There is nothing like hearing from the Residents themselves about what they feel about the NUHS University Medicine Cluster Internal Medicine Residency Program (Physician Advancement Program), so here are some of their
personal testimonials.
Name: Dr Ng Shu Ee
Position: Medical Officer Trainee
Dr Ng Shu Ee is certain she has chosen the best place to be:
I know I have made the right choice when I chose to join the NUH Internal Medicine Basic Specialist Training Program back in 2007. Being the first batch of residents, a lot of emphasis was on us and despite that, welfare was well taken care of. The program enabled me to plan my posting in various subspecialties way in advance till the end of my Basic Specialist Training which was about 2½ years down the road.
For my entire Basic Specialist Training in NUH, I have a dedicated supervisor/mentor who follows me through and keeps track of my progress. With constant supervision and mentorship, I was able to communicate my interest and work towards the correct direction to fulfill my goals.
University Medicine Cluster also pays significant attention to teaching at various levels, especially for the House Officers and Medical Officers. We have protected time for teaching and it has become a culture here to be taught almost everyday. Besides this, there is a Basic Specilist Training lecture series every Tuesday morning which I personally find extremely useful.
The start of Continuity Clinic for the Residents opens up the opportunity to gain more experience in dealing with outpatient cases and for the first time I was able to follow my patients through from the first consult/admission till their problem is solved or when they get discharged.
University Medicine Cluster is the place to be. There are lots of fun, friendly and approachable colleagues and it is definitely the best place for training.
Dr Ng Shu Ee
(Residency Program Pioneer Intake)
Name: Kewin Siah
Position: Medical Officer Trainee
Dr Kewin Siah prefers to sum up his productive schedule in timetable format:
Just another week in NUHS
Monday: Weekly Resident Continuity Clinic, Meeting at NHG IT department for planning of Clinician Desktop
Tuesday: Meeting up with my Research Mentor to discuss Research Grant Planning for Immune Activation in IBS
Wednesday: Weekly Mentoring Year 3 Clinical Attachment Student
Thursday: Meeting with NUS Microbiology and Anatomy Department for Research Proposal on Nutrition Project
Friday: Weekly Pilot Mentoring First Year Medical Student Program, Printing Poster for Asian Pacific Digestive Week 2009 Conference in Taipei
Saturday: Discussion with NTU Aeronautical Department regarding Handover Project
That's excluding all the interesting and great teaching that we get during ward rounds and tutorials by first grade teachers.
Dr Kewin Siah
(Residency Program Pioneer Intake)
Name: Dr Lu Wei
Position: Medical Officer Trainee
Dr Lu Wei finds time in the midst of preparation for her MRCP PACES exam to sing praises about the Residency Program:
I am proud to be a part of the NUH Medicine Residency Program. It is a program in which residents receive all-rounded exposure in various specialties in medicine in the ward as well as outpatient settings.
We are not only treated as an integral part of a friendly and caring medical community, but also trained to uphold high academic and performance standards. Dedicated mentors and supervisors have provided excellent guidance along the way. Our residents are a wonderful group of individuals who are enthusiastic about learning, work well together and practice good medicine.
Dr Lu Wei
(Residency Program Second Intake)
Name: Dr Amelia Santosa
Position: Medical Officer
Dr Amelia Santosa pens her views in between knitting & pacifying her newborn baby girl:
The Residency Program has a higher degree of flexibility in terms of posting rotation and duration during the BST program. Planning the postings for the entire traineeship at the start allows us to have a broad overview of what to expect, nurture our interests and if need be arrange for longer exposure to rotations that we feel inadequate in.
Fellow residents work alongside each other during their entire program, which encourages teamwork and facilitates constructive discussions through familiarity.
4 out of 5 popcorns!
Dr Amelia Santosa
(Residency Program Pioneer Intake)
Name: Dr Jolene Oon
Position: Medical Officer Trainee
Dr Jolene Oon likes to keep it simple & concise:
1) Research experience / exposure / opportunities
- lots of opportunities given with access to excellent research mentors
- priorities given especially in terms of grants, etc.
2) Ward work / procedures / mentorship / clinics / calls / teaching
- NUH has always prided itself in teaching the junior staff.
- Therefore, opportunities and teaching are aplenty
- Residents get our own Continuity Clinic
I joined the NUH residency program in November 2007. Initially, I chose to join NUH because of the excellent teaching program that they have for the junior staff. Subsequently, as a Resident, I realised that a lot of other opportunities are also given to us, including research exposure with access to excellent research mentors, Continuity Clinics to enhance our soft skills and knowledge in practicing holistic medicine as well as the opportunity to teach/mentor the upcoming junior doctors, i.e. medical students.
