How It Works

Registration

Applying for one of our programs is simple. Just click Apply Now and fill out our online application form. You don’t have to pay everything up front - at this stage we just need your registration fee of $450, which covers processing of your application, access to our pre-departure support services (see below) and secures your place on the program.

Once we receive your application, we’ll give you call to talk through a few details. Our programs do fill up early, especially at busy times of year such as May-September, so if we don’t have space on the exact dates you want we’ll offer you alternative destinations and/or dates straight away. If we can’t find a placement you’re happy with at this stage, we’ll refund your registration fee in full.

Once we’ve confirmed your placement, the registration fee is non-refundable as it’s used to hold you space on the program (which may mean turning other students away) and gives you immediate access to all our pre-departure services.

Finally, if you’re under 18, we’ll need your parent or guardian to sign a consent form so we know they’re happy for you to go!

Personal, professional support

The small, friendly team at our UK office in Newcastle upon Tyne all have a detailed knowledge of our destinations, partner hospitals and what students want from a pre-health work experience placement. Whether you’re travelling next week or next year, wondering whether you can see orthopaedic surgery in Thailand or your mom’s worried who will be meeting you at the airport – we’re here and happy to help.

Your online trip planner

The small, friendly team at our UK office in Newcastle upon Tyne all have a detailed knowledge of our destinations, partner hospitals and what students want from a work experience placement. Whether you’re travelling next week or next year, wondering whether you can see orthopaedic surgery in Thailand or your mom’s worried who will be meeting you at the airport – we’re here and happy to help.

Connect with other students

The Gap Medics Facebook page is a great way to see and chat to other students who you’ll be living and working with. Lots of students also use the page to talk to others who are travelling out at the same time to coordinate getting the same flight or meeting up at the airport.

We don’t give out contact details of students on our programs for obvious reasons of protecting privacy, so the Facebook page is a useful way to opt yourself in to conversations people are having and meet the people you’ll be sharing the experience with.

Flights, insurance & visas

We don’t include flights in our package because students join us from all over the world not only the USA (so start their journeys from lots of different places) and because flight prices vary hugely depending on how far in advance you book and the route/airline you choose. However, we’ll give you full details of where and when you need to arrive and we’ll make sure one of our own staff is waiting to meet you at the airport on arrival.

For added convenience, we can recommend travel agents in the USA and various other countries who know us and our destinations well. Bear in mind that deals come and go on a daily basis though, so shopping around (especially online) for flights might get you the best price.

Just as when you go on vacation, you’ll need to take out good personal travel insurance for your trip – and of course, this needs to cover you while working in a hospital (which not all policies do). We’ve teamed up with Endsleigh to offer a policy designed specifically for our students on hospital placements, which is available to buy online through My Trip.

For some destinations, you’ll need a visa and/or permit to undertake a hospital placement. You’ll get full details about what’s needed and how to apply through My Trip, and as always staff in our UK office are there to help if you have any questions.

Health preparations

Travelling overseas, especially to tropical regions, does carry some health risks and being prepared for your trip with the right vaccinations etc is very important. As soon as your placement is confirmed, you’ll have free access to the services of InterHealth - a specialist London-based medical charity that provides healthcare and support to many of the major international agencies involved in humanitarian relief and poverty reduction around the world.

You’ll receive comprehensive online advice on vaccinations and medications that are generally recommended for the type of placement and destination you’re going to, and have free access to InterHealth travel doctors and nurses over the phone.

We also strongly recommend that you arrange a personal consultation with your family doctor or travel nurse a couple of months before your trip. This is important as some vaccinations and medications recommended for prevention of diseases such as malaria can be unsuitable for certain people; There is no substitute for personal advice from a suitably qualified medical professional.

Hospital & house details

About four weeks before you travel, we’ll provide full details of the hospital and departments you’ll be working in, your placement mentors, the house in which you’ll be living and other students who will be there at the same time – all via My Trip.

The reason we don’t provide this level of detail earlier is simply that things can change: Doctors and nurses change departments, so if we assigned your mentors months in advance they might have changed by the time you arrive. We also quite often get students booking placements last minute, which can mean we make small changes to ensure the programme runs smoothly and everyone gets the best possible experience.

When you arrive

As long as you’ve given us your correct flight details in advance, one of our own staff will be at the airport to meet you when you land and take you to the Gap Medics house. You’ll then have some time to freshen up, meet your housemates and settle in before your welcome briefing.

The welcome briefing is very much an informal chat, during which the Program Manager will run you through how everything works at the house and on placement, things to do in your free time and staying safe in the local area. It’s a good chance to get to know the Programme Manager as the person to go to if you have any problems during your stay, and meet the rest of the Gap Medics in-country staff team.

After a good dinner and a night’s sleep, one of our staff will take you into the hospital on Monday morning to meet your first mentor and jump right into your placement. You’ll have a fairly early finish the first day so that we can take you out for your local orientation during the afternoon. This is an opportunity to get to know the local transport systems, Internet cafes, ATM's and just about anything else you want to know – if there’s anything we don’t cover, just ask!