What can medical students do during clinical placements/ electives?

Hey guys, Im a former nurse and will start medicine this September. I was wondering how involved you can get on placement. For example, when I was a nursing student, I was allowed to insert cannulas, make up and run IVs, take blood, etc etc.
As a medical student, what can I do on placement/elective? Ive been reading up on elective placements abroad, some unis abroad state in their elective terms and conditions that international students are only there for an "observationship." However, my unis specifications for the elective placement state that students must be able to assess patients, surely this would be more than observing? (I know, Ive havent even started my course and Im already looking stuff up nearer the end of my course lol)

Congrats on your offer. Clinical placement as part of your medical degree is different to your elective. Clinical placements involve observing practising doctors in that specialty in different settings e.g. on the ward, clinics, theatres, procedure lists, etc. It's not just limited to observation however and probably the most important skill which medical students will learn is clerking a patient i.e. the history, examination, thinking about which investigations to request, and coming up with a management plan and then presenting to a senior.

It's also good to get involved in the admin side of being a junior doctor as the course goes on e.g. helping to write in the notes on the ward round. There will be clinical skills which you will need to be signed off for too e.g. venepuncture, cannulae, ABGs, catheters etc.

Electives are variable. For a start, there's no requirement to go aborad and indeed many students stay in the UK, some even at their med school. If you do go abroad, how much or how little you are allowed to do will probably depend on what it's like when you get there and you can discuss that with whoever is supervising you during your elective. There are guidelines for UK students and doctors abroad re staying within the limits of safe and ethical practice, and I'm sure your medical school will make you aware of these closer to the time.

thank you for your reply! Thats helped clear some of my queries. Im wanting to do my elective in Thailand as thats my ethnic background. However, fulfilling my unis specification for elective is my main priority. Will shall see what happens, Ive still got 4 years to decide whether to go abroad or not.