Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Medicine

Specific admission requirements
• A bachelor’s degree (e.g. MBChB or equivalent)
• Qualification as a medical practitioner, with at least two years’ post-qualification practical experience as a medical intern or in an equivalent position.
• Proof of registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) or proof of the ability to meet the requirements of the HPCSA. You must apply in writing for admission, accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae and a motivation letter, which should include details of your clinical competency and experience, and your interest in rural health in Africa, as well as any involvement in leadership and management issues. Selected applicants may be invited to an interview. Community service doctors are eligible to enrol in the programme.

Curriculum vitae (CV)
A document that outlines your educational level, employment history, description of work experience, especially that is relevant to your application to study and contact details of three referees.

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Curriculum vitae (CV)

Departmental form
Download and fill in the following departmental form, and submit with your application:
https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.s…

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Dept-PGDip (Rural Medicine)

Letter of motivation
Document explaining details of your clinical competency and experience, and your interest in rural health in Africa, as well as any involvement in leadership and management issues. As well as what factors are motivating you to apply for the specific programme(s) and describing what makes you a suitable candidate.

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Motivational letter / Essay

Proof of professional registration with an entity
A recognised professional body grants professional registration on the grounds of attainment of a recognised standard of competence and education that permits practice of a profession.

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Proof of professional or accredited registration

Duration
The programme extends over eighteen months and a maximum of two years and is offered by means of a blended-learning model. It includes e-learning, guided self-study, assignments, reflective case-based portfolios and work-based learning, as well as face-to-face tutorials and skills training.

Programme content
You must pass all four modules to pass the diploma programme and receive your certificate.

FIRST YEAR
Clinical Skills for District Hospitals (6 to 12 months) 775(55)
Major Infectious Disease Challenges (first semester) 775(15)
Delivering Healthcare in Rural Communities (second semester) 775(25)

SECOND YEAR
Clinical Governance in District Health Services (first semester) 775(25)

The programme has one in-person contact session which takes place in January.

The major clinical module, Clinical Skills for District Hospitals, focuses on high-risk areas (the emergency centre, the labour ward, and the operating theatre). To fulfil the clinical requirements, the module is presented in the first year of the programme as a six- to twelve-month programme at a regional or rural district hospital where there is appropriate supervision by experienced practitioners accredited by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University.

The remaining three modules are offered as blended learning, which includes e-learning, guided self-study, assignments, logbook entries, self-reflection tasks and formal seminars, with practical application and workintegrated learning in a rural context. The Major Infectious Disease Challenges module runs concurrently with the Clinical Skills for District Hospitals module in the first semester of the first year of the programme in either a regional or a rural district hospital. Thereafter, you must spend a minimum of one year at a rural district hospital where the Delivering Healthcare in Rural Communities and Clinical Governance in District Health Services modules are offered during the final twelve months of the programme.

The Clinical Skills for District Hospitals module mandates students to find clinical supervisors who fulfil the requirements of the module. Skills can be acquired at any institution offering exposure to required procedures. Proposed clinical supervisors’ applications will be reviewed and those who meet the criteria will be accredited for supervision and Continuous Professional Development points.

Assessment and examination
The assessment of each module includes the following:
• Clinical Skills for District Hospitals: competency assessment, logbook entries and reports by the accredited supervising doctor.
• Major Infectious Disease Challenges: online tests consisting of multiple-choice questions and an assignment.
• Delivering Healthcare in Rural Communities: participation in online discussion groups, a synoptic report on local healthcare needs and services, and a report on community-oriented primary care interventions.
• Clinical Governance in District Health Services: participation in online discussion groups, preparing a proposal for a quality improvement project, reporting on your quality improvement project and a reflective report on learning.

If you wish to obtain credits for any competencies, in particular for the clinical domains in the module Clinical Skills for district hospitals, you must demonstrate your competence in the specified areas through an appropriate workplace-based assessment. The pass mark is 50% and a mark of 75% is required to pass with distinction. Satisfactory participation and attendance of webinars is recommended for successful completion.
• If you fail a module with a percentage between 45% and 50%, you will be afforded the opportunity to resubmit an assignment as a second opportunity.
• If you miss the opportunity to submit a second opportunity assignment, you will have to register for the module again in the following year.
• If you fail a module more than once, you will not be allowed to continue with the programme.