The department is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training. Medical students from the National University of Singapore are attached to the department for their 2-week anaesthesia posting. They receive both theoretical and practical teaching on the principles of anaesthesia, resuscitation, perioperative care of patients, airway management and practical procedures.

Basic specialty training of medical officers is geared towards the MMed Anaesthesia degree conferred by the School of Postgraduate Medicine, National University of Singapore. Advanced speciality training is geared towards Speciality Accreditation. Development of subspeciality interests and research are encouraged.

The department has a comprehensive 'in-house' teaching programme involving ICU and critical incident case presentations, journal reviews and lectures by invited speakers. Tutorials are also conducted for residents geared towards anaesthesia postgraduate examinations. Resident positions in the department are fully recognized as training positions for the MMed (Anaesthesia) and FANZCA (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Australia), including the provisional fellowship year of the FANZCA.

Simulator Training

Training with the computerised Human Patient Simulator (HPS) is used to enhance teaching of doctors, nurses and medical undergraduates. Vital signs, drug pharmacology and HPS responses to interventions can be programmed to simulate pathophysiological states encountered in a wide range of clinical scenarios.

While HPS training cannot substitute actual clinical experience, it has its advantages:

The "hands-on" training is ideal for rehearsing management protocols for medical emergencies.
It helps participants learn and gain confidence in a controlled environment without fear of inflicting harm to real patients.
In addition to practical application of medical knowledge, participants learn communication, teamwork and leadership skills.

Anaesthesia