Advance your career
Exchange Programme (EP)
The ESAIC Exchange Programme facilitates European medical professionals’ access to top training centres for advanced learning in anaesthesiology, intensive care, and pain medicine, enhancing skills to benefit their home centres.
ESAIC Exchange Programme Application
Applicant must be an ESAIC Active/Trainee Member actively working in Europe (as defined by the World Health Organisation) at the time of the deadline.
Applicant must be resident or specialist.
Resident/Young Specialist – no less than a 3rd-year Trainee and young specialist in their first 5 years.
Specialist – no less than a 4th-year Specialist or more senior.
- Please check the Application Guide and Checklist before you apply using the Application Form. The Guide and Checklist have been specially designed to help your application process and contain essential information.
- The application implies the upload of supporting documents* which can support your candidature and the matching with your preferred centres. Some countries (i.e. UK, Ireland and Spain) might require additional paperwork (unrelated to the ESAIC application). You might therefore consider this aspect when applying.
- Selected applicants will be required to write a written report describing their experience upon completion of the training period, within 1 month after finishing the training.
Host Centres
University Medical Center of the Technical University Munich
Munich, Germany
German (C1) | Observership training and Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists, and Specialists | All year
Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia
Valencia, Spain
English (B2) Spanish (> A2) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year (except August)
St George’s Hospital
UK
English | Simulation | Specialists | All year
Barts Heart Centre
UK
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | May-July, August-November
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
UK
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year
Koç University Medical Faculty Hospital
Istanbul, Turkey
English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
Marmara University Research and Educational Hospital
Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish and English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year
Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
English/Dutch (Recommended) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists| from February to May, October and November
Clinica Universidad de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | from March to May and from October to November
IMSKE Hospital
Valencia, Spain
English (B2) Spanish (> A2) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
English/Spanish (> A2) | Observership training Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | from Febraury to June and from September to November
Hospital Universitari Bellvitge
Barcelona, Spain
English/Spanish | Observership training Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
University Medical Centre Ljubljana
Ljubljana, Slovenia
English, German, Sloavenian | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
Unidade Local de Saúde de Santo Antonio
Porto, Portugal
English (B2) | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists | from January ti June, from October to December
Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics
Kaunas, Lithuania
English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year
Policlinico Riuniti
Foggia, Italy
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year (expect July, August and December)
University of Insubria
Varese, Italy
English/Italian | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | from February to June and from September to November
San Raffaele Hospital
Milan, Italy
English/Italian (Recommended) | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year (except June-August)
Ospedale Policlinico San Martino
Genova, Italy
English/Italian | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year (except May and October)
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
Tel Aviv, Israel
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year
Shaare Zedek Med Center
Jerusalem, Israel
English (B2-C2) | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year (except May-June and August)
College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland
Ireland
English | Simulation Specialists | February-May, April-June, September -November
Cork University Hospital
Ireland
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year (except July-August)
Semmelweis University Heart and Vascular Center
Hungary
English/German | Observership training Hands-on training | Residents/Young | Specialists and Specialists | All year (except January and August)
University Hospital of Cologne
Cologne, Germany
German/English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists, and Specialists | All year
University Hospital Münster
Münster, Germany
German/English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists, and Specialists | February-April, October-December
University of Leipzig Medical Center
Leipzig, Germany
German/English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
Hôpital d’enfants de la Timone
Marseilles, France
French | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | Observership training and Hands-on training | All year
CAMES Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation
Denmark
English (C1) | Simulation | Specialists | March-May, September-November
Clinical Hospital Merkur
Croatia
English (B2) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year (expect June-September)
AZ Maria Middelares
Gent, Belgium
French (C1)/ Dutch (C1)/German (C1) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young | Specialists and Specialists | All year
UZ Leuven
Belgium
English | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists | All year
Gazi University Hospital
Ankara, Turkey
Turkish and English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists, and Specialists | from January to June, November to December
Ankara Universitys İbni Sina Hospital
Ankara, Turkey
English | Observership training | Residents/Young Specialists | from January to June
Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto
Porto, Portugal
English/Spanish/Portuguese (Recommended) | Observership training, Hands-on training | Residents/Young Specialists and Specialists | All year (except August)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the ESAIC Exchange Programme be considered a career boost?
