Information for participants in IFMSA-medical electives

What you need to know when you want to spend some time abroad on a medical elective.

Medical malpractice insurance

Many universities, university hospitals, and clinics have regulations defining which kind of insurance you need to have as a medical elective participant. If you travel abroad through a state-funded program, or are from a country which provides a relatively comprehensive level of student health care, insurance cover may already be partially included in the program.

There is often no provision for a medical malpractice component.

Some universities require that you get health insurance through their provider, making the decision process even more difficult when the university doesn’t also offer important insurance components as accident cover or medical emergency assistance.

So you’ve gone to all the trouble of researching the right elective for your chosen career and finding the right partners, only to discover that they have tricky insurance requirements – and they can’t point you in the right direction. We get it, it can be very frustrating!

That’s why IFMSA and DR-WALTER have teamed up to offer a comprehensive medical malpractice insurance solution based on travel health insurance, with an optional travel accident insurance, travel emergency assistance, personal liability insurance, and baggage insurance.

You get a comprehensive insurance solution, without the endless research. So you can focus on your studies.

You can rest assured that as long as your chosen elective is supervised by a qualified medical practitioner, and your elective is within your specific field of study, your activities are covered.

What is required to qualify for the medical malpractice cover

You can be insured for medical malpractice during your elective through PROTRIP-WORLD if you meet the following requirements:

You are not older than 69 years at the beginning of the insurance.
You are affiliated with an IFMSA-recognized association and part of your stay abroad is related to an IFMSA recognized elective outside of your home country.
The insurance policy is purchased prior to departure for the entire duration of the stay abroad or after departure for the remaining period of the stay abroad. Please notice our information about the waiting period if you apply for insurance after crossing the border.

Important: Please make sure to conclude the combination of PROTRIP-WORLD health insurance and the Plus Package, including personal liability and intern liability insurance, accident, baggage and assistance insurance. Only the combination covers you adequately during your medical elective.

How to get the medical malpractice cover?

You can purchase the policy quickly and easily online. In order to be covered for the medical malpractice component, you will need to purchase both the PROTRIP-WORLD health insurance and the additional Complete Package including personal liability and intern liability insurance, accident, baggage and assistance insurance.

You will immediately receive your insurance certificate as a .pdf document upon payment.

Purchase the medical malpractice cover PROTRIP-WORLD online

Prior to your stay abroad

We recommend that you ask your future university which kind of insurance you are required to have during your elective. It is vital though that you should never travel abroad without having proper international health insurance. Make sure to purchase insurance in time. Should the stay abroad be postponed to a later date, you can always adjust the insurance period respectively. In this case, all you need to do is send us an email prior to the planned day of departure. Where you notify us after the originally planned day of departure, you need to provide us with proof (passport copy or ticket).
Start of insurance

Insurance cover is provided for the period mentioned in the insurance certificate. Where application and payment take place prior to the start of the journey, insurance cover begins when the insured person leaves their home country. There is no insurance cover for claims which occurred before the beginning of the insurance.

Where application and payment take place after the start of the journey, insurance cover begins on the date we receive your application and premium payment. There is no insurance cover for claims which occurred before application and payment. Please also have a look at our information about the waiting period if you apply for insurance after crossing the border.
During your stay abroad

Should you need medical treatment during your stay abroad, we will be happy to assist you. You will also find all the details in our section what to do in the event of a claim. PROTRIP-WORLD is valid in the area of validity of your choice (Europe, worldwide without USA and Canada, worldwide incl. USA and Canada).
End of insurance

Insurance ends automatically on the agreed date. Insurance cover ends on the same date, but not later than at the end of the stay abroad. Where a return journey at the end of insurance is not possible for medical reasons, the insurer’s liability to pay extends to the date where a return journey becomes possible.
After your stay abroad

You should always keep your insurance certificate since the authorities in a number of home countries require proof of insurance for the time spent abroad.