How is life as a doctor in Singapore?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

What’s the point of studying medicine when lawyers , software engineers, bankers, admin service make more than you?

Prestige duh

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Sorry Med student here. If FP make more than specialists, then what's the point of spending all the extra years specializing, besides intellectual stimulation and better patient care of course?

You sure a specialist can provide better patient care than a fp and a specialist job is more intellectually stimulating?
Sigh..where u studying man, local schools already revamp their curriculum, Australia always have a gp heavy ciccirculum. You at some 3rd rated UK uni is it?
If u are a local student, pls pm me your name...I'll ask the Dean to talk to you...sibei jialat. And Since when does salary has anything to do with what you do?

One after another of stupid questions.

it is probably difficult to mimic a GP centric medical environment like Australia in Singapore, as specialists are definitely more accessible in comparison. The current climate of practice in Singapore also seem to encourage defensive medicine, with primary care physicians clogging up the emergency departments and specialist outpatient clinics with tons of referrals that may not be necessarily indicated.

It is unfair to point fingers as well, why would GPs manage or follow up these patients when they already have individual queues of 50-60 patients in the polyclinics every day. The role of the GP as the 'gate keeping physician' in the community seem to have been diluted to be more of a 'post man'- filtering undifferentiated presentations and directing them to the relevant specialties. Perhaps a better solution is to encourage the rise of middle grades such as advanced nurse practitioners/nurse clinicians that can assist in the care of stable chronic patients in the community to share a part of the load.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You sure a specialist can provide better patient care than a fp and a specialist job is more intellectually stimulating?
Sigh..where u studying man, local schools already revamp their curriculum, Australia always have a gp heavy ciccirculum. You at some 3rd rated UK uni is it?
If u are a local student, pls pm me your name...I'll ask the Dean to talk to you...sibei jialat. And Since when does salary has anything to do with what you do?

One after another of stupid questions.

You know you are posting in the salary forum right? LOL.

Why so cynical to young bloods?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You know you are posting in the salary forum right? LOL.

Why so cynical to young bloods?

There is a typical general hate to new people la.
Stealing our job. Higher paid. Entitled. More benefits. Etc.

Even now I'm 45... My parents 70 plus still everyday compare their life so hard on the past we have it easy now.sure I have to finance my own education, finance their retirement, save for my own retirement, save for my children...

Sure. Easy.

Is it right that in Fam Med
R1 - Pay same as MO = $5000 + calls
R2 - 5000 + 5% + calls
R3 - 5000 + 5% + 5% + calls

How about those that finish MMED come out as Fam Physician? Is it equal to Reg?

Then need farm a few years for FCFPS probably same pay grade before the next jump to AC which like what someone mention is about 13k to 15k?

Like that why don't people just go join chains and get $13k to $15k right after bond.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Is it right that in Fam Med
R1 - Pay same as MO = $5000 + calls
R2 - 5000 + 5% + calls
R3 - 5000 + 5% + 5% + calls

How about those that finish MMED come out as Fam Physician? Is it equal to Reg?

Then need farm a few years for FCFPS probably same pay grade before the next jump to AC which like what someone mention is about 13k to 15k?

Like that why don't people just go join chains and get $13k to $15k right after bond.

Chain u must work night and weekends
Chain no bonus or low bonus
Chain some times the podiatrist, optometrist, DNE , dietician not readily available
Personal satisfaction

Originally Posted by Unregistered

it is probably difficult to mimic a GP centric medical environment like Australia in Singapore, as specialists are definitely more accessible in comparison. The current climate of practice in Singapore also seem to encourage defensive medicine, with primary care physicians clogging up the emergency departments and specialist outpatient clinics with tons of referrals that may not be necessarily indicated.

It is unfair to point fingers as well, why would GPs manage or follow up these patients when they already have individual queues of 50-60 patients in the polyclinics every day. The role of the GP as the 'gate keeping physician' in the community seem to have been diluted to be more of a 'post man'- filtering undifferentiated presentations and directing them to the relevant specialties. Perhaps a better solution is to encourage the rise of middle grades such as advanced nurse practitioners/nurse clinicians that can assist in the care of stable chronic patients in the community to share a part of the load.

