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Education at The Wesley Hospital
The UnitingCare Clinical School offers medical students the opportunity to learn from and gain practical experience with Queensland’s leading medical specialists at The Wesley Hospital, and other UnitingCare private hospital campuses.
Practical experience and on-the-job teaching play an important role in preparing medical students for their career post-medical school. It gives you a much greater understanding of the day-to-day operations of a leading private hospital and your critical role in delivering exceptional patient care.
We offer around 350 student placements per year across our four UnitingCare hospital campuses:
- The Wesley Hospital (Brisbane).
- St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital (Brisbane).
- Buderim Private Hospital (Sunshine Coast).
- St Stephen’s Hospital (Hervey Bay).
Meet the Clinical Leadership Team
Our experienced Clinical Leadership team have a passion for education.
Medical student elective placements
Elective placements are supervised and clinically based allocations. Students are expected to engage in patient care and clinical activities while under the direct supervision of hospital staff. There will be many opportunities for you to practise assessing patients, and participate in ward rounds and theatre, depending on your allocated placement. Due to this hands-on experience, students will develop a much greater understanding of how different hospital functions and roles work together to deliver exceptional patient care.
UnitingCare Clinical School accepts elective applications from medical students only.
Medical students gain access to placements in a wide range of medical and surgical disciplines. Please note that every effort is made to accommodate first preferences where possible.
Clinical placements are available in the following disciplines:
- General medicine.
- All surgical specialties (except for transplants).
- Obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Paediatrics.
- Cardiology.
- Anaesthetics.
- Orthopaedics.
- Oncology.
- Haematology.
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU)*.
- Emergency Centre (EC)*.
*Not available to first-year students/observers.
The placements are available for electives only and are not to be considered as an intricate assessed placement. UnitingCare Clinical School may extend opportunities for visiting students to attend tutorials but will not provide summative assessment or formal teaching sessions for your approved elective placement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Be sure to read our frequently asked questions if you have any queries.
Why do your elective placement with us?
- Opportunities to work with some of Queensland’s leading medical specialists.
- Experience in a private hospital setting: Our hospitals are some of Queensland’s largest, and are well-reputed private hospitals.
- Exposure to a varied case mix: The hospitals have a range of specialties, including Cardiology, Cardiac Catheter Theatres, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Intensive Care, Emergency Centre, Endoscopy Unit, Medical / Neurosciences Unit, General Surgery Unit, Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, same-day surgery, and Rehabilitation.
- Locations: Two inner-city locations plus two Queensland coastal communities making UnitingCare Clinical School a great option for clinical placements.
- The students love it: Read about the experiences of students who have completed a placement with UnitingCare Clinical School below.
What our students say
Marta Martin Munoz
Thanks to The Wesley Hospital for providing me with this amazing opportunity and thanks to all the doctors who have made my stay more pleasant. I have been very comfortable in the theatres and learned a lot! I’ve really enjoyed every second of this placement and would, without a doubt, recommend students undertaking their elective here! All the best and muchas gracias!
Dominic Gilliand, Switzerland
I studied at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. I’ve had a great time here at The Wesley Hospital. You have all been extremely welcoming, helpful and genuinely nice to me as an international student, which has allowed me to integrate quickly and feel comfortable around the hospital and towards my peer students. I highly appreciated this and will keep this experience as a very memorable one for me! Thank you!
Anthony Kiosoglous, Cyprus
I’m a fifth-year medical student from the European University Cyprus School of Medicine. I choose to come to UnitingCare Clinical School to experience both the Australian private healthcare system and be amongst specialist surgeons and clinical staff. From the first day I was welcomed with an organised program and immediately I felt a part of the clinical team whilst seeing all aspects of patient care pathways. I’d recommend anyone with a willingness to learn to apply for a clinical elective in their chosen specialty. For me I chose orthopaedics as I’m an aspiring surgeon with little experience in this field. The surgeons are willing to teach and allow you to actively participate in ward rounds theatre and tutorials.
Carmen Arquero Dominguez, Spain
Having had the opportunity to attend both surgeries and tutorials at The Wesley Hospital has been an absolute dream. The placement has been an amazing way to broaden my horizons. It has strengthened my resolve to pursue this career no matter where I am in the world. Overall, I am grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, which would not have been possible without the help of the school staff and kindness and patience of all the doctors.
Apply now
If you have any questions or general enquiries, please see our Frequently Asked Questions. If you’re interested in a clinical placement at The Wesley Hospital, please complete the form below to begin the process. You will need to provide at least 12 weeks’ notice prior to commencement of your placement.
Please note: Successful candidates will be required to submit legal documents as required and undertake the UnitingCare Clinical School orientation program. Non-refundable enquiry and placement fees are payable and UCCS cannot guarantee the availability of clinical placements.