Primary: Requirements to register for the primary examination:

• HPCSA registered or registrable post-internship qualification to practise medicine
• Successfully completed Basic Surgical Skills course

Intermediate: Requirements to register for the intermediate examination:

• Passed FCS (SA) primary examination
• 18 months of approved surgical training of which 12 months is in Orthopaedic Surgery, 3 months in an Intensive Care Unit* and 3 months in “General Surgery”. 
• Rotation within a dedicated Trauma Unit is recognized as a “General Surgery Rotation” as long as the full three months was spent within the unit and the unit has appropriate emergency or trauma surgery specialists with a full academic programme and regular ward rounds.
• Rotating in a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit is recognized as a “General Surgery Rotation” as long as the full three months was spent within the unit and the unit has appropriate Plastic and Reconstructive surgery specialists with a full academic programme and regular ward rounds
• ATLS certified. Due to the backlog in the availability of ATLS Courses during the Covid pandemic (2020/2021/2022) a waiver for this will currently be allowed. The candidate will however have to show that the ATLS course was successfully completed before being able to register for the FC Orth (SA) final examination

*Dedicated unit providing invasive ventilation with daily rounds by critical care physicians/anaesthetists dedicated to the ICU to which the candidate was allocated on a full time basis

Final: Requirements to register for the final (PART 2) examination:

• Passed the CMSA primary (1A) and intermediate examination (1B) or has a Fellowship of one of the Colleges with which there is an agreement of reciprocity.
• Minimum of 48 months of recognised orthopaedic surgical training in a HPCSA accredited registrar training post on a university affiliated rotation signed off by his/her HOD. This excludes community service time.
• Candidates may register to write the final up to three years following leaving their registrar rotation and thus their HPCSA registrar training number. After this, they will need to complete an additional two years of recognised training on a formal university rotation before re-attempting the examination. The two years of recognized training must be supported by a letter from the appropriate academic head that clearly stipulate the training circuit, training received, 6 monthly assessments and that this training time is thus approved. This may well necessitate the re- writing of the expired intermediate examination (8 years).
• The intermediates exams expires after 8 years and may need to be rewritten to allow entry into the final exams. Registrars within their training period or candidates within 3 years of  first exiting the programme will be exempt from re-writing.
• Provide the consolidated portfolio of surgical cases on registration for the written examination and updated prior to the orals. This data may be analysed and published for educational purposes (patient identification delinked).
• The logbooks should be available in electronic format on request.
• Candidates entering registrar training must use the LogBox app online to register their cases – www.logbox.co.za
• Completed all Work Based Assessment modules effective 1 January 2023, pro rata dependent on years  after initiation (see 2022 CMSA FC Orth(SA) Regulations)

Please Note:  Part of the entry requirements for FC Orth(SA) Final will be 48 months training in a CMSA / HPCSA accredited hospital, however, consideration will be given to registrars who have completed 36 months training.

The ruling of 48 months training will gradually be incorporated and enforced in 2024.

Intermediate of the Fellowship of the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of South Africa - R 15400

Fellowship of the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of South Africa - R 21800

Primary of the Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of South Africa - R 11400

• Primary: FCS(SA) Primary 2 online MCQ papers, no oral examination.
• Intermediate: 2 online written papers in the format of Single Best Answers (SBAs), no oral examination.
• Final: 3 online written papers;  Clinical and/or oral and/or OSCE.

The J M EDELSTEIN MEDAL was endowed by the late Prof Edelstein, Associate Founder of the CMSA, in 1966 and is awarded to candidates who show a very high standard of proficiency in the Fellowship examination of the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Notice of the expiry of Part I, Primary or Intermediate

Registrar logbook template 2019

FC Orth(SA) Final - FS2024 - Oral Timetable