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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Master of Philosophy in Trauma Surgery 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
125448  Master of Philosophy in Trauma Surgery 
ORIGINATOR
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Master's Degree  Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services  Curative Health 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  180  Not Applicable  NQF Level 09  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered  EXCO 0638/26  2026-03-10  2029-03-10 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2030-03-10   2033-03-10  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
The primary purpose of the Master of Philosophy in Trauma Surgery is to educate and train general surgeons to acquire and illustrate updated knowledge, skills, and experience to further contribute to the development of knowledge at an advanced level in the subspecialty of Trauma. Subspecialists in this discipline will be well-positioned for advanced, specialised professional employment in South Africa. Therefore, the proposed qualification supports the provisioning of services in a scarce healthcare field that the South African population needs.

Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to:
  • Develop a clinical grounding in Trauma Surgery through knowledge and evidence-based practical experience to master the requisite clinical reasoning and clinical procedural skills. in diagnosing and managing patients presenting with field-specific disorders/conditions.
  • Analyse the complex relationships between various departments in a tertiary training hospital as well as associated secondary referral hospitals to deliver integrated services efficiently and effectively, solve challenging cases timeously, and seek opportunities that may positively impact national health.
  • Develop a sound Trauma Surgery knowledge base via applied readings, bedside teaching, related case discussions, scientific meetings, and associated research activities.

    Rationale:
    Conflicts and disasters remain prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, and injury remains a leading cause of death worldwide. In High-income countries such as the United States of America (USA), current practicing trauma surgeons feel that the discipline must change to remain viable. This change should entail broader training to allow more procedures in trauma, emergency surgery, critical care, and elective general surgery. The preferred practice model in the USA is a large, hospital-based, diversified group practice with a predictable lifestyle and guaranteed salary commensurate with effort. Inclusion of selected emergency orthopaedic and neurosurgical procedures is viewed favourably, as is in-house call.

    In contrast, South Africa is a low- to middle-income country with huge disparities in income, and a legacy of a disadvantaged majority, with a desperate shortage of specialists (including surgeons), particularly in the public sector. The need is especially acute in secondary and rural hospitals. According to Tiwari, Chitke and Chu (2021), "Perioperative mortality in Africa is twice the global average. The quality of and access to surgical care can only improve when there is a sufficient surgical workforce. This study found that the specialist surgical workforce density in South Africa (SA), an upper middle-income country (UMIC), was 10.5 per 100,000 persons which falls short of the LCGS minimum standard of 20 per 100,000 for safe surgery and is lower than several other UMIC such as Peru (41.77), Mauritius (34.57), Colombia (20.33), Maldives (15.96), and Malaysia (15.58).

    In South Africa, therefore, General surgeons are supported by a relatively small number of subspecialists, and all categories of specialists are burdened with heavy workloads. Interpersonal violence dominated the South African injury profile with age-standardized mortality rates at seven times the global rate. Injuries were the second-leading cause of loss of healthy life, accounting for 14.3% of all DALYs in South Africa. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are the leading cause of injury in most regions of the world, but South Africa has exceedingly high numbers, double the global rate. Trauma and Injuries are an important public health issue in South Africa. Social and economic determinants of violence must be addressed to reduce inequalities in society and build community cohesion. Multisectoral interventions to reduce traffic injuries are also needed.

    Continuing surgical education is mandatory for this qualification. Trauma surgery and intensive care form a substantial proportion of postgraduate training. The emerging discipline of trauma surgery includes resuscitation, critical care, and liaison with other disciplines, with some (abdominal) surgery. The training program for trauma surgery is based on service in a recognized (trauma) intensive care unit and in a recognized trauma unit. Registration in the subspecialty allows a 70/30 split of work between the subspecialty and the mother discipline. Patients presenting as emergencies require a broad range of skills, including addressing the physiological needs and the technical aspects of the surgical procedure.

