Master of Global Surgery

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to train researchers at an advanced level in the field of global surgery. This research can then be used to improve safe, timely and affordable surgical care worldwide. The qualification will develop learners' knowledge in research methodology, scientific techniques, data analysis and interpretation, and the critical evaluation of research literature and results in their field.

South Africa is ideally situated to provide researchers with an opportunity to gather and focus on research in and for Africa, as a lack of surgical access is largely a problem in low- and middle-income countries, and the majority of research is needed in these settings. As an international leader in global surgery research, the institution can support learners worldwide in expanding the research focus in this field, through this qualification.

Global surgery is an essential component of global health, given that a large proportion of diseases globally can be cured through surgical care. Both global health and global surgery, work towards increasing equitable access to health, but global surgery focuses specifically on aspects of care that can be improved through surgical provision. Possible research focus areas in global surgery include the burden of surgical disease in different regions, surgical workforce, surgical information systems, barriers to accessing surgical care, decentralisation of surgical services, health in surgical care, and community and patient empowerment. Addressing these focus areas will contribute to alleviating the burden of surgical disease and enhancing equitable and timely access to safe surgical services.

The knowledge and skills developed through this qualification will help foster the critical and creative thinking of an inquiring mind and the problem-solving and innovative approaches of a dynamic professional at the cutting edge of global surgery research.

By joining a research group and undertaking a supervised research project, learners will be part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, as required by an engaged citizen. The independent research project will also foster responsibility and informed and considered decision-making, in keeping with the graduate attributes of a well-rounded individual.

Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Illustrate an appropriate professional attitude and understand their professional obligations during the performance of research.
• Illustrate appropriate personal and interpersonal professional behaviours during research.
• Define a research topic dealing with a significant issue relevant to global surgery. This may include but is not limited to, topics like access to care, surgical workforce, catastrophic health expenditure, and surgical outcomes.
• Apply the principles of research design and applied statistics to the field of global surgery.

Rationale

Global surgery is the academic pursuit of improving safe, timely, and affordable surgical care for all, worldwide. Since 2015, with the publication of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, interest in global surgery has skyrocketed with a 10-fold increase in peer-reviewed publications over the last decade. During the same period, more than 20 global surgery university entities in the United States (US), Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK) have been established. In a 2018 survey, 76% of US surgical residents said they would incorporate global surgery into their careers and were specifically looking for a training qualification that would allow them to gain formal global surgery experience. Because lack of surgical access is largely a problem in low-middle-income countries, the majority of needed research is in these lower-resourced settings.

The Centre for Global Surgery is in a position to give learners from around the world a transformative research-based learning experience, whereby learners will not only be focussing on a field of a multi-disciplinary nature but will also be able to interact with a differentiated context of students consisting not only doctors but others within the clinical field as well as student from across the globe.

At the same time, African and South African surgical doctors and nurses planning to specialise in surgical disciplines, may have an interest in understanding surgical care within the larger health system by conducting formal research in global surgery. In addition, the acquisition of research skills will better prepare them for the required research dissertations of university postgraduate training or to critically analyse surgical publications. A recent poll of these cadres demonstrated that a formal Master of Global Surgery would also be appealing to many.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing degree, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma in Perioperative Nursing, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Medicine, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory module at National Qualifications Framework Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Module, NQF Level 9, 180 Credits.

• Global Surgery Thesis, 180 Credits.

Exit Level Outcomes

1. Illustrate an appropriate professional attitude and understand professional obligations during the performance of research.
2. Define a research topic dealing with a significant issue relevant to global surgery, this may include, but is not limited to, topics like access to care, surgical workforce, catastrophic health expenditure, and surgical outcomes.
3. Apply the principles of research design and applied statistics to the field of global surgery.
4. Successfully identify a research topic within global surgery, related to the student's disciplinary background, that is worthy of further research.
5. Motivate why the ethical conduct of research, specifically within the global surgery field should be valued.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1.

• Successfully manage the research process.
• Make independent progress in implementing the research project.
• Clearly and comprehensively report on research findings in writing, including successfully following the research conventions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2.

• Review and summarise the literature on the topic dealing with a significant issue relevant to global surgery.
• Frame a clear research question(s) and aims relevant to the field of global surgery.
• Apply appropriate methods to conduct the enquiry.
• Interpret the results and discuss the results in relation to the aims and the context of previous literature.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3.

• Engage with and critique current research or practices in global surgery research.
• Understand the barriers and enablers to timely, quality surgical care in a specific context.
• Understand the health system strengthening approach to improving surgical services.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4.

• Design an appropriate and viable research plan, including the identification of the most appropriate techniques of reasoning, methodology and argumentation to reach a plausible conclusion with respect to the particular question.
• Find, select, organise, and critically analyse the identified issue in global surgery.
• Evaluate a variety of relevant information sources in global surgery, depending on the focus of the research topic, and determine the relative authority of relevant information sources.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5.

• Illustrate an appropriate professional attitude and an understanding of own professional obligations during the performance of research.
• Illustrate appropriate personal and interpersonal professional behaviours during research.
• Apply questioning attitudes and approaches to analyse and carry out self-drive and motivation.