Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
Encyclopedia
The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) is the custodian of the quality of medical care in South Africa
. It is unique in the world in that its 27 constituent Colleges represent all the disciplines of medicine
and dentistry
. One route to specialisation
in South Africa, is via a "Fellowship" conferred by the College. See Medical education in South Africa; Dental degree: South Africa.
CMSA was founded and financed in 1954 by members of the medical profession , and was registered as a non-profit making company in 1955. It has facilities in Cape Town
and Johannesburg
, including lecture venues and committee and reception rooms, and an office in Durban
..
obtained through The CMSA are known as "Fellowships". These are recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa as acceptable for specialist registration and are known throughout the world. A qualification was designed especially for family practitioners
and is called Membership of the College of Family Practitioners. This is registerable as an additional qualification.
For those medical and dental practitioners who do not wish to specialise, the CMSA offers Higher Diploma
and Diploma qualifications which are registered by the HPCSA as additional qualifications. There is also an additional qualification for those who obtain a Certificate in one of the subspecialities
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is unique in the world in that its 27 constituent Colleges represent all the disciplines of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
. One route to specialisation
Specialty (medicine)
A specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency to become a medical specialist.-History of medical specialization:To...
in South Africa, is via a "Fellowship" conferred by the College. See Medical education in South Africa; Dental degree: South Africa.
CMSA was founded and financed in 1954 by members of the medical profession , and was registered as a non-profit making company in 1955. It has facilities in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, including lecture venues and committee and reception rooms, and an office in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
..
Fellowships
The specialist qualificationsSpecialty (medicine)
A specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency to become a medical specialist.-History of medical specialization:To...
obtained through The CMSA are known as "Fellowships". These are recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa as acceptable for specialist registration and are known throughout the world. A qualification was designed especially for family practitioners
Family medicine
Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
and is called Membership of the College of Family Practitioners. This is registerable as an additional qualification.
For those medical and dental practitioners who do not wish to specialise, the CMSA offers Higher Diploma
Higher diploma
A higher diploma is an academic award in Libya, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and Oman. In Libya the award is equivalent to a bachelor's degree in engineering or technology, in Hong Kong it is below the standard of the bachelor's degree, in Ireland it is above the standard of the bachelor's...
and Diploma qualifications which are registered by the HPCSA as additional qualifications. There is also an additional qualification for those who obtain a Certificate in one of the subspecialities
Subspecialty
A subspecialty is narrow field within a specialty such as forensic pathology, which is a subspecialty of anatomical pathology. A subspecialist is a specialist of a subspecialty....
.
Colleges of the CMSA
- College of Anaesthetists
- College of Cardiothoracic SurgeonsCardiothoracic SurgeryCardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...
- College of Clinical PharmacologistsClinical pharmacologyClinical pharmacology is the science of drugs and their clinical use. It is underpinned by the basic science of pharmacology, with added focus on the application of pharmacological principles and methods in the real world...
- College of DentistryDentistryDentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
- College of Dermatologists
- College of Emergency MedicineEmergency medicineEmergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
- College of Family PhysiciansFamily medicineFamily medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
- College of Forensic PathologistsForensic pathologyForensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
- College of Maxillo-Facial and Oral SurgeonsOral and maxillofacial surgeryOral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
- College of Medical GeneticistsMedical geneticsMedical genetics is the specialty of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from Human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, but medical genetics refers to the...
- College of NeurologistsNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
- College of NeurosurgeonsNeurosurgeryNeurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
- College of Nuclear PhysiciansNuclear Medicine PhysicianNuclear Medicine Physicians are medical specialists that use tracers, usually radiopharmaceuticals, for diagnosis and therapy. Nuclear medicine procedures are the major clinical applications of molecular imaging and molecular therapy...
- College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsObstetrics and gynaecologyObstetrics and gynaecology are the two surgical–medical specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs in their pregnant and non-pregnant state, respectively, and as such are often combined to form a single medical specialty and postgraduate training programme...
- College of OphthalmologistsOphthalmologyOphthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
- College of Orthopaedic SurgeonsOrthopedic surgeryOrthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
- College of Otorhinolaryngologists
- College of PaediatriciansPediatricsPediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
- College of Pathologists
- College of Physicians
- College of Plastic SurgeonsPlastic surgeryPlastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
- College of Psychiatrists
- College of Public HealthPublic healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
Medicine - College of Radiation OncologistsRadiation therapyRadiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
- College of RadiologistsRadiologyRadiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
- College of SurgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
s - College of UrologistsUrologyUrology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...