Medical Officer Grade 1 to 3 (Cardiothoracic Surgery) (5/8th)

As printed in Circular 35 of 2026 · page 180 · open the PDF

POST 35/264: MEDICAL OFFICER GRADE 1 TO 3 (CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY) (5/8TH)
SALARY: Grade 1: R650 877 per annum Grade 2: R742 659 per annum Grade 3: R859 527 per annum
CENTRE: Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory
REQUIREMENTS: Minimum educational qualification: Appropriate qualification that allows registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Medical Practitioner. Registration with a professional council: Registration with the HPCSA as a Medical Practitioner. Experience: Grade 1: None after registration as Medical Practitioner with the HPCSA in respect of SA qualified employees. 1-year relevant experience after registration as Medical Practitioner with a recognized foreign Health Professional Council in respect of foreign qualified employees, of whom it is not required to perform Community Service as required in South Africa. Grade 2: A minimum of 5 years’ appropriate experience as Medical Practitioner after registration with the HPCSA as a Medical Practitioner in respect of SA qualified employees. A minimum of 6 years’ relevant experience after registration as Medical Practitioner with a recognised foreign Health Professional Council in respect of foreign qualified employees, of whom it is not required to perform Community Service as required in South Africa. Grade 3: A minimum of 10 years’ appropriate experience as a Medical Practitioner after registration with the HPCSA as a Medical Practitioner in respect of SA qualified employees. A minimum of 11 years’ relevant experience after registration as a Medical Practitioner with a recognised foreign Health Professional Council in respect of foreign qualified employees, of whom it is not required to perform Community Service as required in South Africa. Competencies (knowledge/skills): Sound understanding of cardiothoracic surgical care pathways, referral systems and clinical prioritisation. Understanding of the operational challenges of public sector health care delivery, including equity, governance and service sustainability. Ability to coordinate patient flow between Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in a structured and clinically appropriate manner. Proficiency in database management and data entry, with the ability to develop and maintain Claris FileMaker databases. Develop SQL databases. Ability to generate reports and interpret data for clinical governance, audit and waiting-list management. Meticulous attention to detail and a systematic approach to clinical record-keeping and data integrity. Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, with the ability to liaise effectively across departments. Computer literacy, including proficiency in standard office applications and clinical information systems.
DUTIES: Clinical coordination of patient flow between the Division of Cardiology and the Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, including triage, referral management and waiting-list oversight. Contribution to departmental governance and continuous quality improvement initiatives. Facilitation of pre- operative workup and communication between cardiology and surgical teams. Oversight of waiting-list patients including follow-up, risk stratification, escalation and documentation. Attendance at combined cardiology-cardiac surgery meetings and multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions. Maintenance and updating of the divisional Claris FileMaker patient management database, surgical waiting list and follow-up registry. Maintenance of real-time transplant recipient and donor matching data, accessible on a 24/7 basis. Data quality assurance, integrity checks and generation of reports for clinical governance, audit, morbidity and mortality review, and external reporting. Participation in combined cardiology-cardiac surgery meetings, multidisciplinary team discussions, and departmental governance meetings and M&M’s. Daily attendance during working hours to maintain patient flow coordination and database operations. Availability to ensure real-time transplant recipient and donor matching data is accessible and current at all times.
ENQUIRIES: Prof T Pennel, Email: tim.pennel@uct.ac.za
NOTE: No payment of any kind is required when applying for this post. Please ensure that you attach an updated CV. Candidates who are not in possession of the stipulated registration requirements, may also apply. Such candidates will only be considered for appointment on condition that proof of application for registration with the relevant council and proof of payment of the prescribed registration fees to the relevant council are submitted on or before the day of the interview. This concession is only applicable on health professionals who apply for the first time for registration in a specific category with the relevant council (including individuals who must apply for change in registration status)”. Groote Schuur Hospital has adopted the department’s ecosystem framing of its training platform. Accordingly, all medical officer appointments may be called upon to work across this platform and may include rotations at Metro West and Rural East hospitals. This includes Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, New Somerset Hospital, Mitchells Plein District Hospital, Victoria Hospital and George Provincial Hospital. The post-holder does not participate in ward rounds, theatre lists, on-call rosters, or emergency clinical duties.