Visiting Electives


The Division of Endocrinology offers 4-week clinical electives consisting of inpatient endocrine consultation service, and outpatient endocrinology clinics. All post-graduate electives arranged for any location within the province of British Columbia by out-of-province medical residents must be processed through the Postgraduate Dean’s office.


Elective requests from within Canada/Canadian citizens
  • Canadian Citizens or Landed Immigrants currently enrolled in a recognized Specialty (Royal College) or Family Practice training program in Canada.
  • Canadian Citizens currently enrolled in a recognized Specialty or Family Practice training program in the U.S.
Elective requests from Outside of Canada
  • Citizens of other countries enrolled in a recognized Family Practice or Specialty training program in their home country who wish the do an elective in the province of British Columbia must obtain a work permit (visa) from Canada Immigration in order to legally do an elective in the province.  The work permit is the responsibility of the resident, not the postgraduate Dean’s Office.  Elective applicants whose prime residency is outside of Canada must apply through the Postgraduate Dean's Office.
  • Applicants should be aware that work permits take some time to process and involve a  physical examination and x-rays on the part of the resident.  U.S.and European  residents are advised to contact the nearest Canadian Consulate to obtain further information or visit the Canada Immigration Website

  • Any individual NOT currently enrolled in a recognised residency training program.
  • Clinical Fellows – please see our Clinical Fellow page for definition of a clinical fellow
  • European medical students doing their “fifth” year

Identify a Preceptor
  • The resident is responsible for arranging the elective with an appropriate preceptor with approval of the Endocrinology Program Director.This can be done by contacting an individual faculty member or the Division of Endocrinology.
Complete an Application
  • Once a preceptor is identified and elective dates have been confirmed and approved by the Program Director, the resident must complete the Application for Elective Form and forward by email or fax to the associate dean’s office a minimum of 8 weeks in advance of  the elective.
  • The postgraduate dean’s office will respond to your email  confirming that your request has been received and instructions on how to apply for temporary registration with the College of Physicians & Surgeons of B.C. (if required)
  • The resident will arrange for the following letters to be forwarded to the Postgraduate Dean’s office:
    1. Letter from home program director indicating that this is an approved elective indicating the dates of the elective.
    2. Letter from preceptor indicating that this is an approved elective and that he/she will be the resident’s supervisor during the specified dates.
Register with the BC College of Physicians
  • ALL ELECTIVE RESIDENTS MUST REGISTER WITH THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA PRIOR TO COMMENCING THEIR ELECTIVE.  Please see instructions on registering with the BC College.
  • Residents will not be allowed to begin their elective until all the paperwork has been completed.  No exceptions!

Application for Elective Form

UBC Residents who wish to arrange an elective in Endocrinology should contact their Program Director. All elective requests must be approved by the Endocrinology Program Director.


Note: Due to limited capacity, the Division of Endocrinology may not be able to accommodate all elective requests. For residents who are scheduled for an elective, please contact the local Endocrinology site director (see teaching locations) at least 30 days prior to the start of the elective to ensure that all arrangements have been finalized.