We think so. Participants reported varied levels of clinical involvement and career development which led to:
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- Exposure to Diverse Healthcare Systems: Participants gain insight into different medical practices, policies, and patient management approaches across international settings.
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- Skill Development: Hands-on exchanges provide opportunities for refining clinical skills, while observerships allow for learning through observation of experienced practitioners.
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- Professional Networking: Participants build valuable professional relationships with peers, mentors, and healthcare leaders, fostering collaboration and future opportunities.
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- Enhanced Research and Academic Growth: The programme enables involvement in audits, research initiatives (within and outside ESAIC), and academic discussions, strengthening candidates’ professional profiles.
Does the ESAIC Exchange Programme offer any support?
The ESAIC will allot a budget (to be defined on an annual basis) to support residents and specialists working in the European Lower and Upper-Middle income countries (as defined by the World Bank classification). The offered support is a symbolic amount which will not be sufficient to cover the travel, board, and living costs in the Host country.
Hospitals/universities are strongly encouraged to offer their residents/specialists paid permits to facilitate these exchanges with the understanding that these will be of benefit to the fellow but also to the Home institution. Some countries also offer government funding to support educational and scientific experiences abroad.
All selected candidates will benefit from AIG travel insurance* and a preferential registration fee for Euroanaesthesia in the year of the exchange (with complimentary access to the online congress content).
* The AIG Travel insurance is NOT a third-party liability insurance which may be required at the Host Centre.
What about language barriers?
Language differences can sometimes affect learning and interactions with colleagues and patients at the designated Host Centre. To address this, ESAIC facilitates one-on-one online meetings between the candidate and the Host Centre coordinator. These meetings help define learning objectives and find solutions to potential language barriers, ensuring that participants receive adequate guidance and mentorship rather than feeling underutilized.
What Is the Timeline and How It Unfolds?
The call for applications traditionally opens by mid-May and closes at the end of June.
Review and evaluation of applications is carried out by the ESAIC Exchange Programme Committee during the summer and a matching proposal between applicant/host centres is shared for approval by hosts by mid-September.
Notifications on the selection outcome are sent in early October for exchanges to be scheduled the following year. Applicants and hosts will then agree on the start/end of the exchange and make practical arrangements.
What can Host Centres offer?
Identifying centres willing and capable to support this programme and to accept one or more residents/specialists for up to three months at a time is a critical component of this programme. The ESAIC is always actively recruiting well known, recognised centres with a large volume of clinical activity and excellent facilities for teaching.
ESAIC Host Centres can offer “Hands-on” training, “Observership” training, or both. Please refer to the Host Centres list to identify which centre best meets your educational needs.
Some centres may offer “Hands-on” training only to applicants who either practice in a European Union country or possess certified qualifications (e.g., language certification) and have completed specific administrative requirements (such as GMC registration).
Important before leaving your country
Before commencing an educational experience at the designated centre, applicants are asked to consult https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations to ascertain whether any health emergencies or humanitarian crises are occurring at destination. ESAIC does not assume responsibility for any incidents incurred during travel whose consequences cannot be covered by the AIG Travel insurance provided.
Interested in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care?
The ESAIC is proud to announce its collaboration with the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC) in providing high-quality training and education to prepare young professionals working in the field of cardiothoracic and vascular anaesthesia.
We invite all residents and specialists who are interested in the perioperative care of patients undergoing cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery and related interventional procedures to visit EACTAIC Exchange Programme Webpage.
Host Centre Application
For this project to be successful, it is essential to offer exchange programmes of a variety that will attract and educate the candidates. We expect that exchange programme participants will be future leaders, who retain links with, and affection for, their previous training centre!
Applications for ESAIC Host Centres to be part of the ESAIC Exchange Programme must be made to the ESAIC Secretariat (by means of a specific form – see below) and evaluated by the Exchange Programme Committee. The Host Centre-Participant ‘match’ will be carried out by the Exchange Programme Committee.
