Stop complaining lah
 

Oi, you're seriously so negative and so complainy, just TYPICAL SINGAPOREAN NATURE. I'm a medical student 3rd year now. I have been living in singapore and raised there, have been studying in the UK since I was 16. I can honestly say, the lifestyle in singapore is much better. And YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE FLUENT IN HOKKIEN/MANDARIN. Whoever said that is an idiot. I speak english and only english and that's what everyone speaks, even some chinese people can't speak mandarin or hokkien! Work life and load in england is more stressful and less respect given to colleagues. In singapore, trust me, us whites dominate the place. They respect us because we're foreign talent. Lifestyle in singapore may be fast-paced but so is the lifestyle in the UK. Don't listen to these complainy singaporeans, it's just their nature , they think the grass is greener on the other side cause they're thinking oh my goshhh london, the queen, so majestic. They have a false perception of the UK, it's not all glam as you and I know.. So choose to work in sg, you won't regret it, life there is better (Y) take it from a british who was raised there!

US med student seeking opportunities in Singapore
 

Hi, I am a US born, Chinese American medical student attending a US medical school recognized by the SMC, with dreams about living and practicing medicine in Asia. I am currently in the process of trying to decide upon which specialties to delve into, mainly between ED, Internal medicine and its various subspecialties, Anesthesiology, or PM&R (Rehabilitative medicine) --- with consideration towards what is currently in demand with regards to Singaporean physician opportunities. I visited Singapore a few months ago, visited Mount Elisabeth and SGH hospitals, and was very impressed with the facilities and also the way I was treated in general. My main reason for considering employment in Asia is mainly lifestyle --- I have been in the USA all my life, and I tasted international travel and life abroad and I LIKED IT. ALOT. Any information that can point me in the right direction would be helpful. I know that Card onc and geriatrics is pretty hot there in Singapore, but Im not really interested in those specialties.

So many contradictions in your story..

working in Singapore as a doctor vs working in Australia
 

I believe the original post was from someone who is Not from Singapore. Why stay on if you so dread it? Is it really that bad comparing to Australia? Do you know many Foreign trained doctors spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to try to get registration and work in Australia and are left with mounting debts and finally have to pick up and leave?? Doctors here have no life either if you want to make enough money to pay for your cost of living!

Yes, cars are cheap in Australia, but NOTHING else is! Housing loans are averaging 7%!! Car loans average 5%. It can work out well if you come with a truck load of cash and not loan for anything. Personal income tax is 40-48%!! Do you know how POOR the average Australian is?? The average Australian lives from hand to mouth, week to week! A registrar without work for a week, will find it hard to make ends meet ... to the extent of not even being able to service his car, or top up his mobile phone credit!

People here do NOT put in their best. They do the minimum. So if you are a Righteous doctor, you end up having to do everything yourself, and are also subject to being bullied by the Local. Living in Australia is crazy! Rent is PER WEEK! A small suburban (this also means you have to drive easily 45 mins to an hour just to get to the city) 2 bedroom run down unit (yes, EVERYTHING is OLD and run down here!), will set you back easily $380 a week in rent.. that would work out to around SGD2.2k a month . And food .. one foodcourt lunch with a bottle of water would already set you back easily SGD17-20. 3 meals a day would set you back easily $60. You can forget about dining out.. eating out at a simple restaurant, would set you easily SGD45 (NO alcohol). EVERYTHING else is expensive. A female doctor can forget about having kids and returning to the workforce, because there is no one to help you with the child and the chores! Child care is $150 a DAY, from 7am to 5pm. There is NO WAY you can get help with them after 5pm. This means you can kiss your $200,000 medical school investment goodbye, or forever remain single! What work/life balance?

You say you have worked in 4 countries ... seriously???

Da Grass.
 

I guess the Grass is always Greener... or haven't you heard? :)

It was far easier back then, and that was 10 years ago, to get into a training position than in Australia or in the UK. And i prefer the local food here.

also, please don't forget, the racism of the Aussies towards Asians.

ed physician
 

does anybody have any idea how much an emergency physician is earning in spore ?

