Frequently Asked Questions

AF: Application Form
ECs: Exchange Conditions
EF: Evaluation Form
CA: Card of Acceptance
CoD: Card of Documents
CC: Card of Confirmation
IL: Invitation Letter
PDT: PreDeparture Training
PET: PreExchange Training
IFMSA: International Federation of Medical Students Associations
LC: Local Committee
LEO: Local Exchange Officer
LORE: Local Officer on Research Exchange
NEO: National Exchange Officer
NORE: National Officer on Research Exchange
SCOPE: Standing Committee on Professional Exchange
SCORE: Standing Committee on Research Exchange
NMO: National Member Organization: (sending NMO: the NMO where you come from, responsible for the outgoings selection process – hosting NMO: the NMO which is responsible for organizing the and hosting the international student)

AF (Application Form): The form students should fill in ifmsa.org to send to the hosting country. It contains all of their personal information as well as desired cities and departments / projects.
ECs (Exchange Conditions): Conditions of the hosting organizations under which they would accept students on exchange.
EF (Evaluation Form): Form students should fill in ifmsa.org starting from the third week of their exchange to evaluate the experience they had. It is mandatory to get the certificate.
CA (Card of Acceptance): Form that is sent on ifmsa.org to the students after they have been accepted. It contains the period, city and department or project of the exchange. It should be sent at the latest 8 weeks before the desired start date.
CoD (Card of Documents): Documents that students have to upload in ifmsa.org in order to get accepted in their exchange.
CC (Card of Confirmation): Form that students send on ifmsa.org to their hosting organization in order to confirm their exchange. It contains their arrival details information. It should be sent at the latest 4 weeks before the desired start date.
IL (Invitation Letter): Invitation letter that is sent to the students before their exchange by the hosting organization, to help with the visa for instance.
PDT (PreDeparture Training): A workshop organized for the students in SCOPE by their sending organization before their exchange to prepare them for the experience they are about to have.
PET (PreExchange Training): A workshop organized for the students in SCORE by their sending organization before their exchange to prepare them for the experience they are about to have
LC (Local Committee): Local organization that is organizing the exchanges in the university or city.
LEO (Local Exchange Officer): Responsible officer in the Local Committee for the Professional Exchanges (SCOPE)
LORE (Local Officer on Research Exchange): Responsible officer in the Local Committee for the Research Exchanges (SCORE)
NEO (National Exchange Officer): Responsible officer in the country for the Professional Exchanges (SCOPE)
NORE (National Officer on Research Exchange): Responsible officer in the country for the Research Exchanges (SCORE)
SCOPE: Standing Committee on Professional Exchange
SCORE: Standing Committee on Research Exchange
Outgoings: Students who are sent on exchange somewhere.
Incomings: Students who are received on exchange somewhere.
Sending NMO: The National Member Organization where you come from, responsible for the outgoings selection process.
Hosting NMO: The National Member Organization which is responsible for organizing the clerkship and hosting the international student.

The aim of SCOPE is to promote cultural understanding and co-operation amongst medical students and all health professionals, through the facilitation of international student exchanges. The Exchange Programme offers students unique educational and cultural experience in addition to the regular medical curriculum. It also helps to broaden the students understanding of medical and social conditions in different countries.

The aim of a clerkship is NOT:

• To provide an opportunity for the purpose of earning money
• A cheap holiday
• Intended to be a permanent career placement or recruitment opportunity in another country
• A means for any person to permanently leave their country and territory

Participation in the IFMSA Professional Exchange Program is open to medical students from any of our National Member Organizations. If you would like to apply for the IFMSA Professional Exchange Program, you must apply through your National Member Organizations. If you are from a country where IFMSA is already represented, you should contact our representative in your country. Please contact the Local or National Exchange Officer who will provide you with all necessary information of how to apply for IFMSA Professional Exchange Programme.

If your country is not an IFMSA member, maybe you want to be the first one to create a medical students organizations and apply for IFMSA membership?

In that case contact us at [email protected] and you will be informed on the procedures for becoming an IFMSA member and starting SCOPE Exchanges in your country.

There are two types of clerkships offered in SCOPE:

• A pre-clinical Clerkship: is defined as the rotation of a student in a preclinical department at a Medical Faculty/School or Hospital (e.g. Biochemistry, Anatomy).
• A Clinical Clerkship: is defined as the rotation of a student in a clinical department of a hospital or clinic, or at the office of a general practitioner. (e.g. Dermatology, Pneumology).

Besides that, clerkships are based on BILATERAL and UNILATERAL agreements of National Member organizations.

