Guidelines for Away and Foreign Electives (Career Focus Tracks)

General Information

Away electives at non-medical school-affiliated hospitals along with all military electives (coded AWAB), with private physicians (coded AWAC), or those outside the U.S. (coded AWAD) require prior approval from the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs.

Requests for foreign electives (coded AWAD) will not be approved if the U.S. State Department has issued a Travel Warning for the region in question. Furthermore, approval may be rescinded up to three days prior to start date if a travel warning is issued. Travel Warnings are issued by the U.S. State Department to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country potentially dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government’s ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.

For more information please visit U.S. State Department Travel Warnings.

See [How to Arrange Special Projects and Away Electives] in the [How to Use This Catalog] section for enrollment information for away and foreign electives.

Electives in South Texas

The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of South Texas has senior elective positions in primary care in its 38-county region. Affiliated AHEC clinical training sites have been established with various Community/Migrant Health Centers, Family Practice Residency Training Centers, Rural Health Clinics, and private preceptors throughout South Texas. The AHEC will provide transportation reimbursement and appropriate housing for students. For more information, contact the AHEC Program Office at 210-567-7813.

Electives at NIH

Clinical electives are offered at the National Institutes of Health in more than 30 clinical subspecialties. Electives are generally four weeks in length and are given at specific times during the year. However, individual arrangements may be made with the course coordinator or instructor if the student requires it. More information can be obtained by visiting the NIH website.