Only the insane would come here
 

Any one planing to move to sg to work as a Dr... i feel for you.. this is probably one of the worst places you can ever work....

yes, pay is good... but what's the point of that if you go home depressed everyday at 7pm after stating work at 6am... really.. it sucks.. im ready to sacrifice my high pay for a life!!

hours are long.. no one appreciates your input into the local healthcare.. no matter how hard working you may be, if you screw up once -> that's it!! you will be gossiped about in the hospital you working at and other hospitals you may have never stepped a foot in.. thats what they love doing.. back stabbing!! and that just's blows ur confidence and as a consequence you will be a worse dr..

they say it's for patient's safety... yeah right!! i have never met a single physician who tries to kill a patient.. if it is really for patient's safety then don't you think they should slow down, take you to the corner, explain to you ur mistake then also advice on how not to do such a mistake next time??

about registration issues.. yip, you screwed there as well.. most other countries give you full registration within 6-12 months.. in Singapore (if they recognize your qualification) they say within 3 years you can fully register.. when 3 years comes they like oh, you need to go for the pledge ceromony.. which is one or twice a year.. they wont tell you this from day one.. also, at the end of every posting you do you are reviewed by a senior.. and if they like you (not if you a competent dr) they may say yes, ok, he may be considered for full registration... and you need 6 of these forms.. donkey years to get all those...

training sucks!! period!! you work like a freaking camel is the Sahara and hardly get time to go even go drink water when u at hospital...

trust me people... this is only the surface of issues i touched here about life as a dr in Sg... dont let the money lure you in.. it's not worth it.. really.. m freaking glad i'll be resiging soon

only positive thing i can say about working here is that the case load is so high that you do get quiet good exposure to a variety of cases and you can be left alone at times to deal with these cases, which can be good, and if you stuck you just pick up the phone and ask for help.. good if u want to come here for a year or two then fly off to a place where u actually would have fun

PS: no one respect's you here as a dr.. not ur colleagues, not your patients and your family will also loose respect for you (coz u wont have time for them)

what heldpra
 

I worked as an MO here in SGH.. you make about $6500/month
That's if you an MO.. if you, however, qualify for Temporary registration then you make about 3500-4000/month.. very low considering the cost of living here..

6.5k is also low. Citibank interns earn 10k.

Lower starting pay, yes. But longer shelf life.

That is so disappointing...
Case load = high is not an advantage; I see plenty of cases, deal with plenty of people from all over the world here where I am at.

What are you going into if you are resigning? Are you quitting medicine all together?

dude please get your facts right. citibank interns get 10,000.? no you are wrong. the ones getting 10,000 are from Goldman Sachs. Citibank new managers don't even get 10,000. At best 7,000.

goldman sachs, merrill lynch and jp morgan are the top guns. since when is citibank even in the picture.

Year 1 consultant emergency physician, about SGD $240000-280000 per year depending on institution. Thats before tax of course

Is that for a fully registered physician? I'm curious how much a conditionally registered specialist would make.

hahhaa... no man.. just resigning from working in Singapore and moving back home to continue working/training as a Dr there... Singapore wasnt that bad to make me quiet medicine..

Conditional registered are usually the same as a fully registered doctor. That is your qualifications are recognized by the Singapore medical council. The main difference is that you cannot go private.

Temp registered are paid less. And that's where qualifications are not recognized by the SMC but able to continue work under certain conditions.

Pay for orthopaedic specialist
 

Hi,

Got recent CCT from uk. Sub speciality of lower limb arthroplasty and revision surgery. Can I get a job and if so what would be approx starting salary.

It will depend on your experience after completion of training. If you are legible to start as a consultant then you are looking at SGD $250000-300000 - year including bonuses and allowances. You may also earn some extra for each person operated under your name.

Just to add, orthopaedics is fairly competitive as Singapore has a lot of orthopods being a popular specialist choice. But with the recent expansions and ongoing attrition to the private sector (where many surgeons earn heaps more like SGD$500000 a year, but with different overheads, and only applicable to fully registered practitioners) there should be open jobs available

Have a look
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Singapore - KTPH
Home - Jurong Health Services

Thanks a lot for the info.

How much would a US trained/board certified anesthesiologist make as a conditionally registered and, assuming he becomes fully registered, how much in private practice? Would sub-specialty training such as pediatric anesthesia make a difference? Is there much demand for anesthesiologists?

I've been in practice in the US for 9 years post training and I'm looking to make a change, even if it means a pay cut.

Conditional registered will earn the same as for full registered specialist in a public hospital. Prob earn as much as an emergency consultant.... For the US it will depend how many years after board exam rather than residency so say you are 9 years post board, you can get a senior consultant post which pays about 350000-400000 per year (including allowances and bonuses).... U will need to work in a public hospital at least 5 years before private practice... In general private practice pays 400000 upwards.....depending on your popularity and how hard you work most anaesthetist can bring home a lot more

There is always a demand for anaesthetist in the public sector.... Paeds anaesthesia may get u some additional allowances or allow you to work in children's hospital.

Thanks (both of you?) for your answers. One last question if I may, is it easier to go through recruiters or should I be emailing resumes directly to hospitals?

Since you already have some inside info you can email hospitals directly to cut out the middle man unless you are not sure which hospital to apply to.... But u can decide either way.
I think the two newest hospitals were already mentioned and these would be actively recruiting.

The other major hospitals are
Tan tock Seng hospital www.ttsh.com.sg
National university hospital Patients & Visitors::National University Hospital
Changi general hospital Home - Changi General Hospital, Singapore
Singapore general hospital Singapore General Hospital Home ? Singapore General Hospital

That's entirely up to you. But you can apply direct and deal with the HR directly without needing to go thru a middle man (or pay extra fees) there are only 6 public hospitals anyway.

Doctors' night duty allowance
 

any one able to share the doctor's night duty allowance at the major hospitals?

salary for doctors
 

hi
i am an anaesthetic consultant for past 2 yrs in Uk.i went to BMJ career fairs last oct.Jurong health r recruiting doctors. they are offering abt 20-21 k/month plus some housing allowance plus one month bonus for consultant anaesthetists. Surely they ll offer more to an orthopod..

Hi frnds kindly help me. Iam a ENT surgeon want to work abroad for better perks and work conditions. Please tell me how to get a job in Singapore. Is there any exam for same? Can't afford USMLE, no job guaranty in UK after PLAB.

Google for "mohh holdings" and contact them directly.

Silly medical student probably from river valley road.
 

You are a medical student. You don't know a thing about working on the wards so shut your mouth until you've earned the right to comment. I am a white British doctor who's family has lived in Singapore for many years, so I'm qualified to comment on your point of view. Nobody is going to respect you because you are white and British when you are on the shop floor working as a House Officer.... for the simple reason that you are just a House Officer. You won't know what I'm talking about now, but you've got it to look forward to. Comparing the two systems at Junior Doctor level, England is bad, but Singapore is terrible. There are no guaranteed pay rises year on year, the hours are beyond ****, and the price of living in spore now negates any marginal advantages like being able to get sunlight and mee goh reng.

Prakash, you can try TTSH - Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Loads of ENT people left the hospital to set up shop in the nearby Parkway Novena hospital. I am sure they are in dire need of replacements.

Thank and regards

Thanks and Regards

GP
 

Hi I am intending to do the GP specialist training in the UK then come back to Singapore to work as a GP. However, looking at the forum, it appears as though the SMC will not fully register until >3 years later. Does that mean I will not be able to work in a GP practice and have to be stuck in a hospital for those number of years? Also, is that the same if I want to work in say Parkway Health?

Hi

Recently offered a job in SGH as an Associate consultant. I understand pay structure is fixed by grade / rank so that is pretty much fixed. Anyone has any advice or experience on what things to negotiate (eg. moving expenses / living allowance etc) with before signing the contract?

hello
 

Hi there
i am in the same state as u although been offered a consultant job at SGH in anaesthetics. what field r u in. may be we could share our views and thoughts thru email. what do u think ?

Hi I'm about to do a Skype interview for a consultant position in anesthesia as well. No specific mention of salary, benefits, vacation, workload as of yet. The recruiting company I talked to said about 46 hour workweek with call 1/4 or 1/5, which would be less than what I'm doing here in the US. Salary will certainly be less, but I'm thinking long term and have personal reasons for moving. I'd be happy to compare notes with you.

No problem, so might be starting in SGH around same time. PM me, we can exchange info. Thanks