A good surgeon “possesses courage and presence of mind, a hand free from perspiration, tremorless grip of sharp instruments, and who carries his operation to success and to the advantage of his patient, who has entrusted his life to the surgeon. The surgeon should respect the absolute surrender and treat his patient as his own son.” – Susruta, 600BC.

The general surgeon is a surgical specialist engaged in the comprehensive care of surgical patients. General Surgery is the basic core specialty which provides the foundation to the development of various surgical sub-specialty practice.

Resident's Talk

NHG-AHPL General Surgery from NHG Residency on Vimeo.

Training the next generation of surgeons     

Aim of Program  

The NHG-AHPL General Surgery Residency Program is a 5-year program which aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and attributes to become a well-rounded, holistic and independent surgeon, with a passion for life-long learning and who is able to provide quality and safe patient centred care in a cost effective manner. This is achieved through a structured clinical and academic environment with progressive patient care responsibilities, centred on the core competencies of Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice-based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism and System-based Practice that stimulates inquiry and professional development.

Strengths of Program   

The program is based in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) in partnership with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH). Both institutions manage a wide spread of acute and elective surgical patients through a highly collaborative environment, comprising of comprehensive surgical, non-surgical services and allied health services. You will experience comprehensive training, progressive responsibilities and opportunities in the non-operative and operative management of a wide array of acute and elective surgical patients. The program will provide you with the opportunity to learn and practise in varied and challenging clinical settings. Your learning experience will be further enriched by the TTSH’s new Advanced Simulation Centre and KTPH’s new training and clinical facilities.

In addition to developing the science and art of surgical practice, our structured curriculum, academic and focused clinical activities will develop your knowledge and practice of patient safety, communication skills, evidence-based medicine, ethics, clinical quality improvement and professionalism to complete your development as a clinician. The program will also provide you with the opportunities for active involvement in research to advance your understanding of patient care, disease management, health services improvement and life-long learning.

You will have the opportunity to teach and guide medical students and junior staff in various aspect of medical education and develop as clinical teachers during the residency.

The program has a robust formative and summative assessment and remedial systems anchored by qualified and dedicated faculty. You will be closely supervised, mentored and supported by our strong team of experienced and dedicated clinician educators, surgical and non-surgical faculty who are committed to enriching your learning experience and advancing your knowledge of the ever-evolving surgical fields.

Collaborations with other institutions will give you the opportunity to interact with clinicians and researchers outside of our parent institutions and help you build a wider appreciation of health care in general and valuable networks for the future benefit of your patients.

Rotation    

Core rotations include general surgery, surgical critical care, hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery, colorectal surgery, trauma surgery, breast and endocrine surgery, upper gastrointestinal tract and bariatric surgery, vascular surgery, advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, paediatric surgery, transplant surgery as well as surgical oncology.

Elective rotations can also be arranged to widen your exposure to other surgical related specialties like plastic surgery, thoracic surgery and orthopaedic surgery. You will also have opportunities for experiential learning in general medicine and emergency medicine.

Faculty Members

For further information, please contact: 

Program Director        

A/Prof Vijayan Appasamy

Email: Vijayan_A@ttsh.com.sg

TTSH Associate Program Directors

Dr Adrian Ooi Seng Wae

Email: Adrian_OOI@ttsh.com.sg

Dr Junnarkar Sameer Padmakmur

Email: sp_junnarkar@ttsh.com.sg

KTPH Associate Program Directors   

Dr Tan T’zu-Jen

Email: tan.tzu.jen@alexandrahealth.com.sg

Program Coordinator

Ms Seek Win Nie

Email: Win_Nie_Seek@nhg.com.sg

Frequently Asked Questions        

How do I apply for your program?        

All applications for the Residency Program are centrally coordinated by the Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH). Please visit their website at http://www.physician.mohh.com.sg/residency/index.html for details and information on residency application.

How long is the General Surgery Residency training?       

The General Surgery Residency training comprises of 5 academic years. Junior resident years encompass a 3-year comprehensive program in various aspects of general surgery and surgical critical care to build a solid foundation for residents in the principles of surgery and systemic surgery. Subsequently, residents will move on to 2 years of senior residency year and focus more on the various sub-specialties in surgery.

Throughout these 5 years, residents will develop their competencies in medical knowledge, surgical skills, patient care, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills and system-based practice.

Do I still need to sit for external paper like MRCS or FRCS if I take up Residency training?        

Yes. Currently, these exams are part of the criteria and assessment as specified by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) for one to practise as a specialist surgeon in Singapore.
We have designed and structured our educational and training program to prepare residents for these exams.

Do I still need 1 to 2 years of overseas fellowship training after I graduated from Residency Program?  

We strongly encourage residents to pursue fellowship training after completing and graduating from Residency training. We believe that such training is a desirable experience to strengthen one's surgical ability and broaden one's knowledge and experience.

Are there research opportunities? 

Ample opportunities exist, ranging from collaborations at the intra-departmental level all the way to inter-institutional collaborations. Such collaborations will provide opportunities for you to widen your research interests and opportunities, and explore the ever changing dimensions in surgery and health sciences in general. Please speak to our Program Director to learn more about these exciting opportunities.

Download

[Click on the image above to download the General Surgery residency program brochure.]