Dr Jolene Oon
(Residency Program Pioneer Intake)
Name: Dr Joline Lim
Position: Medical officer
Dr Joline Lim uses an Evidence Based Medicine approach to her time with Medicine:
If not for the fact that I moved from Hougang to Clementi and sleep was an independent predictor for QoL as a house officer, I may never have made my way into the doors of NUH Medicine department. However, I'm thankful for that, as it has turned out to be the one place which shaped my outlook of medicine and my practice as a physician.
With an environment which encourages independent thinking without losing focus on patient service, I find myself constantly challenged to seek what is current practice and tailor what the books taught to my patient's needs. The supportive leadership also means I am given opportunities to implement ideas and carry out research without having to worry about being frowned upon.
But most of all, the one thing I truly appreciate are the colleagues I've met through my years (though short!) in the department, as these are people I know who share a common vision and goal, who will walk alongside in our pursuit of a patient-centred, research-driven education institute.
Dr Joline Lim
(Residency Program Second Intake)
Name: Dr Eve Anwar
Position: Medical officer
Dr Eve Anwar, mother-to-be, shares her thoughts as well:
Being a part of the NUH Residency program, to me, has really just magnified all the things about the NUH department of medicine that first led me to wanting NUH to be my permanent career choice. The program, and especially its attention to junior staff teaching, has continued to emphasize an all-rounded approach, encompassing daily teaching, ample research opportunities in all fields of interest with both academic and financial support readily available as well as a more recently inaugurated recreational program centered around encouraging mingling between all levels of staff on a regular basis.
While all of these are invaluable to the resident-to-be, however, what has proven NUH residency to be a cut above the rest to me has been the amazingly passionate and approachable nature of the people at NUH. It has been a great opportunity to work with some of the most respectable experts in medicine, and to see firsthand the compassionate approach that is taken towards patient care. And yet despite the heavy responsibility they shoulder with regards to teaching, research and patient care, the department has always remained very much a cohesive unit, ensuring that their residents fit right in as an active, contributing and vital member of the medical family.
Dr Eve Anwar
(Residency Program Pioneer Intake)
Name: Dr Ho Jingshan
Position: Medical Officer Trainee
Dr Ho Jingshan takes a pragmatic approach to things:
Deciding to start specialty training is a serious decision that implies many years of commitment and effort. Hence choosing a post graduate residency program is probably the first major decision we make early in our careers as doctors.
The NUHS Internal Medicine Residency Program is committed to training future doctors to be part of a world class University Hospital. The faculty involved as mentors and in the training of the residents are all established clinicians and researchers in their respective fields of medicine who volunteer their time and are committed to helping our residents achieve a well rounded education.
The department places an equal emphasis on training and welfare as it does on service to our patients. Time is set aside for continuity clinic sessions where each resident has his personal clinic slot which is supervised by a covering consultant. Protected time is also set aside in the form of weekly morning teaching sessions. Our weekly night float system allows residents to maintain some continuity of care for our patients and yet does not sacrifice rest time in exchange for service. Rotations are planned in general medicine, all the medical subspecialties (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases, Rheumatology, Respiratory medicine and intensive care, Endocrinology, Neurology, Renal medicine, Geriatrics, Rehabilitation medicine, Dermatology) and also in relevant departments such as Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, Haematology and Oncology.
The future of medicine lies not only in service to the community but also in the form of translational research which value adds as cutting edge technology for our patients. As Residents, we are encouraged to engage in research projects and are allowed to choose our own dedicated research mentor to guide us through the 3 year program. Research opportunities at NUHS not only involve clinical studies that can impact health care directly, but also collaborations between physicians and NUS researchers where residents can be part of these forefront bench discoveries. New research facilities and two new national centres (National University Cancer Institute and National University Heart Centre Singapore) have also been commissioned by MOH to be set up in addition to the infrastructure available at NUHS.
For those interested in teaching, our post graduate program also gives Residents the opportunity to engage in mentoring and teaching of undergraduate medical students. However this is not a compulsory requirement.
NUHS department of medicine is the place to be should you want to be part of an all rounded training program that is dedicated to training world class doctors who will be able to provide excellent clinical care for our patients.
Dr Ho Jingshan
(Residency Program Second Intake)
