
Undergraduate Education
MBChB Programme
The Division takes pride in its role of instructing undergraduate medical students during the 5th and 6th years of the MBChB curriculum. Our comprehensive approach includes formal in-person and online lectures, tutorials, and hands-on bedside clinical teaching, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience for future medical practitioners.
MBChB
5th year students

Students undertaking the course in General Surgery as part of the MBChB programme spend 8 weeks in General Surgery in the 5th year of the program rotating through the 5 major units dealing with upper gastrointestinal, hepatopancreaticobiliary, colorectal, vascular and breast / endocrine pathologies. The focus of this part of the course is for them to acquire the knowledge base required to understand and manage surgical patients with conditions
related to these areas.
MBChB
6th year students

In the 6th year of the program, students engage in a 4-week student internship, rotating through secondary-level surgical units, including Acute Care Surgery at GSH and affiliated hospitals of the Groote Schuur (GSH) complex, including Victoria, New Somerset, and Mitchell’s Plain. This hands-on experience exposes them to common general surgical pathologies, where they fully integrate into the unit's clinical and academic activities. Throughout the rotation, students actively participate in patient care, from assessment and management planning to discharge planning and ancillary support, aiming to develop their professional, scholarly, communicative, and social interactive skills to the level of a qualified intern.

Electives
We welcome applications from international medical students. These placements can range from 4 to 16 weeks. Students can choose the location where they wish to be based for the duration of their elective, subject to availability.
For those selecting General Surgery, this may include time spent in Acute Care Surgery, Colorectal, Hepato-biliary, Vascular, Breast/Endocrine, and Upper GI surgery. Students may also choose or apply to spend time in related teams such as Trauma, secondary level surgical hospitals, or intensive care.
​
Applications for electives are not processed directly by the Division of Surgery or other hospital departments. Instead, they are managed centrally by the University of Cape Town Students Electives Office.
For more details, please visit: https://health.uct.ac.za/health-electives
To submit applications or inquiries, contact: elective.healthsciences@uct.ac.za
​

Surgical Society
The University of Cape Town Surgical Society is a student-driven society affiliated with the Department of Surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital. Established in 2006 by a group of medical students, the society is officially one of the largest societies at the University of Cape Town with over 600 student members. The society is open to all students at UCT, and aims to provide members with activities and experiences that will enhance their development and interest in all aspects of surgery, medical research, and leadership.