Our Education

The Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery Fellowship program of the National University Hospital, and the National University Health System of Singapore has a long history of training hand surgeons.

Our Fellowship Programme is to prepare our fellows for a career in hand surgery through broad and comprehensive exposure to hand surgery and reconstructive microsurgery, and the programme is run in parallel to the National Hand Surgery Residency Training Programme. As a University Hospital and a trauma centre, our facility offers a unique setting for this specialised training. Fellows receive individualised teaching and supervision in the both the operating room and outpatient clinics, progressively developing independent responsibility for patient care and supervision of residents.  

Fellows participate in rotations through various teams, each managing a combination of patients with commoner conditions, as well as subspecialty specific conditions. This approach aims to maximise exposure to a diverse range of patients, diagnoses and treatment philosophies. Fellows are required to do between five and seven stay-in call duties per month.  On-call consultant surgeons are available at all times for supervision and mentoring. Our programme fosters a strong academic environment through teaching conferences, journal club sessions, and anatomical dissections of the upper extremity. Fellows also have the opportunity to engage in clinical research and present their findings at national or international meetings. 

Eligibility

The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) has clear rules and regulations for the registration of medical doctors for the purposes of clinical training, the requirements for this are clearly outlined on the SMC website 

The SMC requirements include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Holds a recognised medical degree for Temporary Medical Registration with Singapore Medical Council (SMC)* 
• Fluency in English and where the medium of instruction for the applicant’s basic medical qualification is not in English, proof of English proficiency in the form of the IELTS, TOEFL or OET is required.
• At least 3 years' experience following Housemanship / Internship

Benefits

• Complimentary registration in our Department’s Five-day Basic Microsurgery Training Course
• Complementary registration at the Annual Hand Surgery Review Course organised by the Singapore Society for Hand Surgery (usually held in the last week of February) 
• Fourteen days of paid vacation leave in one year
• Fellowship Completion Certificate
• Reimbursement of the cost of malpractice insurance cover and temporary medical registration
• Travel support for presentation of department research at academic meetings

1. Curriculum vitae (with photo attached) 
2. A one-page document that answers the following questions: 
   • Why is it about hand surgery that interests you? 
   • Why are you interested in a Hand Surgery Fellowship in Singapore? 
   • What are your plans after completing fellowship?    
3. Letters of recommendation (at least two).
   •  We especially value the opinion of our previous fellows and letter(s) of recommendation from them

Foreign doctors may visit our hospital as observers for a maximum period of up to four weeks. Observers have the opportunity to participate in the department's academic activities and accompany clinical staff during ward rounds, outpatient clinics and operating room sessions. It is important to note that observers are not permitted to be involved in direct patient care, make entries in patients' case notes, write prescriptions or scrub in for operative procedures. Their roles are strictly observational.  

Observers are responsible for arranging their own board and lodging for the duration of their observership, and there will be no financial commitment or payment from our department or hospital. 

Candidates interested in an observership at our department are invited to write to our fellowship coordinator, providing the following information: 

• Period of observership including estimated start and end dates
• Recent CV with professional qualifications 
• Reports from two referees  
• A recent passport-sized photograph  
• Completed  application form and letter of undertaking 

Observers are also expected to submit the following documents during the application process before coming to Singapore:

• Valid health insurance cover for the duration of their observership
• Valid varicella screening and immunisation for chicken pox 
• Copies of undergraduate and postgraduate medical certificate
  

Click here to learn more about our training courses.