How is life as a doctor in Singapore?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Those are <5% of doctors, old ones from the old days when specialty training spots were widely available and the road to being consultant was the fast track. Most now slog it out in the polyclinic/hospital - you just don't realise it.

If cars were a comparison, think public transport or cheap japanese cars.

Agreed, how many in a batch of current graduates will achieve that now honestly, back then it was easier to make it big, although they worked even worse hours than now. Now I think graduates will fill up the RP posts done by foreigners, work in the many new upcoming polyclinics or flood the private GP market

Just wondering if there are any doctors who have actually got into residency programme, but subsequently decided to quit before their training is completed?
And if there any penalties for these doctors?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Just wondering if there are any doctors who have actually got into residency programme, but subsequently decided to quit before their training is completed?
And if there any penalties for these doctors?

Think it says somewhere on the residency websites you cant apply for another programme for 1 year.

Anyone here feels that it is increasingly easy to get sued nowadays being a doctor?

Hi, would like to seek some advice here (may sound like a silly question)
I am currently a PGY4 (Singaporean who graduated from UK in 2015, but returned to Singapore in 2016 as MO). have done mainly medical postings (in different subspecialities) since I returned to Singapore across all 3 clusters. I am interested in IM/fam Med (as in I am happy to do either), also currently doing GDFM and working on my PACES (MRCP- passed part 1/2)

I failed with my residency application in 2017 (IM) and 2018 (last year- FM). I would like to ask
- are older applicants at a disadvantage when it comes to residency. (from what I see, IM/FM residents across all 3 clusters tend to be PGY 1-3)

- Would it be better for me to stick to 1 cluster for my future mopex postings? (I was thinking of moving around all 3 clusters for mopex so that I can apply to all 3 clusters for residency (and also hopefully apply for SR or AC jobs in all 3 clusters in the future- in the context of IM residency), but now on hindsight not sure it would be better to stay in 1 cluster all the way?

- What is the future of doctors who dont get into residency? (i.e how is the market demand for GPs, RPs in polyclinics or restructured instituitions/hospitals)

I will probably try again this year and maybe next year (since my MOHH bond finish in 2021), before concluding that perhaps no one wants me and GP is my only option.

Hoping for some genuine advice.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, would like to seek some advice here (may sound like a silly question)
I am currently a PGY4 (Singaporean who graduated from UK in 2015, but returned to Singapore in 2016 as MO). have done mainly medical postings (in different subspecialities) since I returned to Singapore across all 3 clusters. I am interested in IM/fam Med (as in I am happy to do either), also currently doing GDFM and working on my PACES (MRCP- passed part 1/2)

I failed with my residency application in 2017 (IM) and 2018 (last year- FM). I would like to ask
- are older applicants at a disadvantage when it comes to residency. (from what I see, IM/FM residents across all 3 clusters tend to be PGY 1-3)

- Would it be better for me to stick to 1 cluster for my future mopex postings? (I was thinking of moving around all 3 clusters for mopex so that I can apply to all 3 clusters for residency (and also hopefully apply for SR or AC jobs in all 3 clusters in the future- in the context of IM residency), but now on hindsight not sure it would be better to stay in 1 cluster all the way?

- What is the future of doctors who dont get into residency? (i.e how is the market demand for GPs, RPs in polyclinics or restructured instituitions/hospitals)

I will probably try again this year and maybe next year (since my MOHH bond finish in 2021), before concluding that perhaps no one wants me and GP is my only option.

Hoping for some genuine advice.

Thanks

If you pass your paces I see no reason why they will reject you for IM residency.

What you doing is right. Now focus on rotating at one SI, make sure pd knows you. Get good reviews.

Hi I'm currently a Year 3 med student studying in Australia. I'd like to come back to Singapore for my HO/MO for family reasons, despite the initial problems I may face readjusting to the faster pace of life etc. Not a big concern for me, as family is family, after all.

However I'm really concerned whether doing so would be shooting myself in the foot in the long run. I'd like to try out for a surgical specialty as I think I'm quite inclined towards procedural techniques, but I understand it may be very hard to secure a training spot in Sg.

Also I've heard horror stories of specialists exiting residency w/o an Associate Consultant position---aka they are stuck as over-qualified registrars in the local hospitals. Sounds quite shitty to me.

Could anyone kindly enlighten me on:
1) How competitive are surgical residencies in Sg? (How many slots available, or how may competing per slot)
2) Is the specialist market really so saturated that even specialists cannot secure AC jobs?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi I'm currently a Year 3 med student studying in Australia. I'd like to come back to Singapore for my HO/MO for family reasons, despite the initial problems I may face readjusting to the faster pace of life etc. Not a big concern for me, as family is family, after all.

However I'm really concerned whether doing so would be shooting myself in the foot in the long run. I'd like to try out for a surgical specialty as I think I'm quite inclined towards procedural techniques, but I understand it may be very hard to secure a training spot in Sg.

Also I've heard horror stories of specialists exiting residency w/o an Associate Consultant position---aka they are stuck as over-qualified registrars in the local hospitals. Sounds quite shitty to me.

Could anyone kindly enlighten me on:
1) How competitive are surgical residencies in Sg? (How many slots available, or how may competing per slot)
2) Is the specialist market really so saturated that even specialists cannot secure AC jobs?

Thanks!

What's the intern situation currently in your state? Might not even be possible to stay in Australia these days tbh unless you get the rural contract.

Surgery is very competitive but not sure of the numbers as its not that transparent. But definitely have to rotate few years as an MO and network a lot. If you can find the document last time they used to post who matched what specialty, that can give you an idea of how many spots are there. Once you get it, life of a surgeon will probably be worse than most 1st world systems (barring us probably). This is probably going to get worse with bigger med school intake. With the current glut of regs waiting to be ACs it is likely they are scaling down residency spots also.

I think if you come back you kinda have to either continuously swim uphill to achieve your dreams, or open your mind to things like gp.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi I'm currently a Year 3 med student studying in Australia. I'd like to come back to Singapore for my HO/MO for family reasons, despite the initial problems I may face readjusting to the faster pace of life etc. Not a big concern for me, as family is family, after all.

However I'm really concerned whether doing so would be shooting myself in the foot in the long run. I'd like to try out for a surgical specialty as I think I'm quite inclined towards procedural techniques, but I understand it may be very hard to secure a training spot in Sg.

Also I've heard horror stories of specialists exiting residency w/o an Associate Consultant position---aka they are stuck as over-qualified registrars in the local hospitals. Sounds quite shitty to me.

Could anyone kindly enlighten me on:
1) How competitive are surgical residencies in Sg? (How many slots available, or how may competing per slot)
2) Is the specialist market really so saturated that even specialists cannot secure AC jobs?

Thanks!

i think we need to be realistic. the chances of you staying in Australia is very slim. As such you have no choice but to come back to Singapore.

While it is crazily competitive to get into surgical residencies in Singapore, you have no choice but to fight it out, as it is impossible to stay in Australia in this climate.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i think we need to be realistic. the chances of you staying in Australia is very slim. As such you have no choice but to come back to Singapore.

While it is crazily competitive to get into surgical residencies in Singapore, you have no choice but to fight it out, as it is impossible to stay in Australia in this climate.

Currently there is no AC jobs, and we need to waitlist for very long. But since you are coming back, this remains the only route you can take.