Click to edit Master subtitle style 4/21/11 Selection of Medical Students & Curriculum at Walter Sisulu University Presentation to Portfolio Committee on Health: 20 April 2011 Prof K Mfenyana: Executive Dean

4/21/11 Selection of Medical Students Shortlisting based on Academic Performance- Physical Science, Biology, English, & Maths (in NSC all 5s:60-69%) Interviews based on Personal Attributes- including: critical thinking, logical argument, problem-solving, communication skills, community awareness, motivation) Equal weighting between academic & personal attributes Quota system based on Dermographics of the country, 75% for Black Africans (sensitivity to rural & underserved) Small allowance for SADC – Lesotho (5%) Interviewing panels and Selection Committee both consist of Faculty Staff, Health Service Professionals and Community Members Selection Committee makes the final decision Faculty capped at 100 plus repeats at the moment

4/21/11 Curriculum Focus on Problem-Based Learning & Community-Based Education PBL with small group tutorials-1st to Final Year Communication Skills in 1st Year Early Clinical Exposure More time for Clinical Clerkship in Secondary and Primary Health Care settings (District Hospitals, CHCs, Clinics, Hospice, Old Age Homes, GP Practices, Schools & Homes Curriculum is defined mainly by the needs of the community ( the burden of disease, community surveys, experience on the ground)

4/21/11 Strengths Building partnership between university, community and service providers, that guides teaching & learning, research and community engagement throughout the faculty Developing an appropriate recruitment and selection process that enables the faculty to recruit from communities with greatest need

4/21/11 Strengths Developing an appropriate curriculum that is based on the primary health care approach and guided by health and social needs Developing a student support programme that ensures access for success – To date, we have graduated 1012 doctors, 72% Black African and only 4% either have died or migrated overseas Recruiting and developing appropriate teaching staff that has passion for community engagement

4/21/11 Strengths Developing an appropriate teaching and learning platform that enables teaching to take place mainly in secondary and primary health care settings, rather than at tertiary hospitals, in line with the government call for re-engineering Primary Health Care in South Africa, as a strategy for dealing with the burden of disease in this country

4/21/11 Challenges Inability to attract a decent number of South African Clinicians to carry out the mandate of the country, mainly due to the ruralness of our teaching context, i.e. within the university together with Mthatha Hospital Complex and surrounding district hospitals The rural and disadvantaged students that we mainly recruit into our medical school who often go to class without having eaten breakfast & sometimes not even sure when they will be having their next meal Infrastructural & equipment problems experienced by our medical school and surrounding hospitals due to ruralness and legacy issues Transportation of students to the health facilities as almost all of them do not have transport of their own

4/21/11 To Increase Intake Government to commit more funds to improve rural & remote areas in terms of infrastructure & basic needs (e.g. water, electricity, sanitation, health and school facilities. We will then be able to attract more clinical staff & also have better prepared students from high school Build student accommodation, staff accommodation and learning centres next to health facilities including district hospitals, so as to be able to decentralise teaching & learning to as many health facilities as possible. This will also bring services close to people