Riding the waves: Challenges to medical specialty training during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

Registrar training has traditionally relied on achieving practical workplace-based competencies together with the theoretical knowledge necessary to obtain a specialist qualification. However, in the last year, the healthcare setting has been transformed into a landscape of overworked staff, increased patient care demands and strained resources. In the face of these challenges, the registrar training programme finds itself in peril. The present article focuses on the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and training of registrars in South Africa.