you are unable to provide accommodation, it will be IFMSA-Quebec’s responsibility for finding accommodation, and the $500 will not be refunded to you.
The accommodation offered must cover the internship period of the foreign student (4 weeks) and must meet the following conditions:
- Must have a private furnished room for the foreign student;
- Must have free access to the kitchen (oven, fridge, sink, plates, utensils, glassware, etc.) and to a bathroom with hot water;
- Must be clean, safe, have electricity, drinkable water and be adequately heated in winter;
- Must be in reasonable proximity to the internship location (max. 45 min public transport from the internship), as calculated by Google Maps or the local transit corporation.
Note that whether or not you are hosting a foreign student, housing will be provided to you by the host country, and there will be no additional costs to pay at this level upon your arrival in the country.
Costs of a Bilateral Exchange
| Participation fees | $365 |
| Refundable deposit (housing fees) | $500 (cashed cheque) |
| Host country fees | – |
| Total | $365 + (refundable $500) |
Unilateral Exchange
Included
- Internship
- Social Program
- Housing and 1 organized meal/day, but they are at the student’s expense
Conditions
Fees must be paid to the host student association to cover accommodation and food upon arrival. These fees vary from country to country (from 100 to 500 euros depending on the country).
Costs of a Unilateral Exchange
| Participation fees | $245 |
| Refundable deposit (housing fees) | – |
| Host country fees | Variable, depending on the host country |
| Total | $245 + host country fees |
You can choose to accept only unilateral internships, only bilateral internships or both (just indicate your choice in the application form). Note, however, that we have more bilateral exchanges than unilateral exchanges.
Application Process
The online application form allows you to apply for clinical, research and immersion internships. For more information on International initiatives internships, please visit the following SCOI section: International Initiatives.
In the form, not only can you choose the type of internship that interests you (research, clinic or international initiative), you can also choose the country that you want. You will have the possibility to apply for as many internships/countries as you want and to put them in order of preference.
Fill out the application form by choosing all the countries and types of internships that interest you and put them in order of preference. The more choices you put, the more likely you are to have an internship. Before choosing a country, carefully read the exchange conditions. If you cannot meet the following requirements, we will not assign you the internship:
Note: Completing the form does not commit you to anything. You will always be able to refuse the offer which will be made to you subsequently.
Please consult our application guide in French or English.
Please see our selection criteria.
Note: When you receive your response, a country is offered to you. You can no longer change your country at this time. If you now decline the offer, you will be placed at the end of the waiting list.
IMPORTANT: IFMSA-Quebec only has a limited number of exchanges to offer to students, due to the low number of exchanges offered to international students by the faculties. You should therefore not expect to have a positive response necessarily. Ideally, you should have a plan B in case you are not assigned to an internship.
If you agree, you will sign an engagement contract with your LEO/LORE and you must pay the required fees.
Note: The student is responsible of the plane ticket. Registration fees can be refunded only if the host country does not respond, does not meet the deadlines it guarantees, or the security situation of the host country warrants a refund. However, if you decide to leave anyway, despite the delay, the costs will not be refunded.
Then, you will choose the cities and departments on the internet through the electronic application that will be provided to you. You will have to choose three cities and four specialties in order of preference among those available.
Then, you will provide the necessary documents specific to each country, if applicable according to the exchange conditions.
The documents are sent to the host country, who confirms the internship and the dates. It is important to note that the host country does not have the obligation to respect your first choices. The country tries to respect, in order of importance, the date, the internship and finally the city.
Note: The date we receive a response varies from country to country. According to the regulations, countries must give a response no later than 8 weeks before the start of the internship.
Finally, you will need to buy your plane ticket (which is not provided by IFMSA).
Have a good internship and have a good trip!
It should be noted that clinical exchanges are only open to students who, before the start of the internship, will have completed their 2nd year of medicine (for Laval University, this corresponds to the 3rd year or to the 2nd year, depending on the path chosen), with the exception of certain countries that offer pre-clinical internships (see exchange conditions). It should be noted that the internship can be carried out up to 6 months after obtaining the MD title for research internships and clinical internships.
Students are also responsible for seeing to the procedures relating to the entry in good standing (visa) in the country they will visit by contacting the consulate or embassy of the country concerned.
Important:
Offers are non-transferable and are valid during the internship period for which the call for applications is made. These offers do not entail any privilege on obtaining an internship for the following period.
Important:
A student who decides to cancel their internship for a personal reason once the engagement contract has been signed (regardless of the reason, for example, not obtaining a visa) will not be able to obtain a refund, nor a refund of registration fees unless the host country does not honour its commitments. It is recommended to print the exchange conditions in order to keep written proof of the conditions under which the student has signed up.
Study of the Applicant’s File
This section lists the information that will be used to calculate the application score.
Please note that depending on the type of exchange for which you are applying (SCOPE or SCORE), as well as the countries you rank first, the number of points can be calculated differently for each of your choices (e.g. being fluent in German will not increase the points for someone applying for an exchange in Brazil).
Please keep in mind that for most criteria, only the involvement during the last 2 years will be taken into account (after October 2018).
- Involvement in the exchanges committees (48%)
- Vice-President of Exchanges, Exchange Director, NEO/NORE
- LEO/LORE
- Contact person
- Finding a research project in Quebec for an incoming (please contact the NOREs)
- Member of the Social Program Committee
- Involvement in IFMSA-Qc (20%)
- Position within IFMSA-Qc (other than the Exchanges committee)
- Organizing an IFMSA-Qc event such as a GA or the SRT
- Attending an IFMSA-Qc event such as a GA or the SRT
- Your answer to the following question (20%)
- What personal objectives would you want to achieve during your IFMSA exchange?
- Language (12%): use Appendix C of the application guide
- English level (or French if applying for a French-speaking country)
- Language level for the language of the country
- Negative points
- We will pay attention to elements such as respecting deadlines, providing valid information, cancelling previous exchanges, or lacking in professionalism. We reserve ourselves the right to deduct up to -20% per infraction for any behaviour that negatively impacts the organization of the exchanges.
- If you have already completed a SCORE exchange, you will have less chance of obtaining a second SCORE exchange. Similarly, if you have already completed a SCOPE exchange, you will have less chance of obtaining a second SCOPE exchange (-20% per exchange). We aim to offer equal exchange opportunities to as many students as possible.
Pre-Departure Training
A pre-departure training will be organized in February or March. The training is mandatory for all students doing a clinical or research exchange, so if you are selected for an internship, you will be required to attend it. The pre-departure training is a training day that will cover several subjects such as interculturalism, ethics, and the functioning of IFMSA internships internationally.
Student Engagement
- Respect the exchange conditions of the host countries.
- Pay the required fees.
- Participate in pre-departure training.
- Complete the internship obtained.
- Complete an evaluation form upon return from the internship.
To Have Your Internship Credited
It is possible to have internships done abroad credited. The faculties recognize IFMSA internships. You have to take the necessary steps yourself. Please consult those responsible for more details.
Cultural Differences and Languages
You have to expect a change of scenery, both cultural and medical. You also have to be flexible and understanding, realizing that everything depends on medical students. We really need to make sure our expectations match what the host country can offer, quickly alerting those responsible to what may be contentious. When it comes to languages, you can expect your supervisor to speak English in most cases, but you shouldn’t expect every conversation to be fully translated. Speaking the local language is not required, except in some countries, but you should be aware of the limitations this can cause.