Singapore Medical Society London

With many thanks to SingHealth who allowed us to embark on this 1 week hospital attachment and choose our departments we like too! We were posted, depending on the speciality to either KKH, SGH or Changi General Hospital.

The attachment, which was opened to preclinical and clinicals was a blast. We learnt, we observed and within the scope of our abilities, we helped. What a week. It certainly puts what we are learning at university into some perspective.

Whilst being explained the works, aims and goals of hospitals under the NHG umbrella (NUH, IMH, TTSH, AH) , we were also given a grand tour, courtesy of the National Healthcare Group. Check out the museum at IMH – we are indeed lucky to be in the era of modern technology, some of the ancient equipment is just painful!

They gave (who cares if they stared at us strangely & had numerous questions!) and we raised for the SingHealth Foundation, to the tune of a fantastic amount of $4,500!! Not too shabby for 2 days work!

Venue: 5a Chancery Hill Road

Time: 5.30pm-10.30pm

Agenda: Discussion with clinicians from the National HealthCare Group and subsequently a dinner buffet

This event is held every year and is exactly what it says- a gathering. So it’s informal and held at one of our member’s homes (with many thanks!). We are fortunate this year to have the NHG come meet us and also give a presentation on the likes of working in Singapore with them. They also gave us some souvenirs- the stuffed bears were a hit!

Venue: Marriot Hotel

Time: 6.30pm- late

A night of socialising and semi-fine buffet dining organised by SingHealth. Intermingled with us lot were the xi-fus in medicine from whom provided some really good advice to being a student, the direction in which the healthcare system in Singapore is heading towards, their individual specialities and what we can do to equip ourselves with the capabilities to ensure a brighter future.

The annual trip, PKK (the term of endearment we use to call this project) is organised by our members. The 2 leaders this year are Samantha Low and Chok Singwei who did a fantastic job of getting individuals from universities far and wide from the UK to abandon their luxuries back home, and bung them all to Thailand to do some good volunteering and social work. (Of course they had planned & taken many measures to ensure that they had a roof over their heads and food to eat as well!)

On their agenda were educational talks and skits (all in Thai, by the way!) on dengue fever, breast cancer and muscle strains etc. – all geared at the risks facing the village. Further activities include teaching English to children & organising some fun-filled activities for them whilst they are there.

Taken from: http://medicine.nus.edu.sg/clinical/

Eligibility

All special clinical students will be registered under the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Applicants must be bona fide students of a medical school, and already in their clinical years. Applicants should apply at least 3 months in advance, otherwise the application will not be considered. At the earliest, applications will be processed 12 months before the start of the proposed elective.

Postings

• Postings are counted in weeks, commencing on a Monday, and ending on a Saturday. The minimum and maximum posting periods are 2 weeks and 12 weeks respectively.
  
• In Section 3 of the application form (“Proposed Elective Postings”), students must indicate the exact period (ddmmyyyy) of their proposed electives. Students who do not indicate their choice of hospital next to the preferred elective department will be posted to National University Hospital (NUH). Applicants are advised to give at least two alternative postings, in case their preferred department or hospital is not available.
  
• Students who wish to do projects should inform us at least 2 months before the commencement of the elective attachment.
  
• Postings applied for are subject to the availability of vacancies and supervision, and the Dean’s approval.
• Applicants are advised to make their own arrangements for malpractice insurance coverage for the period of the posting.

Other Information

Vaccinations

Applicants are strongly advised to be vaccinated against communicable diseases such as Varicella (Chicken Pox) and Rubella.

Changes or Cancellations

Request for change in discipline / department / hospital of postings will not be entertained after application is submitted.
For changes in posting date, applicants will be charged $52.50 (including 5% GST) for each change request. Applicants are strongly advised against making any changes and should be certain of their preferred choices of posting and dates before submission of application.

Applicants who are unable to pursue their clinical postings in our Faculty should inform us at least 4 weeks in advance. Students who fail to take up a place offered, without giving a valid reason, will not be offered a place in future.

Evaluation

All reports will be sent directly to the students’ respective universities, with the exception of those who have been instructed by their universities to collect their reports personally. In such cases, students should inform us when they report for their postings on the first day, and to collect the forms from us at the end of the posting.

Immigration

• Applicants from the countries listed on the following website will need to apply for a student visa before arriving in Singapore: http://app.ica.gov.sg/travellers/entry/visa_requirements.asp
• With effect from January 2003, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has implemented a web-based system for student pass application called the “Student Pass On-Line Application & Registration” (SOLAR), which is designed to streamline current student pass procedures and reduce processing time.

• The Application of Student Pass will be issued to you upon confirmation of your posting. This form should be submitted at least 1 month before commencement of your posting.

• Once we receive your completed application form, we will register your request through ICA’s SOLAR system and inform you to complete Form 16 online before ICA can process your application.

• To access SOLAR, please go to the website at http://www.ica.gov.sg and select “Student’s Pass Online Application & Registration”.

• Select “Student” button to begin.

• Key in the following five fields as indicated in the attached confirmation page:-
• • Your unique SOLAR Application Number (should be NU-2006-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)
  • Name
  • Nationality Please check that the particulars in these fields are correct and key in the exact format.
  • Date of Birth Please inform us immediately if there are any mistakes.
  • Sex

• Once SOLAR confirmed that the application process has been completed successfully, you will be prompted to fill up Form 16, in which the following information is mandatory:-
• • Marital Status (e.g. Single, Married etc)
  • Race
  • Religion
  • Country of Birth
  • List of Countries Applicant has Resided for past 5 years (to indicate at least one country)
  • Type of Travel Document Held (Should be “International Passport”)
  • Antecedent (must select either “Yes” or “No” answers)
  • Declaration (checkbox must be checked or clicked)

• You need not indicate your passport number if the information is not available at that time. Please remember to print a copy of Form 16 afteryou have submitted it successfully via SOLAR and bring it (complete with Passport details and duly signed) with you when you come for registration.

• Once Form 16 has been submitted successfully via SOLAR, ICA will proceed to process your student pass application and inform us of the outcome within 3 working days (for those nationals who do not require entry visa) or 2 weeks (for those nationals who require entry visa). You may also check the status of your application via SOLAR.

• If you are from a non-visa required country (e.g. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam etc.), you can collect the approval letter at the point of registration. However, if your application is unsuccessful, we will inform you via e-mail/letter and your offer will be deemed as withdrawn accordingly.
• If you are from a visa-required country (e.g. P.R. China. India, Bangladesh, Myanmar etc.), we will send you the In-principle Approval (IPA) letter, which also serves as a single-journey entry visa. You will be able to enter Singapore using the original copy of this letter and a valid passport. Similarly, if your application is unsuccessful, we will inform you via e-mail/letter and your offer will be deemed as withdrawn accordingly.

• For any queries regarding SOLAR, please e-mail to ICA_Feedback@ica.gov.sg

• Once we have registered your student pass application via the online system of our Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). ICA will need your confirmation via the same system before they can process your student pass application and grant you an In-principle Approval (IPA) letter. Please refer to the attached letter for detailed instructions and the Confirmation Page. Please note that candidates without the IPA will not be granted the student pass later.
• • To further strengthen the control of communicable diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Tuberculosis in Singapore, with effect from 1 March 2000, all foreigners who apply for the student pass for 6 months and above would have to undergo and pass a medical examination conducted by a qualified medical practitioner either in Singapore or in their home country, which must include the following:
  • general physical medical examination
  • a chest x-ray
  • a test for HIV

• Those who opt to do the medical examination in Singapore can do so at the University Health & Wellness Centre (UHWC), which is located in the Yusof Ishak House, National University of Singapore. The medical practitioner must record and certify the results of the medical examination conducted on each applicant using the official medical report form given by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The report must be in English. A medical report in any other form or format will not be accepted. One form is to be used for each applicant.

• The original copy of both the radiologist report on the chest x-ray and the laboratory report on the HIV test must be attached to the completed medical report when applying for the relevant immigration pass. Please note that the reports must not be issued more than 3 months ago at the time of submission to ICA.

• After your registration, your IPA letter will be stamped with the required period before you proceed to convert your social visit pass into a student pass.

• You may do so either in person at the ICA (located next to the Lavender MRT Station – see map at http://app.ica.gov.sg/about_ica/ica_building.asp) or through the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), located at Yusof Ishak House.

Accommodation

You may apply for accommodation in the guest rooms available on campus. You may download the application form for guest rooms at the website at http://www.nus.edu.sg/osa/housing/STguest.doc. Please return application forms to:

Residential Services
Office of Student Affairs
National University of Singapore
31, Lower Kent Ridge Road, Level 3, Yusof Ishak House
Singapore 119078
Tel: (65) 6516 4815, Fax: (65) 6778 5902 or

email at osahh@nus.edu.sg

Available Postings

• NUS provides postings in the following hospitals/institutions: ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL (AH)
  CENTRE FOR FORENSIC MEDICINE (CFM)
  CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL (CGH)
  KANDANG KERBAU WOMEN’S & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL (KKW&CH)
  NATIONAL CANCER CENTRE (NCC)
  NATIONAL HEART CENTRE (NHC)
  NATIONAL SKIN CENTRE (NSC)
  NATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE (NNI)
  NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (NUH)
  SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL (SGH)
  SINGAPORE NATIONAL EYE CENTRE (SNEC)
  TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL (TTSH)
  WOODBRIDGE HOSPITAL & INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (WH & IMH)
  
• Dates indicated in the list of available electives are subject to changes.
• We will not be able to arrange for electives in departments / hospitals which are not indicated in the elective list.
• You may view or download the list of available postings here:
  

  - Microsoft Word (DOC) format
  - Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format

Documentation Required for Elective Application

In summary, the following documents must be submitted to our office (Attn: Mrs V Pushpalatha Jagathisan, Dean’s Office, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597.) For details on the requirements below, please refer to the website at http://www.med.nus.edu.sg (-> Home -> Undergraduate -> Admission of Special Clinical Students.)

* Confirmation of placement will only be given upon receipt of the abovementioned documents. All documents must be submitted in English.

ONGOING INFECTION CONTROL PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

• You may do so either in person at the ICA (located next to the Lavender MRT Station – see map at http://app.ica.gov.sg/about_ica/ica_building.asp) or through the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), located at Yusof Ishak House.

ONGOING INFECTION CONTROL PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

• In the event of any epidemic outbreak, the University reserves the right to cancel your placement.
• You are to adhere to infection control guidelines set by the Ministry of Health, the hospital of posting, and NUS.

• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
  1. You will be required to don PPE during the clinical postings. PPE includes N95 masks, surgical masks, goggles, gowns, aprons and gloves. The use of these items will vary according to the level of alert.
     
  2. Mask-fitting and training in donning/doffing of the PPE will be provided prior to the start of your posting.
     
  3. Postings in Emergency Medicine (A&E) require full PPE. You are required to pay (in cash) for the cost of your PPE on the first day of reporting. The estimated cost of PPE in Emergency Medicine is S$70 per week.
     
• You will be required to monitor your temperature at least twice daily and are to have a thermometer (digital is recommended) available upon registration on the first day of reporting.
  
• After you have been offered a place, you will be asked to sign an acceptance form indicating your acceptance of these terms and conditions of your posting.