“Internal medicine is a discipline encompassing the study and practice of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment of men and women from adolescence to old age, during health and all stages of illness. Intrinsic to the discipline are scientific knowledge, the scientific method of problem solving, evidence-based decision making, a commitment to lifelong learning, and an attitude of caring that is derived from humanistic and professional values.”  (Source: ACGME-I)

Career Overview  

As an internist, you will be exposed to a wide variety of medical conditions in adults, ranging from undifferentiated presentations to organ-specific conditions. You will be handling multiple facets of patient care from acute care in the hospital to chronic disease management in the outpatient setting. The internist also provides holistic care which is especially pertinent in these times, with the aging population.

Internal medicine is the foundation upon which the medical subspecialties develop. Those trained in internal medicine can consider further sub-specialization in the following: cardiology, critical care medicine, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatric medicine, haematology / transfusion medicine, infectious diseases, medical oncology, neurology, nuclear medicine, palliative medicine, rehabilitation medicine, renal medicine, respiratory medicine, and rheumatology.

In addition to career advancement in the medical disciplines, the internist, through active participation in research and teaching activities, has the option of developing a career in research or medical education.

Aim of Program    

The NHG-AHPL Internal Medicine Residency Program is an exciting, integrated and comprehensive program designed to provide you with the training, experience and resources for a wide range of career paths, including careers in subspecialty clinical practice and academic medicine.

Our institutions have a strong tradition in General Internal Medicine and a wide range of medicine sub-specialties, offering a state-of-the-art environment for both patient care and learning. Our collaborations with National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), National Skin Centre (NSC) and National Cancer Centre (NCC) ensure that you have the opportunity to work in the National Centers and train in a wide spectrum of internal medicine specialties.

Our distinguished teaching faculty and long history of teaching excellence will ensure you receive outstanding training, optimal supervision and guidance. This will be done in a supportive environment that fosters evidence-based medicine and critical decision-making skills in patient care.

This Internal Medicine Residency Program is a 38-month program with common trunk training for 15 advance training or fellowship program in cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatric medicine, haematology / transfusion medicine, infectious diseases, internal medicine, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, renal medicine, respiratory medicine and rheumatology.

The residency begins with broad-based training for new graduates. This includes compulsory postings of four months of general medicine and four months of general surgery or orthopaedic surgery.

You will have exposure and experiential learning in the medical subspecialties and emergency medicine. There are specified core postings which you must complete by the end of the residency program and a list of elective postings which you can choose from (see below).

Teaching Activities

 Departmental Teaching: Teaching ward round, department-specific teaching

Conferences: Clinico-pathology conferences, topic reviews etc.

Common Curricular Teaching: Teaching which applies to all clinical disciplines e.g. internal medicine, general surgery, emergency medicine and psychiatric medicine.

Internal Medicine-specific Teaching

Subspecialty Modular Teaching: Case-based teaching using case scenarios to illustrate and teach important topics and issues for each specialty

Examination-related Teaching: Picture slide quizzes and PACES teaching to prepare the residents for the MRCP examination, which remains as the intermediary examination for the residency program till further notice

Others: Program Director’s Round, Journal Club, Combined Case Discussion with KTPH

Resources

• E-Learning modules/courses
• E-resources – electronic library, examination-related resources
• Access to UK and USA-based study materials e.g. MRCP examination practice papers, MK SAP, MedStudy   

Collaborations

• National Neuroscience Institute for Neurology
• National Cancer Centre for Medical Oncology
• National Skin Centre for Dermatology   

Faculty Members

For further information, please contact:

Program Director

Dr Koh Nien Yue

E-mail: Nien_Yue_Koh@ttsh.com.sg

Associate Program Directors

Dr Adrian Liew

E-mail: Adrian_Liew@ttsh.com.sg

Dr Ranjana Acharya

E-mail: Ranjana_Acharya@ttsh.com.sg

Dr Goh Kian Peng

E-mail: Goh.Kian.Peng@alexandrahealth.com.sg

Program Coodinator

Ms Selvia Kosim

E-mail: Selvia_Kosim@nhg.com.sg

Frequently Asked Questions:

What does common trunk training mean?

This means that the Internal Medicine Residency Program provides the common basic training, which is the pre-requisite for the fellowship program for all the listed medical specialties, including Dermatology.

What are the differences between traditional Internal Medicine BST and Residency? 

What is graded responsibility?

The resident will be expected to handle increasing specified responsibilities and ACGME competencies as they progress through the residency years, and will be assessed accordingly.

What if I need career guidance?

The resident can seek advice from the core faculty, the program director or the associate program director. Each resident will also have a mentor who will advise and guide the resident through the residency years.

How does this program prepare us for life as a first year resident?

There are various teaching activities within the program which are geared towards equipping the resident with skills to handle the day-to-day clinical work. In addition, the residents will be supervised by the medical officers and the senior staff. The faculty is also available for consult should the resident encounter difficulties.