Avoiding the distant elephant: a model to approach the research component of specialization

In January 2010 the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPCSA) Medical Subcommittee for Postgraduate Education and Training published new requirements for specialist registration [ 1 ]. The requirements included the completion of a research project, resulting in publication or a successfully examined dissertation. Since 2011 therefore, all specialist trainees registered with the various Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA, the examining body), have had to fulfill the above research requirement in addition to clinical specialist training in an approved centre, production of a satisfactory portfolio of clinical casework, and successful completion of the CMSA exams.