A certificate of competence in surgery at General Medical Officer Grade (2 years training). After two years trainees should be able to take responsibility for emergency surgical admissions, deal with life-threatening situations resulting from trauma or critical illness and be able to diagnose and plan treatment for a variety of common surgical conditions.
Registering for Training
Applications to register as a trainee must be made online through the COSECSA website in the Applicant Registration section. A registration fee of USD 500 is paid online. The application must be supported by the country representative.
Programme Entry Requirements
All candidates must:
- Have full registration with the Medical Council of the country in which the candidate is working before the start of training.
- Be registered with the College and have satisfactorily completed two years of basic surgical training in recognized posts in institutions accredited by COSECSA.
Training Requirements
The two-year training:
- Should comprise at least six months of general surgery including emergencies and at least six months of orthopaedics with trauma
- The remainder of the time may be spent in any surgical specialty (including general surgery and orthopaedics).
Before sitting the MCS examination candidates must:
- Have successfully completed basic surgical skills, basic surgical sciences and trauma course
- Have completed the required number of case studies and Surgery in Africa journal club modules on the School for Surgeons e-learning platform.
- All candidates must keep an accurate record of their training experience prospectively in their electronic logbook.
Curriculum & Syllabus
The Curriculum and Syllabus is available through the following links: