1) When will we be notified about our posting on the training institutions for our PGY1 training?
Posting announcements may be released approximately 1 to 1.5 months before each posting. This is applicable for both local medical graduates and international medical graduates.
2) Is there any specialty we must complete during the PGY1 training?
PGY1s need to complete a compulsory Medicine posting and at least one Surgical posting (either General Surgery or Orthopaedic Surgery) during the PGY1 training. The possible permutations of postings are as follows (depending on manpower needs, there may be other posting permutations allocated by MOH Holdings (MOHH)):
3) Is it possible for local medical graduates (who are not SingHealth PGY1s) and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to do all three postings in SingHealth institutions, including a KKH Paediatrics rotation?
Yes! Generally, SingHealth PGY1s occupy less than 50% of the posting slots in SingHealth, with the remaining slots for cross-clusters PGY1s (not in SingHealth PGY1 Programme). However, do note that KKH Paediatrics has very limited training slots.
4) How does MOHH allocate the posting slots for the different specialties, especially those with limited training slots?
MOHH has its set of criteria and considerations when allocating the posting slots, such as manpower of the training institutions, applicants’ academic results, posting preferences and combinations, and achievements in co-curricular activities, amongst other factors.
5) Are SingHealth PGY1s and cross-cluster PGY1s (not in SingHealth PGY1 Programme) assessed differently during the PGY1 training?
No, all PGY1s are assessed according to the National PGY1 Assessment and Training Framework with the following standardised tools:
(1) Medhub Logbook(2) Monthly Supervisor Report (P1 Form)(3) Multi-Rater Form (P2 Form)(4) End-of-Posting Supervisor Report (P3 Form)(5) Entrustment-based discussion (EbD) form for EPA 1,2,4,5,6(6) EPA 3 Assessment Form
6) I heard that working in SingHealth institutions is very stressful with tremendous workload and high expectations. Is that true?
The workload, although high, is generally manageable. Nonetheless, the positive tradeoffs are the learning opportunities, the exposure to an expansive range of clinical cases and being at the forefront of Medicine. The only way for you to truly know is to try out a SingHealth posting for yourself! You can then make an informed decision to see if SingHealth institution is suitable for you. Do also stay tuned and sign up for the Medical Students Forum each year in November and hear sharings from PGY1s who have completed their PGY1 training.
7) Can I still apply for the SingHealth PGY1 Programme if I only want to do two out of the three postings in SingHealth?
No, SingHealth PGY1s will need to complete all their postings within the SingHealth institutions. Only local medical graduates* can apply for the SingHealth PGY1 Programme. Successful applicants will receive an official email of acceptance from the SingHealth PGY1 admin team.
*Applicable to Duke-NUS Medical School, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.
8) Do SingHealth PGY1s have higher priority in getting postings within the SingHealth institutions as compared to cross-cluster PGY1s?
Application for your PGY1 postings is always considered in tandem by MOHH and SingHealth. Being a SingHealth PGY1 may grant you some preferential consideration for SingHealth postings, but MOHH will make the final decision in terms of posting allocation. Do note that your submission of posting preference to SingHealth must correspond to the posting preference submitted to MOHH.
It is also important to consider the ranking of your posting combination. For example, the combination of SGH Internal Medicine and KKH Paediatrics is a highly competitive one, as KKH Paediatrics has very limited training slots. If your interest is not in Paediatrics, you are strongly advised not to rank a combination with Paediatrics to increase your chances of getting all three postings within the SingHealth institutions.
9) For applications to the SingHealth PGY1 Programme, can we submit reference letters written by senior clinicians from other healthcare clusters such as NUHS or NHG?
Certainly! Recommendations/reference letters can be written by any healthcare professionals whom you have worked with as part of your training. For e.g. senior clinicians who oversee your research project in medical school. It is the quality and content of the letters that count.
10) What can the $1,000 SingHealth Residency Training Fund (SRTF) be used for?
