Universities and Online Degrees Guide

Stellenbosch University

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pharmacology

The Master of Medicine in Clinical Pharmacology in Health Professions is offered by Stellenbosch University.

Program Length: 4 YEARS.

Master of Medicine in Clinical Pharmacology offered by the Stellenbosch University at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The programme consists of modules on principles of clinical pharmacology, applied clinical pharmacology, and research methodology. These modules will be presented by means of lectures, tutorials, independent self-study and practical workplace experience, including clinical patient care. The following areas will be covered:

• clinical use of drugs, including pharmacological effects and mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism, efficacy and side effects of medications;
• advice to health care providers regarding the appropriate and cost-effective use of drugs;
• drug epidemiology;
• legal and ethical issues;
• development of new drugs;
• clinical trials;
• safety of drugs (pharmacovigilance);
• economics of health care; and
• drug regulatory affairs.
• You must complete a study project in the form of a research assignment, which will form part of the final assessment for the MMed programme.

The postgraduate committee of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and the relevant faculty structures must approve the protocol for the research assignment not later than 12 months after you started with your MMed studies. The research assignment must be completed before taking Part II of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) examination.

Programme content
Principles of Clinical Pharmacology (90)
Applied Clinical Pharmacology (270)
Assignment (MMed (Clin Pharm)) (120)

Assessment and examination

• The CMSA examination will constitute your summative assessment. Part I of the examination must be completed by the end of two years, but it is preferable that you complete it within fifteen months. Part II must be completed by the end of four years, but it is preferable that you complete it within three calendar years. If you do not meet these requirements, you must vacate the registrar post and you will be excluded from the rest of the MMed (Clinical Pharmacology) programme. Only in exceptional cases and on submission of an appropriate motivation, will the postgraduate programme committee of the Division consider continuation of your service in a registrar post and further attendance of the programme.
• You must keep and update a log-book during the course of the study period. It must be approved by the head of the Department for your studies to be regarded as completed.
• You must submit a portfolio of all relevant activities during the training period, especially information about presentations in the Division, at workshops or at conferences or symposia.
• Successful completion and assessment of the research assignment is a prerequisite for the degree to be awarded.
• The prerequisites for eligibility for the final examination are:
  • completion of four calendar years as a registered student for the MMed in Clinical Pharmacology; and
  • a mark of at least 50% in all modular tests, including the research assignment, during the four-year programme.
• The final examination mark will be calculated as a weighted average of the marks for each component. The weightings will be 25% for the assignment and 75% for the total mark obtained in the CMSA examination. The CMSA examination is weighted as follows:
  • two written papers (25% for each paper, making up 50% of the final mark of the CMSA examination);
  • an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) that includes clinical slides, interpretation of laboratory results, and short case histories (20%); and
  • an oral examination to the discretion of the examiners (30%). For details, see Regulations for Admission to the Fellowship of the College of Clinical Pharmacologists of South Africa or the FCClinPharm(SA).
• You must obtain a final mark of 50% for the final examination to pass the MMed (Clinical Pharmacology) programme.
• In order to pass the MMed (Clinical Pharmacology) programme cum laude, you must obtain a final mark of at least 75%.