Are you looking for variety, unpredictability and excitement? Then emergency medicine may be just for you!

Resident's Talk

NHG-AHPL Emergency Medicine from NHG Residency on Vimeo.

Career Overview

If you are thinking of a career in emergency medicine, you are probably attracted by the challenging, high-pressure environment of the emergency department.

As an emergency medicine specialist, you will be an expert in establishing a snap diagnosis for undifferentiated symptoms with minimal history and time constraints. You must be able to identify the critically ill and injured, provide safe and effective immediate care and plan for definitive care.

You will be looking after patients with a wide range of pathologies, in all age groups. The work is unpredictable and sometimes stressful, but it will never be dull.

You will have practical skills and expertise in resuscitation and be able to place patients on the correct care pathways that lead to appropriate discharge with follow-up, admission to an emergency department-based observation unit or admission to hospital. Working in the emergency department, it is important to be team player. You will develop important communication and interpersonal skills.

Aim of Program        

We will train you to be resuscitation leaders and acute care specialists, proficient in a wide range of resuscitative skills and managing problems across a wide age range.  The NHG Emergency Medicine (EM) Residency Program is a 5-year apprenticeship that covers the essential topics of emergency medicine as well as other aspects including pre-hospital and disaster medicine, observational medicine, communication and teaching skills, department management, simulation and ultrasound.

You will rotate through various clinical specialties, such as medicine, cardiology, surgery, trauma, orthopaedics, anaesthesia, and more. Built into our program are preparatory courses to guide you through the various examinations and you will also benefit from the integrated inter-department and inter-hospital teaching.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital is the largest Emergency Department in Singapore and has one of the highest trauma and SCDF ambulance volume amongst all the hospitals, presenting you with an opportunity to work with rich clinical material. Through graduated responsibility, close supervision and mentoring by an established and much sought-after faculty, supported by approachable and helpful nurses, a graduate of the NHG EM Residency Program will be a highly skilled, competent emergency physician, confident of holding his own in any situation.

Example of Rotation for R1 Residents              

R1 rotations   

Frequently Asked Questions:         

Why is the NHG Emergency Medicine Residency Program the choice for me?         

The emergency department in Tan Tock Seng Hospital is the largest and one of the busiest ED's in Singapore. We have the biggest short-stay ward, Emergency Diagnosis and Treatment Centre (EDTC) and fever screening area. We are also the only ED with a purpose-built decontamination structure for HAZMAT incidents. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to hone your capabilities as an emergency physician with ample training material.  Our proximity to Communicable Disease Centre also means that we will be the first to be called into action in the event of any infectious disease outbreak. You will have valuable infectious disease and emergency response experience that few EDs can provide.

Being part of a busy ED means hard work. While we value tenacity and perseverance in our residents, we are cognizant that residents must not get bogged down with service, and the faculty on shift will ensure that teaching and learning is optimized. We work together in a team to deal with emergencies and you will receive help and support not only from faculty members and doctors, but also from our nurses.

We are also involved in many regional outreach projects, such as teaching programs and humanitarian missions. This will enrich and enhance your training to be an emergency physician.

What are the exams that I have to take?    

The Membership of the College of Emergency Medicine of UK (MCEM) Part A should be completed between year 1 and 3, and Part B and C by the beginning of year 4.   Promotion through the residency years does not depend on the outcome of the MCEM exams but is contingent on passing the end-of-posting and end-of-year formative tests. At the end of the fifth year of residency, you will sit for an exit examination comprising clinical, administration, teaching and critical appraisal components. We will prepare you to tackle these hurdles and we are committed to help you clear these exams on the first try.

Will there be a consultant job for me?         

Upon successful completion of the Residency Program, you will exit as an EM Specialist. There is a great need for more consultant emergency physicians both in TTSH and nationally as the patient attendances continue to climb yearly and with the opening of two new hospitals. There is an emerging trend of older, sicker, unstable patients presenting to the ED. New evidence-based practices such as early-goal directed therapy for patients with sepsis will bring ICU-care to the ED and consultant emergency physicians are needed to manage this. The long-term plan is for a consultant-led service to ensure better, more expedient care for the patients.  

What sub-specialization opportunities are available?        

At the end of residency, you will choose to do a fellowship in one of the following:

• Trauma
• Toxicology
• Emergency Geriatrics
• Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine
• Disaster Medicine
• Observation Medicine
• Emergency Cardiology and Critical Care         

This will typically involve in an overseas or local stint under the HMDP scheme.

Are there opportunities for research?

There is a huge opportunity for research in the field of emergency medicine. We achieved international recognition for our SARS publications. Several of our emergency physicians have been awarded fellowships in the prestigious clinician leadership in research and one of our emergency physicians completed a Health Services and Outcomes Research (HSOR) scholarship in UK. You will have our senior doctors to mentor you in your projects.

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[Click on the image above to download the Emergency Medicine residency program brochure.]