Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, as long as you are at least 16 on the date you travel. If you are under 18 when you apply, we will also need consent from your parent or guardian.

Yes. Our placements are designed to give an insight into practical healthcare for students prior to clinical training, so they are also suitable for first and second year medics, dentists, nurses and midwives.

Yes. We welcome students from anywhere in the world, provided you are able to obtain the appropriate visa for the placement country.

As long as we have space on the programme, you can go whenever you like. Our programmes run all year round, but spaces at our busiest times (especially July and August) usually get booked up many months in advance.

It’s up to you, but most students do two weeks. Placements are available from one week upwards.

No. If you happen to speak fluent Swahili, Thai, Hindi or Patois that’s brilliant, but we imagine you don’t! Luckily, all of the mentors in our hospitals speak English so you’ll be fine.

It depends where you go and how long for – everything you need to know is on our prices page here. 

No. Students join us from all over the world, so including flights as part of our package wouldn’t be practical. You’re also likely to get the best deal by shopping around online and with travel agents, as airfares can change on an almost daily basis. However, we do have partner travel agents who we can recommend and who know our programmes so can make sure you get to the right place at the right time!

Our prices include your hospital placement, clinical teaching, accommodation, food, airport transfer on arrival, local orientation, in-country support, help with your preparations and your online trip planner. There’s more detail about all of these on our prices page here.

You’ll also need your international flights, personal travel insurance, visa (in some destinations) and personal spending money for things like socialising, travelling at weekends and buying souvenirs. We'll give you all the information you need on budgeting and how to carry your money as part of our pre-departure service and we're more than happy to help you organise flights, insurance etc.

If we cannot provide your placement with the dates and destination you choose, we will offer you the choice of alternatives or a full refund of the registration fee. Once your placement is confirmed, however, the registration fee is not refundable because it is used to hold your place (which could mean turning other students away) and provide all of our pre-departure services.

The registration fee has to be paid at the time of application to secure your place, and the remaining balance is due 60 days before the start of your placement.

For Tanzania, fly into Dar es Salaam.

For India, fly to Delhi and get a connecting flight to Jodhpur. It's worth noting if you search for direct flights to Jodhpur they can be very expensive, so you'll probably get a much better deal booking the connection from Delhi to Jodhpur separately from the international flight (try www.jetairways.com).

For Thailand, fly to Bangkok and get a connecting flight to Chiang Mai. Again, note that if you search for direct flights to Chiang Mai they can be very expensive, so you'll probably get a much better deal booking the connection from Bangkok to Chiang Mai separately from the international flight (try www.airasia.com).

For the Caribbean, fly into Hewanorra International Airport in St Lucia.

Please don't book your flights until after we have confirmed your placement, in case we do not have space on the dates you want to go. Once you're confirmed, we recommend you book your flights 2-3 months before you travel.

Firstly, if you want the best deal, shop around. Talk to travel agents, but also look online (www.skyscanner.net can be good). We do have a partner travel agent in the UK who knows our programmes well and gives a great service - just give us a call or email for details.

Yes. Just as when you go on holiday abroad, you will need personal travel insurance. Having good cover in case you need medical treatment while overseas or even air ambulance evacuation in a serious emergency is important, and you also need to make sure your policy covers you while on placement in a hospital (which many high street travel policies do not). For convenience, we’ve teamed up with Endsleigh to offer a policy that provides an excellent level of cover and is available to buy through My Trip once your placement is confirmed.

Sometimes – it depends where you’re from and which destination you’re going to. If you do need a visa for your placement, we’ll give you all the help we can (including supporting documents if required), but please be aware the issuing of visas is entirely at the discretion of the country you’re visiting and we have no actual control over their decision. If you’re concerned about visa requirements, please give us a call to discuss your particular situation.

As soon as you’re signed up, you’ll have free access to a comprehensive online travel health information service from specialist London-based medical charity InterHeath through My Trip. This has lots of detail about vaccinations and an online store as a convenient place to buy malaria prophylaxis etc, but please remember that advice on specific medications can also be affected by your own medical history and circumstances so it’s very important you also arrange a consultation with your family doctor or travel nurse a month or two in advance of your trip.

The Preparation Information Pack you can download from My Trip once your placement is confirmed includes a suggested packing list for your particular destination. We’re also only a phone call or email away if you have any specific questions about what to take.

Yes. One of our own staff will be waiting at the airport to meet you when you land and take you to the Gap Medics house. We think first impressions are important and never just send a driver or agent to welcome our new guests!

We don't include a transfer back to the airport in our prices because lots of students choose to go travelling after placement and it wouldn't be fair to charge people who aren't going to use the service. However, our local staff will give you all the help you need booking taxis etc to make sure you get to the airport on time.

We do have an optional service for one of our staff to accompany you all the way back to the airport for an additional charge, but this isn't really necessary as the journeys are easy using the help we give you anyway.

Our in-country staff have a great knowledge of popular weekend activities and are always happy to help with planning your free time - but we also encourage students to get a guidebook, go out and explore as part of the adventure!

We do offer a few weekend options, such as wildlife safaris in Tanzania, to buy directly through My Trip to help you experience the very best of the country you're in with an itinerary that fits in seamlessly with your hospital placement.