Who is the Internal (or General) Medicine Branch?
The University of the Free State (UFS) Internal or General Medicine deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases of the internal organs in adults.
The exponential growth of knowledge within Internal Medicine has led to the development of many sub-specialities within Internal Medicine, such as:
- Cardiology (heart),
- Neurology (brain and nervous system),
- Pulmonology (lungs) and
- Haematology (blood), to name but a few.
Career Choices?
A specialist in Internal Medicine is called a specialist physician or an internist. To become a basic or general internist in South Africa you need to do four years of postgraduate - after a basic medical degree - training at an accredited academic hospital and department, such as the UFS. To become a sub-specialist is a further two to three years training, depending on the sub-specialty e.g. Rheumatology (joints and connective tissue) is two years and Cardiology is three years. Nephrology (Kidney disease) is also part of the department and focuses on the management of patients, research and training of healthcare workers. Refer to the Academic Programmes for detail.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Transfusion Medicine provides a unique and exciting opportunity to gain practical knowledge in clinical Transfusion Medicine.
Division of Clinical Haematology
The Division of Clinical Haematology, within Internal Medicine, is a dynamic team responsible for the care of tertiary haematology patients. As a referral centre for almost 50% of the geographical area of the country, we see a wide spectrum of diseases. We are responsible for training undergraduate students and postgraduate registrars in Internal Medicine. We also offer training for fellows wishing to become clinical haematologists.
We are intimately connected with the Department of Haematology due to the nature of our work. This close relationship is positively reflected in the research output of the division, which is often closely tied to that department.