How long does it take a registrar to complete the compulsory research project enabling specialist registration?

Abstract

Background. The 2011 Health Professions Council of South Africa mandate requires a research component in the form of an MMed degree to permit specialist registration. Registrars consider that the time required to complete an MMed interferes with clinical training, service delivery obligations, and study and exam time. Net research time to completion is difficult to establish because MMed research activity is often intermittent, starting and finishing anywhere within the 4-year clinical training period. Conversely, gross dissertation completion time (DCT) is easily calculated by subtracting the ethics approval date from the dissertation submission date. Objectives. To use gross DCT as a proxy to assess the time needed by registrars to finish the required research project. Additionally, the effect of four variables, namely dissertation format, clinical discipline, university research resources and the introduction of the 2011 ruling on gross DCT, was determined. Methods. The sample was 213 MMed dissertations, downloaded from the public domain. The dissertation submission date was subtracted from the ethics approval date to give the gross DCT in months. Descriptive analysis and χ 2 testing were used to determine the effects of the four variables on gross DCT, with significance set at p<0.05. A 12-month proposal preparation time was added to the gross DCT to fully reflect the MMed research timeline. Results. Sampled dissertations were from 2005 to 2017 and all eight MMed training universities were represented, as were 23 clinical disciplines. The mean (standard deviation) gross DCT was 31.0 (19.6) months, with a wide completion range of 0.2-109 months. When 12 months' proposal preparation time was added, gross mean research completion time rose to 43 months (31 + 12 = 43). A mere 41% of dissertations were sufficiently concluded to free up the final year for exam preparation. Gross DCT was not significantly affected by the 2011 requirement, university resources or clinical discipline. Dissertation format (publication ready v. monograph) significantly decreased gross DCT (p=0.01). Conclusions. Large standard deviations and a wide range of finishing times detract from the positive findings that most dissertations were completed within the 4-year clinical training time period. Publication-ready dissertations significantly shortened MMed completion time. Unique study and work commitments and lack of research experience challenge speedy MMed completion. Existing research and supervisory supportive structures should be remodelled to better suit the research needs of the andragogic specialist registrar.

Publication rate of 309 MMed dissertations submitted between 1996 and 2017: Can registrars fulfil HPCSA Form 57 MED amendments?

“…local (www.netd.ac.za) and global (www.ndltd.org) ETD sites and library repositories of all 8 SA specialist training universities. The methods have been previously described [6] and for the current study the following variables were recorded from each dissertation: format, year of submission, graduating university and clinical discipline. Dissertations submitted after 2017 were excluded to allow for publication lag time.…”

Are Groote Schuur Hospital anaesthesiologists burnt out? A cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk

“…1 Work-life balance, an essential component of managing stress, is further negatively impacted by academic responsibilities such as exam preparation and MMed requirements. 3,4 Sustained stress in people without adequate coping strategies may lead to burnout syndrome. 5 Burnout syndrome is characterised by exhaustion, depersonalisation and a lack of personal accomplishment.…”

Journal response types and times: the outcomes of manuscripts finalised for submission by the University of the Free State School of Medicine medical editor, South Africa

“…Health professionals are involved in research as researchers themselves and as supervisors to undergraduate and postgraduate students. For example, a research component in medical education has proven to be vital for the development of successful medical professionals [ 1 , 2 ]. Critical reading, analytical thinking, communication skills, self-directedness and a broadened perspective on the medical field are just some of the skills acquired [ 1 - 3 ].…”

“…Many medical schools have developed either formal or informal programs to give students the opportunity to acquire research skills [ 3 , 4 ]. In South Africa, all postgraduate MMed students studying to register for specialisation fields are required to complete research projects [ 2 ]. Furthermore, universities have opted to give all postgraduate students the option of publication-ready dissertations, which significantly shortened completion time, and increased publication outputs [ 2 ].…”

“…In South Africa, all postgraduate MMed students studying to register for specialisation fields are required to complete research projects [ 2 ]. Furthermore, universities have opted to give all postgraduate students the option of publication-ready dissertations, which significantly shortened completion time, and increased publication outputs [ 2 ]. Research publishing is imperative for scientific advancement, to develop students´ continued interest in research, for the supervisors´ status as an academic and/or scientific physician, and for subsidy income for academic institutions [ 5 - 8 ].…”