• Bilateral contract: Two students are exchanged, but not necessarily at the same time or in the same university. The student going on exchange pays the bilateral fees to his own student organization, who then uses that money to accept the student from the other country free of charge and vice-versa, to make sure students are not limited by their financial resources to have international exchange opportunities all around the world. Bilateral exchanges are the basis of the IFMSA exchange Programme.
• Unilateral contract: an NMO sends or hosts a student without a form of reciprocity from the other NMO. Student should pay all expenses to the host organization.

Clerkships are based on BILATERAL and UNILATERAL agreements of National Member organizations.

• Bilateral contract: Two students are exchanged, but not necessarily at the same time or in the same university. The student going on exchange pays the bilateral fees to his own student organization, who then uses that money to accept the student from the other country free of charge and vice-versa, to make sure students are not limited by their financial resources to have international exchange opportunities all around the world. Bilateral exchanges are the basis of the IFMSA exchange Programme.
• Unilateral contract: an NMO sends or hosts a student without a form of reciprocity from the other NMO. Student should pay all expenses to the host organization.

The duration of a clerkship is four weeks.

Clerkships are given in English or in the language of the hosting country. The Exchange student has to show adequate knowledge of English language or the native language of the hosting country or the language agreed upon in order to carry out the clerkship, otherwise he/she can be refused in the host country and excluded from the Exchange Program

Academic recognition is available for clerkships varying from country to country. Check it with your university or your Local Exchange Officer (LEO).

Clerkships and Research Exchanges are purely educational for the student and he/she will not receive a salary for it.

Each student organization is developing its own Exchange Conditions to accept foreign students. Please check the Exchange Conditions here for SCOPE?(Professional Exchange)?or here for SCORE (Research Exchange).

During the clerkship, students will live cheek to cheek with foreign medical students, he/she will deal with a different health care system, and will learn from foreign tutors.
Students will meet a doctor at the desired department who, later, acts as your mentor. Depending on the level of the student’s knowledge, he/she can participate in daily health care delivery. Get involved in an IFMSA Professional Exchange Program and be sure you will gain unforgettable experience.

Clerkships can be offered in all clinical and preclinical fields of medicine. Please check the Exchange conditions of your desired country.

Please contact your Local/National Exchange Officer (LEO/NEO or LORE/NORE) in your university who will inform you about the deadlines and the application procedure. You can also read the available periods and the requirements for a clerkship in the exchange conditions of your desired country (Here for a Professional Exchange or Here for a Research Exchange).

Please contact your LEO/LORE from your sending local committee if you have any questions or concerns.

Every hosting Local Committee must provide all its incoming students with:

• Lodging free of charge (either in a student flat, or in a student hostel, or in a host family),
• At least 1 meal per working day (lunch/dinner) or its equivalent amount of money,
• Basic means of comfort related to the living conditions
• A professional clerkship with access to a pre-clinical or clinical department OR A research exchange with access to a research project.

If the hosting Local Committee is unable to provide a professional clerkship for any reason, it must offer an alternative program. Each Local Committee can also offer more services (e.g. a social program), which are usually mentioned in the Exchange Conditions or in the Card of Acceptance.

Proof of health insurance must be provided before the student can start his/her exchange. Some countries or Local Committees also require additional insurances (e.g. malpractice, liability, accident); in this case all the information related to additional insurances will be provided by your hosting Local Committee. The Exchangee is responsible for his/her own health/liability insurance. The insurance has to be arranged by the Exchangee before leaving his/her country. The Exchangee is responsible for paying any costs in case of illness or accident.

Contact your LEO/NEO or LORE/NORE to check if this possibility is available in your Local Committee.

It is not possible to take part to Professional Exchanges if your country is not an IFMSA member and not SCOPE active. We are currently working on making our exchanges more accessible to all medical students around the world. Please check IFMSA website regularly to see if there is any news.

No, SCOPE Exchanges are limited to medical students.

As for SCORE: Depending on the Local Committee, and the Research, some Research Exchanges take non – medical students, however they have to be in the medical field (Biomedical Students, Pre-med students and at times, Graduated medical Students). Non-medical students need to check the Exchange Conditions of the hosting NMO.

Ask your LEO/LORE and check the Exchange Conditions of the NMOs you are interested in.

The Exchange conditions should be read and understood before applying!

You can find them here: link

The aim of SCORE is to promote cultural understanding and co-operation amongst medical students and all health researchs, through the facilitation of international student exchanges. The Exchange Programme offers students unique educational and cultural experience in addition to the regular medical curriculum. It also helps to broaden the students understanding of medical and social conditions in different countries.

