Dr Tan Wu Meng
MA MBBChir PhD (Cambridge), M.Med (Int Med), MRCP (UK)
Dr Tan completed his HO training at SGH, was a Research Fellow at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), trained as an MO in SingHealth and is about to start his Registrar training in Medical Oncology at NCCS.

Why Choose SingHealth

SingHealth offers unmatched breadth and depth of clinical exposure. Our departments and specialty units are centres of national excellence; many are renowned internationally as regional stars. In the public and private sector, many would say that if you’ve trained at the SGH (and its associated specialty centres), you’ve “seen it all” – and that exposure is something which gives patients confidence.




Training Experiences at SingHealth

The SingHealth trainee receives unmatched clinical experience, spanning all specialties in a multi-disciplinary tertiary teaching hospital setting. Many of the sickest patients and most complex cases come to us, from throughout Singapore and Southeast Asia. It is an enormous privilege working with them and trying to help them.

In our daily work we encounter situations that elsewhere would only be seen in books. For some of the patients we care for, their problems are so challenging that no textbook has yet been written. For trainees with the interest, there are opportunities for research, especially in clinical settings - this is our way of contributing to the textbooks of tomorrow.

Our mentors have high standards, but they recognize juniors who work hard and work smart, have inquiring minds thirsty for knowledge, and are willing to go the extra mile to make a difference for their patients. We have a breadth of mentors, each with their own unique style, many of whom are local legends in clinical medicine. I have learnt a lot from working with them; each new learning experience is an opportunity to incorporate something extra into my clinical thinking and approach to the patient.

Work Life at SingHealth

We recognize that the well-rounded trainee is a better doctor. In fact, many of my colleagues have interests outside of medicine. Healthcare is always evolving as we seek to improve, and there are opportunities to push for constructive change if you wish - the seniors I’ve met are willing to listen to well-reasoned, evidence-based proposals for improvement. Many departments have a strong sense of camaraderie between the trainees, and I've made lasting friendships in my time here.

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Dr Lee Ser Yee
Advanced Surgical Trainee
Dept of General Surgery, Division of Surgery, SGH

I am a Registrar in the Department of General Surgery, Singapore General Hospital. It is the largest and most established general surgical unit in Singapore. With a staff strength of over 70 doctors and a full range of surgical subspecialties, trainees are exposed to and learn from a wide range of clinical conditions and surgical procedures, from senior surgeons who are acknowledged as leaders in their various fields.

Although the department is known for its strengths in clinical practice and surgical skills, it has managed to create an environment that fosters research, one in which research is actively encouraged and facilitated from very junior levels and upwards. This includes creating research projects, allotting protected time for research, encouraging trainees to pursue postgraduate research degrees and sponsorship for presentations at overseas conferences. For those inclined, opportunities to work in the laboratory and to collaborate with scientists in various institutions like the National Cancer Centre Singapore exist. This is to groom clinician-scientists who will be able to bridge the gap between benchside work and its translation into results with a clinical impact.

Most of all, what makes a department are the people within – and herein lies its real strength. Like a family, a strong culture of mentorship in which skills and knowledge are passed down from senior to junior exists at all levels; from the senior medical officer who brings a junior medical officer through his first appendicectomy to the consultant who guides the registrar through his first laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

These ensure that each generation builds upon the strong foundations that their predecessors have laid. The senior consultants and consultants are dynamic and inspirational leaders of their respective teams, and while they expect high standards of knowledge and clinical skills from the rest of the team, they demand even more of themselves. Despite the size of the department, there exists a feel of camaraderie and of family – the sense of belonging and of loyalty. In short, if you want to do general surgery, there is no better place to be. 

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Dr Lam Kai Yet
Medical Officer (Trainee)
Dept of General Surgery, Division of Surgery, SGH

What struck me most about the Dept of General Surgery at SGH is the work ethos. I have worked in several other departments in various hospitals, but never have I seen such drive and commitment, which emanates down from the consultants and registrars, to my fellow medical officers. While the long hours and ceaseless amount of work wears and tires me out, I get motivated just by observing the likes of Dr. Alexander Chung, Prof Wong Wai Keong, Dr. Chan Weng Hoong and Dr. Tan Seck Guan. I've had the privilege of working under these consultants in the past few months and have been truly inspired by their dedication to the patients and passion for teaching.

Being a trainee, I was accorded more responsibilities and tasks than the rest of my peers. Taking this in the right light, this translated to much more learning opportunities, especially in the honing of my surgical and decision-making skills.

In short, SGH General Surgery is a place for budding surgeons to pit their skills, knowledge and endurance against a background of continual workloads. This posting has been a most inspirational journey for me.

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Dr Adrian Chiow
General Surgical Registrar (AST) 
Dept of General Surgery, CGH

'Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it'. This quote ran in my mind as I recall the considerations I took when making my decision for a place in AST training.

The ideal training ground for me has always been a centre that focuses on grooming trainees for the future. I remember the first few days as a brand new surgical medical officer in the Dept of General Surgery, CGH. I was taken under the wings of senior registrars who patiently supervised me as I stitched skin at 3am in the morning, correcting my every misplaced stitch. Every call was a tutorial; every patient was a lesson and every member of the team, from the nervous new house officer to the senior fellow – important. I felt I was a valuable contributing member of the team, although looking back, I probably contributed more to the premature aging of my registrars and consultants! I was a bumbling fumbling new MO, yet I felt I was doing my part in making my patients better, a small piece that fitted perfectly in the big jigsaw that was the surgical team.

In my training as a basic surgical trainee in the Dept of General Surgery, CGH, I've been encouraged by colleagues, seniors and even juniors to always strive to be better. Looking back, there were many times where I had been given room to grow as a trainee, to take little baby steps to embrace new surgical skills. It was always humbling when your seniors in the department know what you can and cannot do, most times more that you yourself knew.

I remember in my enthusiasm to train, my consultant reminded me, “Adrian, the lesser the indication, the greater the complication. “ In CGH GS, there's never a lack in training opportunities, with a large mix of both complex and run of the mill; emergency and elective cases.

The CGH GS experience has not just been confined to work. Through the years I have gotten to know my seniors - their family and their loved ones. It has been over many countless home-cooked dinners that we have had discussions over family, career and the topic of the day. To me, true mentorship is done not just in the confines of the office but also over a cup of coffee or dinner.

At the end of the day, I want to belong in a department that I know has people who'll sacrifice their time, effort and energy to train me. In their pursuit of surgical excellence, they will take time to bring me along on the ride. I am a child as a trainee, and I want to know that I have a family that'll nurture me, chide me when I’m wrong and celebrate with me when I succeed. I know I am not just a colleague, a trainee... rather, I am part of a family.

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