Medical ELECTIVES; Necessary or Accessory???

Elective is a term used for an academic course chosen by the student from a set of options, as opposed to a required course. In other words
It is a period of medical study conducted away from the student's home medical school.
In strict sense Medical ELECTIVES are not necessary, they are offered by a no. of hospitels and medical institutes to increase the practical knowledge of the medical students. But they have really a great importance because they allow one to improve the clinical skills by learning modern techniques used in medical science, the way of history taking and proper diagnosis. Most of the medical institutes offer electives for 3rd and 4th prof (final year) students, because in these years medical students have the required basic knowledge reagarding the clinical skills and a bit of clinical exposure that helps them to learn more advanced techniques and methods. But some of the medical institutes like Agha Khan University also offer the electives in basic subjects e.g. Anatomy, Pathology, Physiology e.t.c.

In good and reputated hospitels/institutes there are particular fixed seats in each ward or department for medical students to do elective. In these institutes students are provided with a senior doctor or PG to teach them. In this way it apparently becomes more easy and interesting for each student to learn under the patronage of a qualified doctor. When one is doing elective he/she is free to take history and diagnose a patient (under the supervision of a senior doctor) without having any responsibility for any mistake or error, because of his/her student status. So, it makes electives a better way to increase the experience and see various types of complications, with whom one may deal in not-so-far future.

In short, though Medical Electives not being compulsory academically, but are very necessary to develop medical skills, by having an exposure to latest equipments and techniques used in medical science and the best thing, learning the practical way of history taking and clinical diagnosis.

Though one can apply for elective in nearly all hospitels but some of the well known medical institutes that offer electives in pakistan are

1. Agha Khan University Karachi
2. SIUT Karachi
3. Al-Shifa international Hospitel Islamabad
4. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Lahore
5. The Kidney centre Karachi
6. JPMC Karachi
7. LNMC Karachi