The aim of the exchange is NOT:

• To provide an opportunity for the purpose of earning money
• A cheap holiday
• Intended to be a permanent career placement or recruitment opportunity in another country
• A means for any person to permanently leave their country and territory

Participation in the IFMSA Research Exchange Program is open to medical students from any of our National Member Organizations. If you would like to apply for the IFMSA Research Exchange Program, you must apply through your National Member Organizations. If you are from a country where IFMSA is already represented, you should contact our representative in your country. Please contact the Local or National Officer on Research Exchange who will provide you with all necessary information of how to apply for IFMSA Research Exchange Program.

If your country is not an IFMSA member, maybe you want to be the first one to create a medical students organizations and apply for IFMSA membership?

In that case contact us at [email protected] and you will be informed on the procedures for becoming an IFMSA member and starting SCORE Exchanges in your country.

There are four types of researches offered in SCORE:

1. Basic Science (Eg. Biochemistry, Anatomy, etc.)
2. Clinical Project With Labwork (Eg. Microbiology Labs, Pathology labs, Biochemistry Labs etc)
3. Clinical Project without Labwork
4. Global Action Project (GAP)

Besides that, research exchanges are based on BILATERAL and UNILATERAL agreements of National Member organizations.

• Bilateral contract: Two students are exchanged, but not necessarily at the same time or in the same university. The student going on exchange pays the bilateral fees to his own student organization, who then uses that money to accept the student from the other country free of charge and vice-versa, to make sure students are not limited by their financial resources to have international exchange opportunities all around the world. Bilateral exchanges are the basis of the IFMSA exchange Program.
• Unilateral contract😕 an NMO sends or hosts a student without a form of reciprocity from the other NMO. The student should pay all expenses to the host organization.

The duration of a research exchange is usually four weeks, though for some projects also a duration of 8 weeks is possible.

Academic recognition is available for research exchanges varying from country to country. Check it with your university or your Local Officer on Research Exchange.

Research Exchanges are given in English or in the language of the hosting country. The Exchange student has to show adequate knowledge of English language or the native language of the hosting country or the language agreed upon in order to carry out the research exchange, otherwise he/she can be refused in the host country and excluded from the Exchange Program.

Normally you cannot, but if there is a mistake that need to be rectified, tell your LEO/LORE as soon as possible.

You will get all the information about which Local Committee you have been placed in and during which period, in your Card of Acceptance in the Database.
Make sure to check it and to check your email often. It is supposed to be sent about 8 weeks before the exchange begins, unless a different period is specified in the Exchange Conditions of the hosting NMO.

The Card of Acceptance (CA) is an electronic document which contains all the main information about your exchange, including the LC and the department/project you have been placed in, the accepted start and end date of your exchange, boarding (and pocket money in case it is provided by the hosting LC), lodging and the names and contacts of your Contact Persons. You can have access to your CA by logging into the database with your student account.

The deadline for receiving the Card of Acceptance is 8 weeks prior to the beginning of the exchange, unless a different time is specified in the Exchange Conditions of the hosting NMO.

The Invitation Letter is automatically ready when you receive the CA. You can download it from your student panel under Invitation Letter. The letter will be available only if you selected yes for an invitation letter in the AF previously. If you require a different invitation letter, you can ask your LEO/NEO or LORE/NORE for that to be arranged with the hosting NMO.

Check the Exchange Conditions of your hosting NMO and see if the deadline for receiving your CA (8 weeks usually) has passed. If the deadline has not passed yet, wait until it expires. If the deadline already passed, contact your LEO/LORE as soon as possible. He/she will contact your NEO/NORE, who will contact the hosting NMO for clarifications. Remember that you do not have the right to contact your sending NEO/NORE or the hosting LEO/NEO or LORE/NORE before receiving the Card of Acceptance.

IFMSA cannot officially suggest you an insurance company, however you can ask previous outgoing students or your LEO/LORE (both the sending LEO/LORE and the hosting one, after receiving the card of acceptance) if they know or have experience with a company which fits your needs and the ones of the hosting NMO.

Inform your LEO/LORE and everyone else you have been in touch with (Contact Person, hosting LEO/LORE) as soon as possible.

Inform your LEO/LORE and everyone else you have been in touch with (Contact Person, hosting LEO) as soon as possible.
Check Exchange Conditions of your hosting NMO for information about possibility of substitution. Remember substitution has to be approved by NEO/NORE from hosting NMO and substitute student has to fulfill the same conditions as you.

