How is life as a doctor in Singapore?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Recently heard from some seniors that MMed FM is very hard to pass...how true is this? My medical knowledge is not the most solid but I feel confident enough to be a GP. Should I do GDFM instead of residency then?

No la. Where true?
U read a few post above. Someone felt that family med is the poorest paid speciality be it private and in public.
Hard to pass and still pays poor. Who in the right mind wants to do it.

Hi, I am an undergraduate medical student from Indonesia. I am aspired to move to SG at some point in the future. Given that SG is the Southeast Asian's medical research hub, I believe I will be able to thrive better there. Furthermore, my clinical and research interest is still relatively rare in Indonesia (I'm interested in medical oncology, to be precise, immunotherapy), and considering that Indonesia's research environment is still not friendly, I don't think my ambitions will be accommodated well here. I have a strong CV along with multiple international publications, research experience, and invited speaker positions at research training seminars. However, it seems bleak knowing that my medical qualification will not be recognized by the SMC.

Upon reading several threads in this forum, I concluded that PLAB/UKMLA may be the most plausible and cost-effective way. I still have about 3-4 years to prepare for them, hence I think if I start preparing now, my path may become easier in the future. I'm thinking of taking PLAB1, PLAB2, and non-training position simultaneously while studying for my MSc program, so I get two birds with one stone once I begin the IMT position. Nonetheless, I've also read that the competition for IMT training position in the UK is also short on the supply side, and most of them who made it to the UK system never came back to SG. Hence, I'm wondering if:

1. Is there any other way (preferably faster way) for me to become a clinician-scientist in SG? Perhaps, is it possible to get scouted there?

2. How does the competitiveness of SG's medical oncology residency program fare among other popular programs?

3. Are there any tips for me to prepare to enter the SG's health system as a prospective clinician-scientist?

#n.b.: I'm also thinking of serving my elective year at NUH, I hope this whole COVID-19 thing will be finished at that time so my posting will not be cancelled.

Hi, I am an undergraduate medical student from Indonesia. I am aspired to move to SG at some point in the future. Given that SG is the Southeast Asian's medical research hub, I believe I will be able to thrive better there. Furthermore, my clinical and research interest is still relatively rare in Indonesia (I'm interested in medical oncology, to be precise, immunotherapy), and considering that Indonesia's research environment is still not friendly, I don't think my ambitions will be accommodated well here. I have a strong CV along with multiple international publications, research experience, and invited speaker positions at research training seminars. However, it seems bleak knowing that my medical qualification will not be recognized by the SMC.

Upon reading several threads in this forum, I concluded that PLAB/UKMLA may be the most plausible and cost-effective way. I still have about 3-4 years to prepare for them, hence I think if I start preparing now, my path may become easier in the future. I'm thinking of taking PLAB1, PLAB2, and non-training position simultaneously while studying for my MSc program, so I get two birds with one stone once I begin the IMT position. Nonetheless, I've also read that the competition for IMT training position in the UK is also short on the supply side, and most of them who made it to the UK system never came back to SG. Hence, I'm wondering if:

1. Is there any other way (preferably faster way) for me to become a clinician-scientist in SG? Perhaps, is it possible to get scouted there?

2. How does the competitiveness of SG's medical oncology residency program fare among other popular programs?

3. Are there any tips for me to prepare to enter the SG's health system as a prospective clinician-scientist?

#n.b.: I'm also thinking of serving my elective year at NUH, I hope this whole COVID-19 thing will be finished at that time so my posting will not be cancelled.

Any singaporeans sign up to be resident physician or hospital clinician?

Can I ask is asthestics very popular/lucrative in Singapore? I have lots of friends eventually planning to do asthestics.
Is it also true that most private gps nowadays have to do some form of asthestics to survive? I am planning to be a gp (either residency or gdfm route). I plan to join a gp group and hopefully open my own clinic once I have enough capital. However, I have no interest in asthestics, can I still do private gp work alone?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Can I ask is asthestics very popular/lucrative in Singapore? I have lots of friends eventually planning to do asthestics.
Is it also true that most private gps nowadays have to do some form of asthestics to survive? I am planning to be a gp (either residency or gdfm route). I plan to join a gp group and hopefully open my own clinic once I have enough capital. However, I have no interest in asthestics, can I still do private gp work alone?

Aesthetics is guaranteed $1m a year income after tax.

You better do aesthetics. With the money you can help poor patients doing GP work for free.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi, I am an undergraduate medical student from Indonesia. I am aspired to move to SG at some point in the future. Given that SG is the Southeast Asian's medical research hub, I believe I will be able to thrive better there. Furthermore, my clinical and research interest is still relatively rare in Indonesia (I'm interested in medical oncology, to be precise, immunotherapy), and considering that Indonesia's research environment is still not friendly, I don't think my ambitions will be accommodated well here. I have a strong CV along with multiple international publications, research experience, and invited speaker positions at research training seminars. However, it seems bleak knowing that my medical qualification will not be recognized by the SMC.

Upon reading several threads in this forum, I concluded that PLAB/UKMLA may be the most plausible and cost-effective way. I still have about 3-4 years to prepare for them, hence I think if I start preparing now, my path may become easier in the future. I'm thinking of taking PLAB1, PLAB2, and non-training position simultaneously while studying for my MSc program, so I get two birds with one stone once I begin the IMT position. Nonetheless, I've also read that the competition for IMT training position in the UK is also short on the supply side, and most of them who made it to the UK system never came back to SG. Hence, I'm wondering if:

1. Is there any other way (preferably faster way) for me to become a clinician-scientist in SG? Perhaps, is it possible to get scouted there?

2. How does the competitiveness of SG's medical oncology residency program fare among other popular programs?

3. Are there any tips for me to prepare to enter the SG's health system as a prospective clinician-scientist?

#n.b.: I'm also thinking of serving my elective year at NUH, I hope this whole COVID-19 thing will be finished at that time so my posting will not be cancelled.

Pass Mrcp to get conditional registration in Singapore
Then apply resident physician job at Singapore national cancer centre

Doesn’t matter if ur first degree is not recognised as Long as u pass mrcp
Plab or ukmla not useful for Singapore.

Very unusual for a medical student to be invited speaker for conference.
It is also unusual for a medical student to have first author publication for clinical research,
Not some stats churning like meta-analysis but original research.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

slight digression from income, female doctors how do you go about with family planning? when would it be a better/'good' time to have kids? after getting into residency etc?

There is no particularly good or bad time

I have a classmate that got pregnant during m4 took a gap year before joining m5, now is successful senior resident.

I have a classmate that got pregnant during hoship, had to redo hoship of 1 year.

I have a classmate that got pregnant 4 times during the 5 years mohh bond.

I have a classmate that got pregnant after passing immediate exams.

I have a classmate that got pregnant after completing fm residency/im exit.

So whatever that floats your boat. There is no good time nor a bad time

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There is no particularly good or bad time

I have a classmate that got pregnant during m4 took a gap year before joining m5, now is successful senior resident.

I have a classmate that got pregnant during hoship, had to redo hoship of 1 year.

I have a classmate that got pregnant 4 times during the 5 years mohh bond.

I have a classmate that got pregnant after passing immediate exams.

I have a classmate that got pregnant after completing fm residency/im exit.

So whatever that floats your boat. There is no good time nor a bad time

I think you should plan for it if you can.

You would prefer to be in a less stressful posting when you are pregnant not so stressed over exams etc.

There are also cases of classmates having miscarriages and other obstetric complications when they were pregnant. Was it due to being a stressful part of their careers? We would like to think not but who knows.

If you get pregnant congratulations but better to plan for it.