Clinical electives: the challenges and benefits of student choice

Traditionally, students have not had the opportunity to exercise choice over the specialty and location of their clinical placements. This is now changing but it requires the wholehearted commitment of students, their lecturers and all those in the institutions concerned. The innovation has to sit coherently within the largely externally prescribed curricula approved by the National Boards, the professional arm of conjoint validation processes. The challenges are many, but the benefits can be immeasurable. This article describes the experiences of one university in managing and planning these initiatives and examines students' responses to them. Significant questions are raised about developments for the future.