Grant Proposal for The Surgical Assistant
The Surgical Assistant is a health-tech platform revolutionizing surgical staffing by connecting unemployed or underutilized doctors with surgeons who need trained assistants. Our seamless scheduling system ensures that highly skilled assistants are available for surgical procedures, helping doctors gain essential experience, build their CVs, and earn an income, all while optimizing efficiency in operating rooms.
A vast majority of South African doctors remain unemployed due to limited training posts and funding constraints. TSA provides a vital solution by creating opportunities for doctors to get into theatre, gain hands-on surgical experience, and work towards specialization.
We seek grants to:
Enhance and optimize our digital platform for seamless scheduling and AI-driven matching.
Expand TSA Academy, our CPD-accredited training platform, which provides structured education, practical workshops, and mentorship for young doctors and surgical assistants, equipping them with specialized surgical skills.
Increase market adoption, driving awareness and engagement to onboard more doctors and surgeons.
Support operational expansion, ensuring scalability, outreach, and strategic partnerships.
01
The problem
- High Unemployment Among Doctors: South Africa has a surplus of trained medical professionals but a shortage of funded training positions, leaving many doctors unable to gain essential experience or earn an income.
- Limited Training & Work Opportunities: Many skilled doctors struggle to find work, despite increasing demand.
- Optimization of Administrative Burdens: Selecting a doctor with the skills that match the specific surgical case is currently inefficient and time-consuming for surgeons.
- Operating Room Delays: Last-minute scheduling without an available assistant can be avoided with a functional scheduling platform, ensuring that surgeries proceed without disruptions.
TSA directly addresses these pain points by providing a digital marketplace that simplifies scheduling and workforce management in surgery while offering CPD-accredited training to improve assistant skills.
02
The Surgical Assistant’s Impact
The Solution
TSA bridges the gap between unemployed or underutilized doctors and surgeons through our digital platform and training academy.
✅ Surgeons get on-demand, skilled assistants tailored to their specific procedure needs.
✅ Surgical assistants (many of whom are unemployed doctors) get regular work opportunities, building their experience, CVs, and financial independence.
✅ TSA Academy provides CPD-accredited training for doctors, improving their skills, surgical exposure, and job prospects.
✅ Assistants gain hands-on surgical experience, build their logbooks, and work in a discipline of their choice, increasing their chances of securing formal training posts.
With funding, TSA will scale operations, enhance technology, and expand training opportunities for assistants.
03
Sustainable
The Business Model
TSA operates on a commission-based model, charging a 15% fee per booking from assistants. This model ensures long-term financial sustainability while keeping the platform affordable for users.
With funding, we aim to:
📈 Expand our user base and onboard more unemployed doctors and assistants.
📱 Improve platform AI-based matching to enhance efficiency.
🎓 Grow TSA Academy’s CPD-accredited training offerings, ensuring assistants are highly skilled and job-ready.
By investing in TSA, you are fueling the future of digital health innovation and workforce development in surgery.
04
Maximising Impact & Mission
Funding Request & Usage
We are requesting between R2.25 million and R3.5 million to scale and improve our platform and training academy. However, we are open to any grant amount and will maximize its impact to advance our mission.
|
Category |
Estimated Amount Requested (R) |
|
Platform Development & AI Matching |
R500,000 – R1,000,000 |
|
Expansion of TSA Academy (CPD-accredited training, workshops, mentorship) |
R500,000 – R1,000,000 |
|
Marketing & User Acquisition |
R250,000 – R500,000 |
|
Operational Expansion (Support & Outreach) |
R1,000,000 |
|
TOTAL REQUESTED |
R2,250,000 – R3,500,000 |
TSA is committed to making the most of any funding received. Whether we secure a full grant or a partial contribution, we will strategically allocate resources to expand our impact, scale operations, and further our mission.
05
The End Goal
The Solution
With this funding, we anticipate:
📌 Increase in surgeon adoption across South Africa—currently at less than 5% market share, demonstrating massive scalability potential.
📌 100 CPD-accredited courses available on the TSA Academy platform by the end of Q2 2025, ensuring comprehensive and structured training opportunities.
📌 Expansion of TSA’s reach and impact, providing a sustainable solution for unemployed doctors seeking surgical experience.
06
Sustainable
In Closing
The Surgical Assistant is not just a business—it’s a game-changer for surgical staffing, medical training, and employment in South Africa.
Our platform empowers unemployed doctors, surgeons, and the broader medical community, ensuring that healthcare professionals work smarter, not harder.
With your support, we can expand, innovate, and create more opportunities in surgical training and workforce optimization.
Founder & CEO of The Surgical Assistant
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer (COO) of The Surgical Assistant
I am a medical doctor and aspiring orthopedic surgeon who founded The Surgical Assistant after experiencing firsthand the challenges of securing surgical work opportunities in South Africa. Like many doctors, I faced barriers to specialization due to the shortage of state-funded medical officer and registrar posts, which left me unemployed despite my qualifications and passion for surgery.
Determined to gain surgical experience and earn an income, I began assisting in private surgeries. That’s when I identified a critical gap—surgeons struggled to find skilled assistants, and thousands of doctors like me were eager to work but had no structured way to access surgical opportunities.
Instead of waiting for change, I built the solution myself. In 2023, I launched The Surgical Assistant (TSA)—South Africa’s first digital surgical staffing platform—which now has 2,000 assistants and 150 surgeons onboarded. TSA not only matches surgeons with qualified assistants in real time but also includes TSA Academy, a CPD-accredited training platform designed to upskill doctors and bridge knowledge gaps.
Over the past 24 months, I have scaled TSA into a fully operational, self-sustaining business, proving both its impact and scalability. My firsthand experience in medicine, healthcare operations, and surgical logistics uniquely positions me to lead TSA’s next phase of growth—expanding its impact in surgical staffing, training, and workforce development across South Africa and beyond.
With the right support, TSA is ready to become the leading healthcare staffing solution in Africa, ensuring that surgeons, doctors, and patients benefit from a smarter, more efficient medical workforce.
AD Schoeman
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer (COO) of The Surgical Assistant
AD Schoeman is a business strategist and operations specialist with a strong background in treasury outsourcing and financial advisory. As Co-Founder & COO of The Surgical Assistant (TSA), he is responsible for driving growth, partnerships, and operational efficiency, ensuring that TSA continues to revolutionize surgical staffing and workforce development in South Africa.
Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, AD pursued his studies at Stellenbosch University, where his passion for business and people-centered solutions led him into the corporate world. He has since built a career in strategic finance and advisory, working with global firms before transitioning into health-tech entrepreneurship.
Although not a doctor himself, AD has a strong connection to the medical field—being married to a pediatric registrar and deeply engaged in the challenges and inefficiencies within the South African healthcare system. His vision for TSA is centered on connecting skilled medical professionals with opportunities that align with their expertise, addressing critical gaps in surgical staffing and training.
In addition to his work at TSA, AD is part of a boutique advisory firm in Stellenbosch, where he leverages his expertise in business strategy and financial operations. His leadership at TSA is driven by the belief that healthcare solutions start with people, and that by creating a structured, technology-driven platform, TSA can empower both doctors and surgeons while improving surgical efficiency across South Africa.
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