Program Overview

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Programme: PGDip in Family Medicine

Introduction

The Postgraduate Diploma in Family Medicine is a two-year part-time program offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria. The program is designed to provide medical doctors with the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to practice family medicine.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the program, applicants must:

1. Hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (or equivalent) degree
2. Be registered as a medical doctor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) or with the licensing authority in the country of origin

Programme Structure

The program consists of a modularized curriculum with a blended approach, including campus-based teaching, web-based teaching, and workplace-based learning. The program is offered over two academic years on a part-time basis.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes the following core modules:

• FFM 700: Family-oriented patient care
• FMD 700: Chronic diseases
• FMF 700: Psychiatry
• FMI 700: Infectious diseases
• FMX 700: Practice management
• HAK 700: Philosophy and principles of family medicine
• PCC 700: Clinical primary care
• PCP 700: Community-orientated primary care

Each module is worth 15 credits, and the total credit requirement for the program is 120 credits.

Examinations and Pass Requirements

1. Assignments: Students must submit assignments for each of the eight modules. If a student does not achieve at least 50%, one resubmission is permitted for each module.
2. Workplace-based learning and assessment: Learning in the workplace will be driven by peer learning and documented by means of a portfolio of learning.
3. Final assessment: An annual assessment of the learning documented in the portfolio by the Department of Family Medicine.

A minimum final mark of 50% is required as a pass mark for each module.

National Exit Examination

There will be one national exit examination for the country offered by the College of Family Physicians. The portfolio should be part of the assessment, and the portfolio will give the student access to the national exit examination. Successful candidates will receive a Higher Diploma from the College as well as a Postgraduate Diploma from the University.

Pass with Distinction

An average of at least 75% in the modules and the portfolio is required to obtain the diploma with distinction.

Minimum Credits

The minimum credit requirement for the program is 120 credits.

Core Modules

The following are the core modules for the program:

• FFM 700: Family-oriented patient care (15 credits)
• FMD 700: Chronic diseases (15 credits)
• FMF 700: Psychiatry (15 credits)
• FMI 700: Infectious diseases (15 credits)
• FMX 700: Practice management (15 credits)
• HAK 700: Philosophy and principles of family medicine (15 credits)
• PCC 700: Clinical primary care (15 credits)
• PCP 700: Community-orientated primary care (15 credits)

Each module has a detailed description of the module content, which can be found in the program curriculum.