Clinical associates

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Clinical associates are a category of health professional found in South Africa. They assess patients, make diagnoses, prescribe treatment and perform minor surgery under the supervision of a physician.

Contents

Registration with the Medical and Dentists Board requires a Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice degree [1] – a three-year program offered at the Walter Sisulu University since January 2008 [2] and now also offered at the University of Witwatersrand and University of Pretoria. [3] [4]

Similar health workers are called clinical officers in other parts of Africa, physician assistants in the US and feldshers in parts of the former Soviet Union – all grouped under "paramedical practitioners" in the International Standard Classification of Occupations, 2008 revision. [5]

See also

References

  1. "MEDICAL & DENTAL and MEDICAL SCIENCE". www.hpcsa.co.za. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  2. "Frontpage | South African Government". www.gov.za. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  3. "Courier Market". www.southafrica.info. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  4. University of the Witwatersrand: Clinical Associates - Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice - http://web.wits.ac.za/Academic/Health/Entities/RuralHealth/Clinical+Associates.htm Archived 2011-03-10 at the Wayback Machine , accessed 15 March 2011.
  5. World Health Organization: Classifying health workers. Geneva, WHO, 2010.