Implementation of Pediatrics Residency Accredited Program in Singapore

Abstract

In 2009, Singapore began replacing the British-based specialist training that constituted its postgraduate medical education with a United States-based Residency program, which is more structured. Singapore is the first country outside the United States to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education — International (ACGME-I). This paper reviews the recent changes in the context of the Pediatrics program at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, one of the five specialties chosen to launch the new residency programs. Most of the changes were made for accreditation purposes, so as to align with the requirements set by ACGME-I; however, local content and Ministry of Health (MOH) stipulations were also taken into account when designing the new pedagogical and training curriculum. Areas discussed include faculty numbers and development, concurrent training of trainees from the previous system, selection of residents, resident training, resident duty hours, mentors, curriculum, rotations, continuity clinics, scholarly activity, postgraduate exams, remediation, and chief residents.