If you love helping people and have a passion for medicine, becoming a cardiologist may be the right career. To become a cardiologist in South Africa, you must complete years of medical school and training before becoming licensed to practice. This article will explain the steps involved in becoming a cardiologist to determine if this is the right career path for you.
Get a Bachelor’s Degree
To become a cardiologist in South Africa, you need to have a bachelor’s degree. Ideally, your chosen field of study should be science-related; this will prepare you for the rigours of medical school and your career as an internist or cardiologist. The following list includes some examples of science-related fields that would be useful for training: biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
Get into Medical School
To become a cardiologist in South Africa, you must attend medical school. To be admitted to medical school, you have to have a bachelor’s degree. You will also need good grades, high test scores and letters of recommendation from professors who know you well and can speak to your academic abilities. When applying for medical school in South Africa, you must be within the top 10% of your class to be considered for Cardiology training at one of the many hospitals around Cape Town or Johannesburg that offer this training.
Obtain a Medical License
Obtaining a medical license is the first step to becoming a cardiologist. In South Africa, you will need to complete the Medical and Dental Councils exams, which consist of basic science subjects such as human physiology, biochemistry and anatomy. You will also need to pass an ethics exam.
If you meet the requirements for entry into a postgraduate training program and your interests are in cardiac care, you can access the many opportunities available through various institutions across South Africa. The National Health Service has great programs that allow students to select various specialities while they complete their internships and residency programs including cardiology.
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Complete a Residency Program
You’ll need to complete a residency program to become a cardiologist in South Africa. Residencies are graduate medical education programs and last for 3-4 years, depending on the speciality you choose. You will work closely with senior doctors during this time and learn how to treat patients as well as diagnose them.
Residency is typically a paid position, which means that after completing it, you can expect an income of around R100 000 per year (based on experience). This is enough money for most people so they can live comfortably while working on their career progression towards becoming specialists or specialists themselves.
After completing a residency program, some people will opt not to take this step towards becoming specialists but rather continue working at hospitals under another doctor’s supervision until they feel like they’re ready (this could take anywhere from 1-3 years).
Complete a Cardiology Fellowship
Upon completion of your residency, you will be eligible to take the exams for fellowship. During this training program, you will learn about the most recent developments in cardiology so that you can keep up with new treatments and procedures as they become available.
You will also gain experience in clinical practice as well as develop your research projects under the mentorship of one or more senior cardiologists.
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Once you have completed your hands-on education, you will be licensed to practice throughout the state. You will take a test called the South African Medical Council Qualifying Examination (SAQE), which is used by all medical professionals in South Africa. This exam has two parts: a clinical skills examination and an academic knowledge examination.
Once you have passed these exams, you may begin practising as a cardiologist in any hospital or clinic throughout the country. It’s also possible for doctors to work in private practice settings instead of being employed by an institution.
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