On top of the $1,000 MOHH Personal Training Fund (PTF) given to all PGY1s, SingHealth PGY1s get to enjoy an additional $1,000 SRTF that can be used to defray examination and course fees, excluding funding of research projects.
The pre-requisites for utilising SRTF are as follows:
11) Unlike the local medical graduates, the IMGs have not done any Student Internship Programme (SIP) and we feel unprepared returning to Singapore as a PGY1. Is there any induction programme for us?
Yes, as part of Ministry of Health’s (MOH) directive for a series of core topics to be incorporated into PGY1s’ orientation, the PGY1 Programme has arranged for a week of compulsory induction programme to ensure that PGY1s doing their first posting are well-inducted and provided with adequate supervision. The induction programme includes a series of short lectures (for e.g. Patient Safety Talk, Wellness Talk, Core Acute Medicine, Professionalism Course and Communication Course) and department-arranged job shadowing.
12) What is the process like for IMGs to return to Singapore, whether as a PGY1 or PGY2?
Before embarking on your PGY1 training in Singapore, or medical service career as a PGY2 (having completed the equivalent of PGY1 training overseas), you have to be employed by the Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH). As such, we would advise you to contact MOHH at physician@mohh.com.sg for more information on the employment process. You may also refer to the MOHH website for more details at http://www.physician.mohh.com.sg.
13) Does being part of the SingHealth PGY1 Programme increase our chances of getting into a SingHealth Residency programme?
Selection into a SingHealth Residency programme is a highly competitive process. Being a SingHealth PGY1 provides opportunities to network with and demonstrate competencies to the Residency Faculty in the SingHealth cluster. However, the respective Residency Programme Directors (PDs) may prioritise certain aptitudes in their Residents, and this could influence their decision on the eventual list of successful match to their programmes.
Even though IMGs are not eligible for SingHealth PGY1 Programme, the opportunities mentioned above also apply to the IMGs who are rotated into SingHealth postings, as SingHealth PGY1s only occupy less than 50% of the posting slots in SingHealth. The remaining slots are for cross-clusters PGY1s (not in SingHealth PGY1 Programme).
14) Will being posted to other healthcare clusters during PGY1 training be held against the cross-cluster PGY1s when they apply for SingHealth Residency programmes?
While it will be good to do at least a posting at one of the SingHealth institutions to establish some working relationship with the SingHealth Faculty, your performance during PGY1 training (regardless in SingHealth or other healthcare clusters) is one of the strong determinants in the application for Residency programmes. Additionally, the respective Residency PDs may prioritise certain aptitudes in their Residents, and this could influence their decision on the eventual list of successful match to their programmes.
15) Does the sequence of our postings affect our Residency application in PGY1? For example, if I am interested in General Surgery (GS) Residency and interviews are held in the middle of our second PGY1 posting, would it be better to indicate GS as my preferred first PGY1 posting so that the interviewers are aware of my existence by the time of the interview?
If you wish to have a particular posting to improve your chances at the Residency programme application, do indicate this reason (for example in this case, you would like GS to be your first PGY1 posting to synchronise with GS Residency application) in the comment box in the SingHealth PGY1 Programme application form. MOHH will try its best to allocate the preferred postings for successful applicants of the SingHealth PGY1 Programme. However, do note that preferences are not guaranteed.
16) What are some tips for medical students and PGY1s to stay competitive for SingHealth Residency programmes?
Firstly, have a genuine commitment to Medicine. The programmes would greatly appreciate team members who are committed and able to establish good relationships with their team members and patients. Secondly, do allocate time and energy to involve yourselves in initiatives and research that better the lives of patients and healthcare workers.
17) Where can I find more information on SingHealth Residency programmes and Residency applications?
For more information on the respective SingHealth Residency programmes, click here. To engage in a conversation with the programme Faculty and Residents, please keep a lookout for the SingHealth Residency Open House in June/July each year.
Information accurate as of October 2023
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