Program Overview

Programme: MMed Geriatrics

Programme information

The MMed Geriatrics programme is offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine.

• The programme consists of a minimum duration of study of 4 years, with a total of 588 credits at NQF level 09.
• All MMed students must register for, and attend Applied research methodology 802 satisfactorily, preferably during the intermediate phase/ after completion of Part 1 and before sitting for Part 2 of the MMed.
• All MMed students must submit a dissertation which must be assessed as satisfactory by an external examiner, or a research article that has been accepted for publication in a subsidised periodical.
• A systematic literature review on an approved subject may be presented as an alternative to the dissertation for awarding the MMed degree.

Registrarship

Inquire at the relevant head of department regarding the availability of registrarships for the specialisation.

Admission requirements

To be eligible for the programme, applicants must:

1. Hold an MBChB (or equivalent) degree or a relevant medical degree with modules equivalent to at least the first two years of the MBChB degree.
2. Be currently registered as a physician with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and must have been registered for at least one year.

Other programme-specific information

• The study of the major subject extends over four or five years, as prescribed by the relevant department.
• Each student must prove to the University that they have successfully filled the required full-time training post, completed the theoretical, practical, clinical and applicable training, passed the prescribed written, oral, practical and/or clinical university examinations, and successfully completed the research component of the degree.

Examinations and pass requirements

• The sequence of the examinations in the prerequisite subjects will be determined by the head of the department under which the major subject falls.
• A minimum final mark of 50% is required by all departments to pass in a subject and in the clinical section of the examination, a subminimum of 50%.
• A student is not admitted to the examination in a prerequisite subject more than twice, nor is he or she admitted to the examination in the major subject more than twice.

Exemption

The Faculty Board may grant partial exemption from the training and work on the grounds of comparable training and experience completed in another post or at another recognised institution.

Pass with distinction

The degree is conferred with distinction on a student who has obtained a final mark of at least 75% in their major subject.

General information

Departments expect registrars to participate increasingly in the examining and treatment of patients in the hospital, both in-patients and out-patients, as well as performing and interpreting tests in the laboratory.

Core modules

The programme includes the following core modules:

• ANA 893: Anatomy 893 (36 credits)
• FAR 804: Pharmacology 804 (36 credits)
• FSG 801: Physiology 801 (36 credits)
• GER 800: Geriatrics 800 (300 credits)
• MMS 890: Dissertation 890 (180 credits)
• PAG 806: Pathology 806 (36 credits)
• TNM 802: Applied research methodology 802 (0 credits)