Introduction
The Fellowship examination in general surgery leads to the qualification of Fellow of the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa, FCS(ECSA). This fellowship is a recognition that the candidate has reached the level of knowledge, understanding and practice of surgery sufficient to practice independently at a consultant or specialist level. It should be recognised however that surgery is not a static art and fellows should continue to increase knowledge and skills by means of research, conferences meetings and reading.
Requirements
Academic
Candidates for the fellowship examination in general surgery should normally
have passed the membership examination of this college and possess the
diploma MCS(ECSA). Exemption to this requirement will be given to those
who have passed an equivalent examination such as membership of one of
the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of the United Kingdom or Ireland. The basic
surgical training examinations of other colleges and institutions may
also be acceptable but each one will have to be reviewed by the Examination
and Training Committee of the College before exemption can be given.
Training Posts
Candidates will have to have spent 3 years in recognised supervised
training posts after completing the requirements for MCS. Of these three
years one and a half years has to be spent in a general surgical unit
dealing mainly with adult abdominal surgery. The remainder of the time
can be spent in units specialising in other branches of surgery for example,
thoracic, urology, trauma, paediatric surgery, plastic surgery, provided
that these units deal with emergencies on a regular basis. Six months
of the three years may be spent outside the region in a post that has
been prospectively agreed with the Examination and Training Committee.
This post may be in an elective unit.
Candidates are reminded that it is in their interests to experience a
wide spectrum of surgical disciplines.
Registration and Logbook
Candidates will be required to register with the College at least 2 years
before taking the fellowship examination. They will be provided with a
logbook in which to record all their operations as well as other academic
activity. This logbook is a vital record of training and has to be brought
for inspection at the examination.
Core Syllabus
The fellowship examination in general surgery of the College is an examination aimed at assessing competence in general surgery at a consultant of specialist level. The syllabus below is an outline of what the candidate will be expected to know. It is not exhaustive, but provides a guideline to the topics candidates should understand and operative procedures with which they should be familiar. It should be noted that section 4.15 includes topics that are not always included in the term ‘general surgery’. This section is included because in this region of Africa many surgeons practice in areas where they might be the only surgeon available or might be covering at night for colleagues in other surgical disciplines. The level of competence expected in the topics of section 4.15 will not be at a specialist level, but the candidate should have a sufficient understanding and skills necessary to provide adequate emergency care.
Download the General Surgery Syllabus in Word Format (1,093KB) or PDF (114KB)
Introduction
The Fellowship examination in orthopaedic surgery leads to the qualification of Fellow of the College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa, FCS(ECSA). This fellowship is a recognition that the candidate has reached the level of knowledge, understanding and practice of orthopaedic surgery sufficient to practice independently at a consultant or specialist level. It should be recognised however that surgery is not a static art and fellows should continue to increase knowledge and skills by means of research, conferences meetings and reading.
Requirements
Academic
Candidates for the fellowship examination in orthopaedic surgery should
normally have passed the membership examination of this college and possess
the diploma MCS(ECSA). Exemption to this requirement will be given to
those who have passed an equivalent examination such as membership of
one of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of the United Kingdom or Ireland.
The basic surgical training examinations of other colleges and institutions
may also be acceptable but each one will have to be reviewed by the Examination
and Training Committee of the College before exemption can be given.
Training Posts
Candidates will have to have spent 3 years in recognised supervised training
posts after completing the requirements for MCS. Of these three years
two must involve the regular treatment of trauma and orthopaedic emergencies,
one year may be spent in an elective unit not dealing with emergencies.
One of the three years may be spent outside the region in a post that
has been prospectively agreed with the Examination and Training Committee.
This post may be in an elective unit.
Registration and Logbook
Candidates will normally be required to register with the College at least
2 years before taking the fellowship examination. They will be provided
with a logbook in which to record all their operations as well as other
academic activity. This logbook is a vital record of training and has
to be brought for inspection at the examination.
Examination system
This will comprise a written essay paper, a short answer (MCQ or MEQ) paper, oral and clinical components.
Outline Syllabus
The achievement of the FCS(ECSA) by examination denotes that the successful candidate is capable of holding the position of a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the region, and of being accorded specialist status. He or she will not be expected to be a super-specialist in a particular branch of orthopaedic surgery but will be expected to have the knowledge and competence of a good orthopaedic consultant. It is not possible in this small booklet to list all that the candidate is required to know, but the following is a guide to the scope of the examination
Download the FCS Orthopaedics Syllabus in Word Format (446KB) or PDF (69KB)
Downloadable Forms and Documents
| FCS Exam Application Form | Word Document (24KB) | PDF (32KB) |
| FCS Trainee Assessment Form | Word Document (34KB) | PDF (56KB) |
| FCS Training Post-Assessment Form | Word Document (36KB) | PDF (37KB) |
| FCS Training Registration Form | Word Document (30KB) | PDF (50KB) |
FCS Logbook |
Word Document (253KB) | PDF (93KB) |
| FCS Logbook Extra Page | Word Document (30KB) | PDF (47KB) |