U student writing essays ah.

Aiyah. APN , care managers exist liao. Doesn't work, still a doctor centric care model. Anything complicated they ask me still, Medicine I got to prescribed also, MC also I write. I explained the decision logic to them, next time asked me still. End up i see the patient better and faster. Anything wrong also my own fault. When they see , sometimes they tell u a half f picture , u ok their plan but actually they screw up but just cos they put discuss with Dr xzzz, it becomes Ur responsibilities.
They are useful for a very small subset of stable patient, like hyperlipidemia stable for the last 10 years that kind, htn on amlodipine 2.5mg that kind.
Sometime I slot in stable chronic for myself so I can take a breather. Whole day see double digits hba1c cases very headache. APN thst can prescribe are few. Most dun want to take up that license also , do doctor work dun get doctor pay..why bother.

So no Ur thesis is useless.

Polyclinic work is actually challenging and a hospital trained m.med fp can actually treat and manage a lot of things. I can manage female incontinence all the way short of operating on them for example , I can even do a pipelle if needed if a women comes in with post menopausal bleeding. Deliver babies also no problem. Toe nail avulsion, joint injection , plaster and cast etc all no problem..perhaps a bit rusty nia. I even learned how to do a cystoscopy so if u give me access to CT urogram, I can actually clear asymptomatic microscopic haematuria myself.
Referral occurs usually due to patienrt request or becuase some useless RP has no ****ing idea what to do...or simply doesn't care. Unfortunately back when poly wasn't a posting of choice, they took in a fair bit of pinoy , Malaysian and India doc that aren't exactly v good. Now can't fire them and the system has to live with their inadequacies.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

U student writing essays ah.

Aiyah. APN , care managers exist liao. Doesn't work, still a doctor centric care model. Anything complicated they ask me still, Medicine I got to prescribed also, MC also I write. I explained the decision logic to them, next time asked me still. End up i see the patient better and faster. Anything wrong also my own fault. When they see , sometimes they tell u a half f picture , u ok their plan but actually they screw up but just cos they put discuss with Dr xzzz, it becomes Ur responsibilities.
They are useful for a very small subset of stable patient, like hyperlipidemia stable for the last 10 years that kind, htn on amlodipine 2.5mg that kind.
Sometime I slot in stable chronic for myself so I can take a breather. Whole day see double digits hba1c cases very headache. APN thst can prescribe are few. Most dun want to take up that license also , do doctor work dun get doctor pay..why bother.

So no Ur thesis is useless.

Polyclinic work is actually challenging and a hospital trained m.med fp can actually treat and manage a lot of things. I can manage female incontinence all the way short of operating on them for example , I can even do a pipelle if needed if a women comes in with post menopausal bleeding. Deliver babies also no problem. Toe nail avulsion, joint injection , plaster and cast etc all no problem..perhaps a bit rusty nia. I even learned how to do a cystoscopy so if u give me access to CT urogram, I can actually clear asymptomatic microscopic haematuria myself.
Referral occurs usually due to patienrt request or becuase some useless RP has no ****ing idea what to do...or simply doesn't care. Unfortunately back when poly wasn't a posting of choice, they took in a fair bit of pinoy , Malaysian and India doc that aren't exactly v good. Now can't fire them and the system has to live with their inadequacies.

Wow you really very good.
The last time I did cast was ortho ho posting and I'm half baked.
The last time I deliver baby was kkh when med student, but half baked and need mid wife help.
I dunno how to do cystoscopy.
Toenail avulsion can but patient complain a bit painful. I don't use enough lignocaine.

I cannot do pipelle nor can I do colposcopy
I max can do pap smear.

You are very good gp

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Wow you really very good.
The last time I did cast was ortho ho posting and I'm half baked.
The last time I deliver baby was kkh when med student, but half baked and need mid wife help.
I dunno how to do cystoscopy.
Toenail avulsion can but patient complain a bit painful. I don't use enough lignocaine.

I cannot do pipelle nor can I do colposcopy
I max can do pap smear.

You are very good gp

Last time I see a lao jiao tekong medic used rubber band as tourniquet while injecting lidocaine for toe nail avulsion while the young MO didnt do it and he was telling the recruit to tahan the pain.