No. Usually if you cancel your exchange, you will not be refunded as that money need to be used to host a foreign student. However, try to contact your LEO/LORE for confirmation. This rule is different from one NMO/LC to another, and in some cases or situations, you can get your money back.

Usually the student gets his money back if the exchange was cancelled by the hosting NMO, due to no fault of the student. Try to contact your LEO/LORE as soon as possible if that happens, to know what steps to follow.

Try to ask your LEO/LORE, who will contact the NEO/NORE, who will then contact the hosting NMO to check if your request is acceptable.
Remember that you do not have the right to contact your sending NEO/NORE or the hosting LEO/NEO or LORE/NORE before receiving the Card of Acceptance.

The Pre-Exchange Training (PET)/Pre-Departure Training (PDT) is a training aimed at preparing the outgoing students for the exchange, providing info on the meaning of this experience and on the whole process of exchange

Contact your LEO/LORE who should inform his or her NEO/NORE to get it fixed right away.

According to our regulations, all NMOs are placing students based on desired time period, person with whom the student wants to placed, department and LC. However, final placement of a student may not be matching with desired criteria, thus an NMO can decide not to follow the students preferences for organizational or capacity reasons.

You will find your Contact Persons information in your card of acceptance. Contact him/her via email and let him/her know who you are when you get your CA.

If you dont get an answer, let your LEO/LORE know as soon as possible. They will help you in your contact with your hosting NMO.

Directly after you received your Card of Acceptance. You should always try to get your appointment as early as possible after getting your card of acceptance & Invitation letter.
If the visa procedures takes too much time and 8 weeks might not be enough for you to get your visa, you can always apply before receiving your Card of Acceptance. However, keep in mind that you take a risk as the receival of the Card of Acceptance is the only confirmation for your exchange.

Before you apply, check the visa section in the exchange conditions of the country you are going to here: Link. Otherwise, you should check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website of the hosting country or you could ask the contact person you were assigned to in your CA. However, beware that the IFMSA nor people from your sending National Member Organization are responsible for the visa application process, only you can be held responsible for not getting the right visa.

Sometimes visa procedures are troublesome, therefore we suggest you to contact your LEO/LORE to ask who is better to put as guarantee when applying for your visa.

Usually in this case you need to apply for the visa through an Embassy of another country (which has an Embassy of your hosting NMO) or to apply online. Anyhow, try to ask your LEO/LORE about this issue, as in the past there might have been other students like you, who can help you with all the necessary info. You can also check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website of the hosting country for more information.

Your hosting NMO is responsible for providing Invitation Letter in appropriate form for reaching your visa. Please contact your sending and hosting LEO/LORE or Contact Persons (If you have already received your Card of Acceptance) and describe which requirements are necessary.

Contact your hosting LEO/LORE and your Contact Persons (If you have already received your Card of Acceptance) and explain your situation. In many cases, scanned copy of your Invitation Letter could be used as well as hard copy document. If your Contact Person or LEO/LORE from hosting NMO are not responding, please contact your LEO/LORE from sending NMO.

As you must know, you are responsible for getting your own visa. In this case however, you must inform your LEO/LORE who should inform the NEO/NORE. Try to know why you didn’t get your visa, see if you can fix the problem. Your NEO/NORE will try to get you an official invitation that might help streamline the procedure, if not, inform your LEO/LORE that it is impossible for you to have it and he/she will see what the available options are.

Contact your LEO/LORE from hosting NMO. Based on your situation the hosting NMO will try to find a solution.

You need to fill in an electronic form called the Card of Confirmation. You can have access to the Card of Confirmation by logging into the IFMSA database with your student account.

The Card of Confirmation (CC) is an electronic document part of your student account in the IFMSA database, where you have to add your arrival and departure details, the data of your insurance policy, and the person to contact in case of emergency. You can have access to your CC by logging into the database with your student account.

The deadline for sending the Card of Confirmation is 4 weeks prior to the beginning of the exchange, unless a different time is specified in the ECs of the hosting NMO. Please make sure to respect this deadline, otherwise your exchange might get cancelled.

It is very important to respect the deadlines. If you failed to do that, contact your LEO/LORE immediately. Some NMOs have very strict rules about that, and you might get your exchange cancelled.

Check out the exchange conditions, and contact your Contact Person and the LEO/LORE for any further information.

The exchangee must arrive on the first day of the exchange. If the exchangee doesn’t arrive within 3 days (or as defined in individual NMOs Exchange Conditions), the exchange can no longer be guaranteed. In case of anticipated arrival, please inform your Contact Person/hosting LORE, as the accommodation might not be ready yet; in case the accommodation isnt available, you will have to provide for your own lodging until the exchange starts.

