Medical education in South Africa

Medical education in South Africa and the requirements for entering the field of medicine

About the medical education in South Africa and the requirements for entering and studying in this field, it can be said that getting admitted to the Bachelor of Medicine Program (MB.CHB) in this country is a hard thing to do because the number of applicants is high and the capacity is limited and it is not possible to increase the capacity in this field. People who want to enter and study in the field of medicine in this country through other methods can do it in the following ways:

The first method

The first method is that the applicants can enter the medical schools and medical universities and study medicine after completing high school and according to their educational background and resume.

The second method

The second method is that the applicants can enter and study in the field of medicine after completing a bachelor’s degree and getting a bachelor’s degree (BSC).

In the second method, people who have not been able to enter a medical schools through the first method (after finishing high school), can enter the university and take a 4-year undergraduate course by getting admitted to a medical university and study in other fields of medical sciences. The advantage of this method is that students will be able to enter the field of medicine after the end of the third year and start their third year of medical education. The difference in the duration of studying in this method is that one year is added to the duration of the medical course. Meaning that, in the first method, people graduate in medicine after the sixth year, and in the second method, people can get a medical degree after 7 years of education. Of course, the advantage of the second method is that students will get a bachelor’s degree in addition to a medical degree.

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Topics reviewed in this article:

• Medical education in South Africa and medical universities
• Medical education in South Africa and the required documents for university admission
• Medical education in South Africa and tuition fees
• Medical education in South Africa and other fields of medical sciences
• Medical education in South Africa and getting a visa
• Medical education in South Africa and working after graduation

Medical education in South Africa and medical universities

In order to study medicine in South Africa, people are looking for prestigious universities in this country so that they can get admitted to these medical universities in order to increase their chances of finding a job after graduation. The most important medical universities are in the prominent cities of South Africa, including Cape Town and Johannesburg. In the table below there is a list of the names of some of this country’s top medical universities.

Medical education in South Africa and the required documents for university admission

In order to study medicine in South Africa and get admitted to its universities, a series of required documents must be provided. But the important thing is that applicants can study medicine in top European countries or countries like the UK or Canada with much better conditions. The admission process from the universities of South Africa will take between 4 to 6 weeks. Here are the basic and required documents:

Presenting the original birth certificate as well as the applicant’s identity card along with a copy

Presenting the latest degree along with the transcripts of the applicant’s courses

The applicant must present a certificate of no criminal record

Presenting the applicant’s medical certificate

Presenting an IELTS language certificate of 6.5

Provide six color photos

Medical education in South Africa and tuition fees

The most important thing for medical education in South Africa is the cost of studying in this country. Generally, the cost of studying in this country may be lower than some of the other countries such as the United States, Australia and…, but the requirements for entering them are not easy. The cost of studying medicine and dentistry in this country varies between 14 thousand dollars to 16 thousand dollars a year. The important point is that some students may want to get scholarships from the universities in this country. However, about the scholarships in South Africa, it should be noted that they only native students can use them and international students cannot use these scholarships. Another point is that people who have got admitted to a medical university for medical education and beside that have enrolled in English-speaking courses must also pay about 4 to 6 thousand dollars for the cost of the language course for one semester.

Medical education in South Africa and other fields of medical sciences

In addition to studying medicine in South Africa, some people intend to study in other fields of medical sciences such as pharmacy, dentistry or nursing. In the following we will briefly review these fields/disciplines:

  Pharmacology

Applicants who want to study pharmacy in South Africa can study at the universities in this country for 4 years. After completing this 4-year course, students can earn a B.Pharmacy degree. After getting this degree, they must start working in a pharmacy or in pharmaceutical industry section and in the public section and complete an internship. Students must take courses such as chemistry, biology, human physiology, pharmaceuticals and pharmacology during their education. The cost of studying in this field is about $ 800 to $ 1,000 per semester.

  Dentistry

Since dentistry is an essential science and everyone should have the necessary knowledge in this regard, so this field is a high demand field and many people want to study in this field, but today, the science of dentistry does not end with just basic topics such as dental care or tooth extraction, and dentistry has entered the boundaries of beauty and attraction.

 As a result, people may sometimes choose South Africa to study in this field. Studying dentistry in this country lasts for about 5 years, in the first to third years these courses are mostly are about medical laws, medical and dental ethics, and the last two years of these courses are about the main concepts of medicine, dentistry as well as clinical dentistry. Individuals must pass the NBT (National Benchmark Test), also known as the Benchmark Test. The costs of studying in this field also varies from university to university.

  Nursing

Applicants for undergraduate nursing education can complete their studies in this field in a 4-year course, after which they will get a degree called BNurs. IELTS 6 to 6.5 is required for entering and studying in the field and an IELTS 7 is required for a master’s degree in nursing. The nursing course is divided into two parts in terms of learning/education, the first course is related to theoretical education and the second course is related to practical and clinical training that students can pass in hospitals. Important courses that are offered to students include biological sciences, natural sciences, physics, as well as theory and nursing Sciences. The cost of studying nursing in this country is between 4 to 6 thousand dollars.

Medical education in South Africa and getting a visa

In order to study medicine in South Africa, people must be able to get a visa called the Study visa before entering the country. Individuals apply for this visa from the Embassy of South Africa in their home country. The visa application process usually takes between 6 to 8 weeks. In order to get a student visa in this country, special documents are required. The documents that are required to get a visa are as follows:

Presenting the original birth certificate as well as the applicant’s identity card along with a copy

Present the latest degree along with the transcripts of the applicant’s courses

Present the applicant’s certificate of no criminal record

Presenting the medical certificate of the applicant

Present appropriate bank account turnover

Presenting an IELTS language certificate of 6.5

Provide six color photos

Presenting a passport which is valid for 6 months

Present admission documents to the desired universities

Get the approval / confirmation of the required documents by the embassy of this country

Medical education in South Africa and working after graduation

For studying medicine in South Africa, another important point that students should consider is the possibility of finding a job after graduation, whether they can find a job after graduation or not. After completing their studies, applicants can look for a job in South Africa in two different methods. The first method is to get a job offer from an employer, and when people get this job offer, they will be able to convert their student visa into work visa. The second method is that according to the student’s degree if they are on the list of required fields in South Africa, they can apply for the Critical Skills work Visa and then convert the student visa into a work visa. Applicants for permanent residence permit can also apply for permanent residence permit in South Africa after paying taxes for about 5 years, and can apply for a citizenship after 8 years of permanent residence in this country.