Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

About the Residency Programme

1. How many Sponsoring Institutions are there in Singapore?

Currently, there are 3 approved Sponsoring Institutions, namely:

1. National Healthcare Group (NHG):

2. National University Health System (NUHS):

3. SingHealth (SHS):

2. What are the key roles and responsibilities of the people in a Sponsoring Institution?

Each SI appoints a Graduate Medical Education Committee which comprises of a Designated Institutional Official (DIO) and Associate DIOs, Programme Directors (PDs) and Associate PDs, peer-nominated residents, administrators and any other members of the faculty deemed appropriate by the SI. PDs appoint Core Clinical Faculty Members (CCFMs) who will carry out the actual supervision and training of residents. Institutional and Programme Coordinators are appointed to manage administrative tasks.

3. What is a Transitional Year?

The Transitional Year (TY) Programme is designed to fulfil the education needs of graduands who desire a well-balanced, broad-based year in multiple disciplines and within the structured framework of the residency system.

For trainees entering Post-HO / TY Programmes (with Specialty TYs), they will first have to complete a year of Specialty TY which is built into the programmes.

4. How is it different from the current Housemanship?

Unlike Housemanship where Housemen get to rotate through different Sponsoring Institutions (SIs), TY trainees will be subjected to the same structured training and formative assessments that full-fledged resident trainees receive, within the same SI. In similarity, both Housemen and TY trainees would have didactic lectures for learning.

5. What are the programmes with Clinician Scientist tracks and how will they differ from the default Residency?

Programmes with clinician scientist tracks will have at least a year of research built into the curricula of advanced residency years. The entry requirements of such programmes will be similar to their corresponding default Residency programmes. Applicants can choose up to 3 programmes if any of their choices are clinician scientist tracks, and up to 2 programmes if otherwise.

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Application for Residency

1. Who can apply for the Residency Programme?

Graduands of Singapore medical schools and those with primary medical qualifications registrable under the Medical Registration Act (First Schedule) are eligible to apply to the Residency Programme. This includes current House Officers (HOs) and Medical Officers (MOs). Graduands with non-registrable medical qualifications may be considered on a case to case basis. In addition, graduands from overseas need to secure an offer of employment as a doctor from MOHH or local healthcare institutions before they are eligible to apply.

2. I have some working experience (service MO, MOT, etc); can I join the programme in its second year?

All candidates are expected to enter residency training at Residency Year 1 (R1) regardless of prior experience. Depending on specialty-specific requirements, those with prior experience will be subject to review within the first year of residency to determine whether the resident has the required competencies to function in a higher position.

3. How do I apply for Residency?

Applications for residency training are submitted to MOH Holdings Pte Ltd (MOHH) through their online portal. MOHH will schedule a personal interview subsequently with each candidate. The interview panel is specialty specific and comprises representatives from the Residency Advisory Committees (RACs) and Programme Directors (PDs) from each of the Sponsoring Institutions (SIs) . Upon completion of the interviews, candidates will be invited by each of the SIs for an Open House session to introduce their training programmes. Having attended the Open House sessions, candidates can then submit their rank order list of residency programmes via the MOHH website for matching with their preferred SI.

4. How does the Residency Matching Exercise work?

The matching process will match candidates' and SIs' preferences for each other. Applicants are first matched to his first choice programme, then to his second choice programme if he fails the first match, and so on, until a match is made or all applicant’s choice have been exhausted. Applicants are advised to rank as many training programmes in order to increase their chances of a successful match.

5. How will my application be evaluated?

Applications are generally evaluated according to a number of criteria including (but not limited to):

Individual Sponsoring Institutions (SIs) may however use other criteria when ranking their candidates.

6. What happens if I am unsuccessful in obtaining entry into, or do not wish to apply for, a Residency Programme?

Unsuccessful applicants will either be offered a House Officer position (for medical graduands) or a service Medical Officer position. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to apply again in the next matching exercise.

7. If I get matched to a Residency Programme, can I change my mind later?

Candidates who change their mind following a successful match will not be able to apply for the next call for residency programme.

Note for 2011 Exercise ONLY: For Residents who wish to switch residencies (except for General Surgery), they would need to resign from current residency before applying to another.

For 2010 General Surgery Residents, if they wish to go into Urology, Plastic Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hand Surgery, Neurosurgery through the 6 year single accreditation route, they can apply and switch after securing Residency.

For 2010 General Surgery Residents, if they wish to go into Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, or Orthopaedic Surgery, they will need to resign and reapply.

8. Will I be allowed to drop out of a Residency Programme?

Candidates who drop out of a Residency Programme will not be eligible to apply for entry in the next call for residency programme.

9. When does Residency begin? How long will my Residency Programme last?

For local YLLSOM medical graduands, first year residency begins in May. For graduands of other schools, the start date is variable to cater to different graduation timelines. It will last a minimum of 12 months. Thereafter, the regular residency cycle commences in July of every year. Generally 5 to 7 years of residency and fellowship training is required before specialist accreditation. Applicants are advised to check with the different SIs on the duration of their programmes.

10. How will assessments be carried out?

There will be regular competency-based assessments to measure both theory and practical skills attained by residents. This will enable Residents (and their trainers) to realise their strengths and also highlight areas of weakness. This creates awareness and the resident and trainer can both work towards improving these areas of weakness and further develop strengths.

11. At the end of training, how will I exit as a specialist?

The Residency Programmes are meant to train specialists to meet Singapore’s needs. Accreditation to practice as a specialist in Singapore is wholly governed by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) which will recognise local training programmes and existing intermediate and exit examinations. Exit as a Specialist will depend on the criteria and assessment (may be in the form of clinical and written exams, exit interviews etc) as specified by the Specialists Accreditation Board.

12. Who will make up the National Interview panels?

The National panels for each specialty will in general include the Programme Directors (PDs) from each Sponsoring Institutions (SIs) and representative(s) from the Residency Advisory Committee (RACs).

13. Will there be an application fee for residency application?

Yes. MOHH will be collecting an administrative fee of S$150 for PGY1 and S$200 for PGY2 and above applicants. Please make check payable to "MOH Holdings Pte Ltd".

14. Who will be my employer?

MOHH will administer your contracts and other relevant Human Resources matters including leave, payroll, etc. However, Sponsoring Institutions (SIs) will be responsible for overseeing your training and rotations throughout your period of residency. Hence residents need no longer participate in Medical Officer Posting Exercise (MOPEX).

15. What happens if I go on long leave during the residency year, (e.g maternity leave), does it mean I will have to repeat the whole year?

Depending on your period of absence, the specialty you are in and the point at which you left residency training, you may enter where you left off. If the period of absence exceeds a certain number of days, you may be expected to make up for the missing days of training or repeat a posting.

16. What would happen to males who have to re-enlist to serve the remainder of their National Service?

For doctors who have to re-enlist, they may undergo a period of Residency training prior to their re-enlistment (disruption of Residency training). Generally, re-enlistment for residents will occur at the end of postgraduate year 2 (PGY2), which would be at the end of R1 or the end of R2. At the end of the prescribed National Service period, one may resume where training left off. A certain period of remediation may be required by some programmes (e.g., surgical disciplines) before a trainee joins a higher residency year.

17. Will National Service training count towards Residency training?

In general, National Service will not count towards Residency training. Trainees will need to complete the required training and acquire the expected competencies before they are allowed to exit.

 

DISCLAIMER: The information contained here is accurate until the date of publication. At its discretion, MOH and MOHH reserve the rights to add to, eliminate, or modify the contents. Appropriate notice of such alterations will be published online as necessary.

 

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