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How is life as a doctor in Singapore?

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  #1131 (permalink)  
Old 21-05-2020, 07:19 PM
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Hi may I know what's the fastest route to becoming an associate prof in singapore. Roughly how many publications? Must you be first authors in all those papers you published?
hi, can u tell me the fastest route to become the president of the united states?

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  #1132 (permalink)  
Old 21-05-2020, 08:43 PM
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Hi may I know what's the fastest route to becoming an associate prof in singapore. Roughly how many publications? Must you be first authors in all those papers you published?
Asst prof u can buy. My senior donated 50k and nus gave him an asst prof.

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  #1133 (permalink)  
Old 22-05-2020, 02:39 PM
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Asst prof u can buy. My senior donated 50k and nus gave him an asst prof.
No need to buy Asst Professorship. Just be willing to be the lord of residents and you will become one.

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  #1134 (permalink)  
Old 24-05-2020, 02:23 PM
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Do fellowship positions for specialities get paid a salary during the year or do they get a grant? How much is that usually? For example an Australian trained anaesthetic fellow (completion of FANZCA).

I presume the hours are still horrible as a fellow?
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  #1135 (permalink)  
Old 24-05-2020, 02:36 PM
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Asst prof u can buy. My senior donated 50k and nus gave him an asst prof.
Hello this is not India
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  #1136 (permalink)  
Old 25-05-2020, 03:42 PM
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I read all 114 pages. I am interested in 'How is life as a doctor in Singapore' because my daughter could be one 5 years down the road.

I am shocked to find out that the houseman/woman pay has not changed much, if at all, from 10 years back. 3.5k per month vs about 150-170k of education fee. A normal good degree can fetch you 4-5k if you join SAF or SPF or even becoming a teacher. 3.5k is poly diploma kind of pay.

I read through and got a second shock when one of you posted and mentioned that in 2003 [or 04], when he was a 3rd or 4th year MO, his pay was 4.5k. Same thing, no increment or at best, slight increment after 17 years.

Third shock, one can remain as MO and earn max pay of 8K if didn't manage to specialise or becoming a GP. You are definitely earning lower than an SAF or SPF officer or teacher here, yet your degree cost much much more.

On the other spectrum, you can become a specialist, the fastest, in about 10 years. You would then be an associate consultant but it seems that in fact, there may be no vacancy and you have to wait for existing AC to move up, move out or retired to take over the vacant spot? Same thing here from AC to consultant?

There is no guarantee that you can become a specialist. All MOs will fight for the training opportunities, if accepted, have to study, train and take exams before qualify to be a specialist? You may or may not get sponsored for the exam fee, which is costly? This is a very small number? I don't know how many in term of % of cohort can end up as a specialist/AC/C.

Is my summary the accurate reflection of the medicine landscape? My conclusion from the reading is that it does not worth the investment to become a MO forever. To lesser extend, it is not too bad to become a GP if one can't be a specialist and progress to AC/C. Even then, the competition is getting intense in the GP scene? If GP can't command at least 15-17k per month, and if in the long run, if GPs income drop to 10k level, then it is also not worth the long education and cost involved to become a doctor.
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  #1137 (permalink)  
Old 25-05-2020, 06:01 PM
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good effort reading the 114 pages, i have been following this thread for a few years now and you have managed to succinctly summarise the current predicament of junior doctors in singapore well. there are other threads on reddit singapore as well if you google "reddit oversupply of specialists" if you have not read them

did your daughter get accepted for local med school or overseas?

i completely agree with your sentiments it is not really worth it to start medical school nowadays if you have the calibre to get into medical school. the only silver lining is the job stability during this pandemic and the incoming recession.

while nobody can predict the market 5 years later, i dont think it will change that much residency wise and everyone will be flooding into the GP market. this will be made worse with the current expansion of medical school spots.

those who dont want to become GPs will either fight it out for residency as MOs or give up and become RPs. alternatively, they can be private hospital MOs or pursue alternative careers after their bond eg pharmaceuticals.

depending on specialty there is higher chance to get a spot in less demanded specialties eg rehabilitation medicine. for competitive specialties like urology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics i think it is gonna be even worse. they might give preference to scholars eg SAF, A*star or med school valedictorians or if they are some form of white horse. residency selection is less tickbox and transparent like in UK and more on connections and being well-liked in sg.