    Learners will provide total patient care, starting in the emergency room, through the operating room and intensive care, into recovery and rehabilitation. They will be responsible for the patient as a whole, and this care needs to be provided throughout the course of the patient's injury.

    In our low- and middle-income country (LMIC) environment, we cannot do without; in fact, we need many more well-trained generalists, backed by a core of trauma subspecialists. The HPCSA endorsed the development and implementation of the Master of Philosophy in Trauma Surgery. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    RPL for exemption:
    The institution has a well-established unit that handles RPL. Possible exemption, for a maximum period of 1 year (50% of the time), based on comparable training and experience gained at another recognized academic institution, could be granted, subject to the following conditions:
  • The periods of training must have occurred within at most two years before registering for the qualification in the subspecialty.

    RPL for access:
  • Sufficient experience must be proven using a logbook, portfolio, and certification by the Head of the Department of Surgery where the experience was gained.
  • The above information must be evaluated by the Head of the Department of Surgery of the institution and approved as equivalent. With the consent of the Head of the Department of Surgery and the Executive Committee (MEDEX) of the School of Medicine.

    Entry Requirements:
  • Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, NQF Level 8.
    And
  • Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework, Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules, NQF Level 9, totalling 180 Credits.
  • Clinical Trauma Surgery, 120 Credits.
  • Research in Trauma Surgery, 60 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Analyse the complex relationships between various departments in a tertiary training hospital as well as associated secondary referral hospitals to deliver integrated services efficiently and effectively, solve challenging cases timeously, and seek opportunities that may positively impact national health.
    2. Develop a clinical grounding in Trauma Surgery through knowledge and evidence-based practical experience to master the requisite clinical reasoning and clinical procedural skills in diagnosing and managing patients presenting with field-specific disorders/conditions.
    3. Develop a sound Trauma Surgery knowledge base via applied readings, bedside teaching, related case discussions, scientific meetings, and associated research activities. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
    ELO:1 Analyse the complex relationships between various departments in a tertiary training hospital as well as associated secondary referral hospitals to deliver integrated services efficiently and effectively, solve challenging cases timeously, and seek opportunities that may positively impact national health.
  • Apply principles and good practice in managing complex patient trauma cases within facilities where patients are being cared for. g.. t tertiary, provincial and district level hospitals and community health care centres.
  • Illustrate updated knowledge and skill to select and apply appropriate clinical procedures in the delivery of Trauma Surgery services to benefit patients and their families / significant others.
  • Apply experience in leading teams and managing Trauma units and wards.
  • Apply science, technology, and innovation across diverse healthcare systems and geographic regions effectively and critically, showing insight into the future of Trauma Surgery as an area of specialisation.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
    ELO:2 Develop a clinical grounding in Trauma Surgery through knowledge and evidence-based practical experience to master the requisite clinical reasoning and clinical procedural skills in diagnosing and managing patients presenting with field-specific disorders/conditions.
  • Illustrate updated medical knowledge and skill to identify, select, and apply appropriate clinical procedures in the delivery of Trauma Surgery health care and services.
  • Provide consultative services and train medical officers, colleagues in interprofessional teams, registrars, and medical students to advance Trauma Surgery and related specialist services as part of an interprofessional team.
  • Accept responsibility and accountability for performed work within the context of Trauma Surgery as an area of sub-specialization.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
    ELO:3 Develop a sound Trauma Surgery knowledge base via applied readings, bedside teaching, related case discussions, scientific meetings, and associated research activities.
  • Research and critique best evidence from literature, discuss application to own patients and report on complex Trauma Surgery cases.
  • Critically evaluate available literature from multiple sources of information on related and complex Trauma Surgery patient cases and their management.
  • Develop a research protocol, implement a full research project, prepare, present, and defend research findings at professional and scientific meetings.

    INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT:
    The qualification aligns with the institution's Assessment Policy and uses various types of assessment to enhance student learning. The assessment plan adheres to the national requirements set by the HPCSA, the statutory professional body, to ensure that learners can register as professionals in the field.

    Formative assessment:
    Clinical Coursework module: Trauma Surgery.
    Continuous Workplace Based Assessments (WBA):
    Direct observations, based on the list of prescribed EPAs take place in clinical settings while the learners work with patients. Observers include the supervisor, but also other consultants in related disciplines as part of IPECP, colleagues, peers, nurses, and medical officers. Observers provide written feedback to the learner, and feedback is discussed quarterly with the supervisor. Feedback is provided through the use of feedback tools such as Mini-CEX, One-minute Preceptor, SNAPSS, ISBAR, and other toolkits. A minimum of 10 observations is required per feedback cycle. If necessary, a remedial plan for corrective action is developed.

    Workplace Based Assessments (WBA) are documented for recordkeeping, e.g., a logbook with EPAs, skills, and procedures is signed off by the supervisor once the student achieves competence. The logbook specifies the minimum number of patients as well as the type.

    The logbook with signatures, records of observations with its written feedback, records of quarterly feedback meetings, and remedial plans all form part of the Portfolio of Evidence (PoE), as well as any other evidence of expected work (e.g., case-based presentations, participation in morbidity and mortality meetings, ward rounds where patients are being discussed etc.).

    Entry into the final exit level assessment:
  • In order to enter the final exit examination, an overall minimum mark of 50% is required by the institution's department for the final Portfolio.
  • In addition, a sub-minimum may be required in sub-divisions of the Portfolio assessment as communicated to students as per specific programme rules.
  • The learner must be declared competent by a properly constituted departmental assessment committee meeting and signed off by the HOD and supervisors for all EPAs required for the Trauma Surgery.

    The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA), as an appointed national assessment body, has the following additional requirements for admission to the Exit-level examination:
  • Certification of having completed at least 18 months as a subspecialty trainee in an accredited subspecialty unit in a teaching hospital, registered and approved by the HPCSA.
  • Submission of a written report from the academic HOD in which he/s trained, indicating satisfactory completion of all training requirements.
  • Logbook, List of observations/ WBAs and Portfolio of Evidence.

    Summative assessment:
    Final National Exit Examination through CMSA:
    CMSA is the national assessment body that assesses all candidates in the country in the final exit examination, and it follows its own internal and external assessments and moderation in conjunction with the HPCSA prescripts.

    The institution is a full member of the CMSA, where its Trauma Surgery and course coordinators participate in the standard-setting of final exit examinations for all candidates, together with colleagues from other institutions in South Africa that offer this training. The institution's subspecialists participate in the CMSA final exit examination as convenors, and/or examinators, and/or moderators.

    The final national exit examination is the only recognized final examination for the clinical coursework module in Trauma Surgery; SMU does not set a separate exit examination, and dual exit, therefore, is not applied.

    The national exit examination through CMSA consists of both written and oral/practical components and contributes 100% towards the final mark for the clinical coursework module (50% for the written and 50% for the oral/practical exam). The rules for the final national exit examination are clearly described and made available to prospective candidates.

    Research module: Trauma Surgery
    Continuous Assessment:
  • Research proposal to the School of Medicine Research Committee (SReC) within 9 months (not scored with marks, only feedback).
  • SMUREC Research Ethics clearance within 15 months after first-time registration (not scored with marks only feedback).
  • Learners who apply to write the CMSA examination must submit a comprehensive Portfolio of Learning, which is reviewed and signed by the Head of the Surgery Department at the institution, who will then write a letter to the CM certifying that the Portfolio of Learning was completed satisfactorily.

    Final Assessment:
    The final research project requirement may be met in any one of the following ways:
  • A research-based mini-dissertation (the mini-dissertation is governed by General University and School rules regarding registration with SMUREC, supervisors, and external assessors).
  • Publication or acceptance of a peer-reviewed original research article in a DHET-accredited journal with the student as the primary author.
  • An introduction and a conclusion must form part of the research work that has been done by the learner when publishable manuscripts / published articles are submitted in place of a mini-dissertation and as such will be assessed by two independent examiners, who will allocate a final mark.
  • The scores of the external examiners will be averaged to arrive at a final score for the research module.
  • To pass the research module, a minimum mark of 50% is required. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    This qualification was compared to the following international qualifications:

    Country: United States of America.
    Institution: Yale University.
    Qualification: Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.
    Duration: One year.

    Purpose/rationale:
    The Surgical Critical Care and Trauma Fellowship at Yale is designed to train academic surgical critical care and trauma leaders through a rigorous clinical and educational experience. Two surgeons are accepted annually into this RRC-approved one-year program and will immerse themselves in the management of critically ill and injured patients. The program also provides the opportunity for the fellow to gain unique, speciality areas through elective rotations and research.

    Entry requirements:
  • Completion of an approved surgery residency with Board eligibility or certification by the American Board of Surgery.

    Upon completion of this program, learners will be able to:
  • Teach the speciality of surgical critical care.
  • Undertake investigations into the various areas of surgical critical care, such as new instrumentation, identification of important physiologic parameters, evaluation of pharmacologic agents in critically ill patients, or health outcomes and/or health policy issues related to surgical critical care.
  • Administer a surgical critical care unit and appoint, train, and supervise specialized personnel, establish policies and procedures for the unit, and coordinate the activities of the unit with other administrative units within the hospital.

    Similarities:
  • The Surgical Critical Care Fellowship in South Africa (SA) and the Yale qualification have an active research agenda, with a variety of clinical, translational, and basic science programs under development, as well as outcome-oriented projects.
  • Both include strong research involvement.
  • Both aim to produce highly skilled specialists who can lead clinical teams.

    Difference:
  • In South Africa, qualification trainees are already specialists (general surgeons) entering a subspecialty degree.
  • Yale, Trainees are typically early-career surgeons entering a fellowship, not a degree programme.

    Country: Maryland.
    Institution: John Hopkins University.
    Qualification: Surgical Critical Care: The Integrated Fellowship.
    Duration: two years.

    Entry requirements:
  • Applicants must have completed a general surgery residency and should ideally be within a few years of graduation.

    Purpose/rationale:
    This fellowship in critical care surgery is an integrated fellowship, including faculty and trainees from both the Department of Surgery and the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. The core program is centred in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU, 15 beds) and the Weinberg Intensive Care Unit (Weinberg ICU, 20 beds). Patients, representing more than 5,000 patient days, are admitted from the adult trauma, transplant, Trauma, thoracic, orthopaedic, plastic, obstetric, gynaecologic-oncology, endocrine, and other surgical services. Additional rotations in the Cardiac Surgical ICU, Medical ICU, Neurosciences Critical Care Unit, and Oncology ICU are routinely provided. Rotations through the Paediatric ICU and the Burn ICU (at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) are available.

    Similarities:
  • Both trainings are provided for a period of two years.
  • Both train surgeons to manage critically ill and trauma patients.
  • Both involve multidisciplinary and interprofessional environments.

    Differences:
  • The South African (SA) qualification requires a more focused speciality approach than an integrated fellowship. Subspecialists in training work in a multi-disciplinary and interprofessional environment.
  • SA qualification focuses more heavily on operative trauma, whereas Johns Hopkins trainees receive broader. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification provides opportunities for horizontal and vertical articulation options.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Master of Philosophy in Vascular Surgery, NQF Level 9.
  • Master of Gastroenterology Surgery, NQF Level 9.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Doctor of Medicine, NQF Level 10.
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health, NQF Level 10.

    Diagonal Articulation:
  • There is no diagonal articulation for this qualification. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A. 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A. 

    NOTES 
    N/A. 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.