Teaching Programme
Undergraduate Teaching
The Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) was introduced by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 2004 to emphasise the need for well-trained, knowledgeable medical professionals capable of providing health care services to the community, often with very limited resources. This programme starts in the third year of the medical training curriculum and has an expanded training platform that includes regional, district, primary and community levels of health care.
Some of the rules of engagement from the Unit for Undergraduate Medical Education (UUME) are to:
- Generate a doctor who is fit for purpose in South Africa
- Have a primary health care focus
- Base teaching on a core competency list
- Institute a workplace-based strategy for teaching, delivery and assessment
The GEMP programme is divided into stages over three years.
GEMP 1 students receive one lecture that introduces them to Clinical Skills in Ophthalmology.
GEMP 2 students have an introductory week to Ophthalmology as part of their Neurosciences block. They receive lectures on the structure and function of the eye; clinical skills and eye infections; visual acuity testing and fundoscopy.
GEMP 3 is the year in which undergraduates do most of their Ophthalmology training. Two weeks are spent in the department, with students divided between Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and St John Eye Hospital at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. The students have exposure to ophthalmic outpatient clinics and theatres, and daily tutorials are given on a comprehensive set of topics.