the current sentiment in the local med school is to encourage students become a gp or generalist in hospital to try to curb the demand of residency.

they can also try applying for residency in the US after their bond, or migrate elsewhere as a GP (sg specialist training is not recognised anywhere else in the world).

but i think if the student is not too aspiring they can probably live a middle class lifestyle while having a fulfilling job rather than being a corporate slave. this is the reality of sg being a small country with limited opportunities.

if the student studies abroad, there are probably more opportunities but risk of no job in sg after graduation. eg in the UK, specialty training there is quite attainable even the competitive ones but there is the mess with UK politics, poor pay and being away from home. the uk degree can let them work in australia/NZ easily and specialist training is also recognised in many countries. australian med school grads are finding it difficult to get a HO equivalent job in australia but when they do they can get PR eventually and are paid very well but still difficult to get specialist training. irish grads probably have to come back to sg as there are limited opportunities there.

gone are the old days of specialists earning loads in the private sector, only the absolute top students now will achieve that in the future.


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  #1138 (permalink)  
Old 25-05-2020, 06:04 PM
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I am a doc. And wonders if SMA's pledge still holds? with $$$ bugging people's heads. First ten years is probably "eat grass" but once we find our niche, specialisation or going general or into management, things will pick up.
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  #1139 (permalink)  
Old 25-05-2020, 06:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
good effort reading the 114 pages, i have been following this thread for a few years now and you have managed to succinctly summarise the current predicament of junior doctors in singapore well. there are other threads on reddit singapore as well if you google "reddit oversupply of specialists" if you have not read them

did your daughter get accepted for local med school or overseas?

i completely agree with your sentiments it is not really worth it to start medical school nowadays if you have the calibre to get into medical school. the only silver lining is the job stability during this pandemic and the incoming recession.

while nobody can predict the market 5 years later, i dont think it will change that much residency wise and everyone will be flooding into the GP market. this will be made worse with the current expansion of medical school spots.

those who dont want to become GPs will either fight it out for residency as MOs or give up and become RPs. alternatively, they can be private hospital MOs or pursue alternative careers after their bond eg pharmaceuticals.

depending on specialty there is higher chance to get a spot in less demanded specialties eg rehabilitation medicine. for competitive specialties like urology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics i think it is gonna be even worse. they might give preference to scholars eg SAF, A*star or med school valedictorians or if they are some form of white horse. residency selection is less tickbox and transparent like in UK and more on connections and being well-liked in sg.

the current sentiment in the local med school is to encourage students become a gp or generalist in hospital to try to curb the demand of residency.

they can also try applying for residency in the US after their bond, or migrate elsewhere as a GP (sg specialist training is not recognised anywhere else in the world).

but i think if the student is not too aspiring they can probably live a middle class lifestyle while having a fulfilling job rather than being a corporate slave. this is the reality of sg being a small country with limited opportunities.

if the student studies abroad, there are probably more opportunities but risk of no job in sg after graduation. eg in the UK, specialty training there is quite attainable even the competitive ones but there is the mess with UK politics, poor pay and being away from home. the uk degree can let them work in australia/NZ easily and specialist training is also recognised in many countries. australian med school grads are finding it difficult to get a HO equivalent job in australia but when they do they can get PR eventually and are paid very well but still difficult to get specialist training. irish grads probably have to come back to sg as there are limited opportunities there.

gone are the old days of specialists earning loads in the private sector, only the absolute top students now will achieve that in the future.
Get accepted to LKC, which according to one poster here, is lowest in hierarchy when vying for specialist opportunities.


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  #1140 (permalink)  
Old 25-05-2020, 06:34 PM
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I am a doc. And wonders if SMA's pledge still holds? with $$$ bugging people's heads. First ten years is probably "eat grass" but once we find our niche, specialisation or going general or into management, things will pick up.
Passion alone can't feed family and other meaningful fulfilment such as provide a comfortable standard of living for aged parents. In fact, low pay is acceptable if it is commensurate with the cost of training for the job and output of the actual work. How can HO's pay remain relatively the same for 17 years? Is the medical fraternity think current landscape is optimal in term of pay, job progression vs workload and responsibility? 10 yrs is short but it does not guarantee success thereafter too if one get stuck as a MO and can't find GP job, for whatever reason. Unless you can vow that this won't happen?
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