Background to the UKZN Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

The College of Health Sciences (CHS) is a multidisciplinary institution of four schools offering undergraduate and postgraduate training in Clinical Medicine, Health Sciences, Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, and Nursing and Public Health. UKZN participates significantly in scientific research, with HIV/AIDS being a key research priority together with community outreach.

In addition, it has links with research institutions around the world. 

The UKZN’s College of Health Sciences currently has a total of 1,354 undergraduate medical students (including 254 first year students), 146 first year Nursing students and 111 first year Pharmaceutical Sciences students.

The university’s Faculty of Medicine Undergraduate Programme uses the ‘SPICES’ approach based on the following: 

Student-centred;

Problem-based;

Integrated & multidisciplinary;

Community-oriented;

Early clinical contact;

Spiral (builds on what was learned previously).