
Registrar Program
Our Purpose
The UCT postgraduate general surgery training program aims to educate competent surgeons who are well-informed, highly skilled, patient-focused, and adept at fulfilling the duties of a general surgeon autonomously.
Comprehensive Education
Our learning objectives are defined by Entrustable Professional Activities, and learning takes place as a blend of:
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Experiential learning - clinical exposure enhanced through workplace based observations and workshops/simulation
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Didactic teaching - lectures, tutorials and academic presentations
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Self directed learning - textbooks, podcasts and recorded teaching
The training program is completed over 5 years, with four, three-month rotations per year. The 5 years consists of 3 phases:
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Junior rotation (year 1): Intensive Care (ICU), Front room trauma (C14), Relief - 1 of these is usually repeated
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Cutting rotation (year 2-3): Acute Care Surgery, Trauma surgery, Secondary level surgery (Mitchell’s Plain Hospital, New Somerset Hospital, Victoria Hospital, George Hospital), Pediatric surgery
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Subspecialist rotation (year 4-5): Vascular, Hepatobiliary, Colorectal, Endocrine, Upper GIT, Transplant
Specific activities for trainee support and to enhance learning include:
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Weekly Academic Tutorial: Our tutorial sessions cover the entire FCS curriculum over a two-year cycle, ensuring comprehensive coverage of relevant topics.
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Workshops: We conduct workshops to enhance essential skills, including laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures.
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Trainee Days: On a monthly basis, we hold trainee days that focus on research skills and include research presentations and a journal club.
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Examination Preparation Programmes: We offer support to assist our trainees in preparing for their finals and intermediates exams.
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E-Learning: Our trainees have access to the leading operative e-learning platform, Incision Academy, which offers comprehensive educational resources.
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Simulation: We provide simulation sessions for laparoscopic surgery using the Lapsim by Surgical Science, as well as for colonoscopy training.
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Registrar Room: We offer a dedicated study and research space for our registrars.
For details on how to join our program please contact:

Warda Brown
Divisional Postgraduate Administrator Assistant
+27 21 406 6168
Melissa Mohamed
Operational Manager
South African applicants

Assessments occur internally within the Division, as well as externally through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa - the FCS primary, intermediate and final exams. Whereas external assessments are purely summative, internal assessments have a more formative emphasis, while still providing data for high stakes decisions. This program of assessment aims to use assessment for learning and includes both workplace-based assessments (or observations) of EPAs, but also traditional end of block assessments.
International Collaborations
At UCT, we value international collaborations to enhance the educational experience of our trainees. In addition to academic and clinical exchanges and electives, we also welcome applications for our registrar program from international trainees. The map below highlights UCT general surgery graduates from different countries, demonstrating our training footprint.
