oliviagirard (Student) Has anyone done an international elective through AUA? Trying to figure out if credits actually transfer back cleanly or if it becomes an administrative headache.
brians (Student) Adding to oliviagirard (Student) point. I did a four-week elective at a hospital in India through an external program. AUA approved it but the paperwork took almost three months from start to finish. Start early if you're planning this.
iyerr (Student) Agree with brians (Student) on this. I looked into doing something in the UK but the visa process for clinical attachments there is complicated for non-EU students. Canada was more straightforward and a few AUA students had done electives in Ontario successfully.
dandre (Alumni) Letters of recommendation from international attendings are a mixed bag for US residency applications. Some program directors value the international exposure. Others don't know how to evaluate a letter from a hospital they've never heard of. Probably comes down to your specialty.
kenneth_menon (Student) From what I was told you need Step 1 passed before most international electives will even consider your application. Some also want Step 2 CK done or close to it.
dcampbell (Student) The main reason to do an international elective in my opinion is genuine interest in global health, not to bulk up your CV. Program directors can usually tell when someone's just collecting stamps.
richard_rivera (Student) If you're serious about global health as a focus for your career then an international elective makes total sense and can genuinely strengthen your application for programs with that emphasis. Otherwise a strong domestic rotation at a teaching hospital probably serves you better.