• SCOPE Student Handbook / SCORE Logbook
• Passport
• Copy of your documents or a scanned version online.
• Extra Money (Cash) in case of emergency
• Documents provided by sending National Member Organization -NMO- (if applicable)
• Possible upon arrival documents (if mentioned in Exchange Conditions hosting NMO)
• Possibly; stethoscope, white coat (if mentioned in Exchange Conditions hosting NMO)

The SCOPE Handbook / SCORE Logbook is a booklet that contains a guide to help you reach some learning goals during your exchange. It is meant to enhance the academic quality of the exchange.
The Handbook is given to you before you go on your elective or upon arrival. If you do not receive it, please ask your LEO/LORE.
Fill in your details and throughout your exchange you are required to fill in the tables provided for the related department and skills.
In the section of Learning Experience, write down the cases you have seen as well as any extra skills not mentioned in the checklists. Make sure your hospital supervisor is aware of the handbook and signs it accordingly, as it is mandatory for receiving the certificate.
For SCORE Students, make sure your lab supervisor is aware of the handbook and signs it accordingly, as it is mandatory for receiving the certificate.

According to SCOPE/SCORE Regulations, you will be provided with a place to stay throughout the exchange duration, one meal per working day, and a social program that the hosting NMO will inform you about once you get accepted. So keep in mind to have enough money for extra meals or groceries, for weekends, other activities you wish to do, transport, and souvenirs to take back home. Keep also in mind that the social program is not always free.
The amount of money you can carry varies from a country to another. A good idea is to search for the country’s safety status and ask the contact persons.
You can also try a traveler’s card instead of cash or the usual visas. They are safer and easy to cancel if lost or stolen.

Every hospital/lab/department has its own requirements and working schedule, make sure to check the Exchange Conditions page, and ask your Contact Person for more information.

Every country and each hospital has its own set of rules; make sure to know them before starting your clerkship. More information can be found in the Exchange Conditions or by asking your Contact Person.

The exchangee will receive the certificate only if:

• At least 80% of the exchange duration is attended
• The requirements listed in the Exchange Conditions are fulfilled
• Both the Evaluation Form and the relevant part of the Students Handbook / Logbook are filled out

The Evaluation Form (EF) is a form where you can evaluate your exchange experience. Your evaluation is very important for us, as it provides a basis on which we can try to improve our exchanges. The form is available on the database, by logging in with your students account, after the 21st day of your exchange, and must be filled out if you want to receive your certificate of attendance.

You can find some rules in the Exchange conditions page, and try to ask your contact person or hosting LEO/LORE about the rest.
You MUST RESPECT THE RULES of the hospital/lab, breaking them could cause you to lose your exchange and your exchange could be canceled.

Inform the LEO/LORE, he or she will try to find a solution for that, but sometimes it is not possible due to limited resources to get you a new place to stay in.

Contact the LEO/LORE, he or she will try to help you with that, but you should know that sometimes it has not been possible to get you a place close to the hospital.

Tell your hosting LEO/LORE/Contact Person, he or she will try to find a solution with the staff, or put you in a different department if it is possible.

Try to learn essential words and expressions of the country, and try to stay with staff members in the department that could help you with translation.

Some Local Committees organize night shifts for incomings, or sometimes Professors really appreciate when you ask for these possibilities since it is a sign of true interest. But please ask your LEO first for the possibilities or for common ways of asking your department.

Inform your hosting LEO/LORE, and the department where you’re doing your exchange

Inform your Contact Person and the LEO/LORE and they will try to help you, and use your health insurance if needed.

You are responsible for your own safety, but try to have a lot of information about the city and the region where you are. You can also ask nicely your Contact Person (if available) to accompany you especially during your first days of clerkship/exchange and if you’re going to an unknown place.

Inform the hosting LEO/LORE/Contact Person. Make sure you always respect the requirements for obtaining the certificate even if you leave earlier.

You can always go on your own whenever you like.
You are not obligated to stay with the group except in some situations, you will be informed by the LEO/LORE if you must stay with the group. We always suggest you to inform the hosting LEO/LORE/Contact Person in advance if you want to go on your own, as your hosting LC might have already organized something for you.

IFMSA cannot provide you with the tutors contacts, unless you receive their contacts directly by them during the exchange.

• Always keep a copy of your documents on you or in your room. A scanned version uploaded somewhere (Maybe in your Card of Documents in the database) before your internship is also a good idea.
• Contact your embassy and let them know youve lost the said document to know what ?steps to follow to get back to your country when it is time to do so.