Residency FAQs

A Sponsoring Institution (SI) is an organisation (or entity) that has the primary purpose of providing graduate medical education programmes. It assumes the ultimate financial and academic responsibility for a programme of Graduate Medical Education (GME). Currently, there are three approved Sponsoring Institutions, namely NHG Health, National University Health System (NUHS), and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth). Please visit the respective SI’s websites for details on the specific Residency programmes offered by each SI.

Each SI appoints a Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) tasked to provide oversight and governance for all its Residency training programmes. Each SI’s GMEC comprises the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) and Associate DIOs, Programme Directors (PDs) and Associate PDs, peer-nominated residents, administrators and any other members of the faculty deemed appropriate by the SI. 

The DIO leads the organised administrative system that oversees all Residency training programmes in the SI. The goal of the DIO is to establish an educational experience that would enable residents to acquire the necessary competencies and attitudes in order to practice independently in their chosen specialty. An Associate DIO may be appointed to represent various participating sites. 

 The PD is the person responsible for all aspects of the relevant Residency programme. The PD provides the educational environment necessary to achieve the learning objectives of the programme. Associate PDs may be appointed for larger Residency programmes. 

 Core Clinical Faculty Members (CCFMs) are individuals formally appointed to teach residents in their respective specialties.  

 Each SI also appoints Institutional and Programme Coordinators to manage administrative tasks related to Residency training.

You can apply for the following Residency programmes: 

• Anaesthesiology 
• Cardiothoracic Surgery 
• Diagnostic Radiology 
• Emergency Medicine 
• Fa​mily Medicine 
• General Surgery 
• Hand Surgery 
• Neurosurgery 
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology 
• Ophthalmology 
• Otorhinolaryngology 
• Orthopaedic Surgery 
• Pathology (Chemical)
• Pathology (Forensic)
• Pathology (Histopathology)
• Pathology (Microbiology)
• Paediatric Medicine 
• Paediatric Surgery
• Plastic Surgery 
• Preventive Medicine 
• Psychiatry 
• Radiation Oncology
• Urology 
• Internal Medicine 
  • Advanced Internal Medicine
  • Cardiology 
  • Dermatology 
  • Endocrinology 
  • Gastroenterology 
  • Geriatric Medicine 
  • Haematology 
  • Infectious Diseases 
  • Medical Oncology 
  • Neurology 
  • Nuclear Medicine 
  • Renal Medicine 
  • Rehabilitation Medicine 
  • Respiratory Medicine 
  • Rheumatology

For details on which programmes are offered by each SI, please visit the respective SI's Residency website: 

• NHG Health

• National University Health System (NUHS) 

• Singapore Health Services (SingHealth​)

Programmes with Clinician Scientist pathways retain the educational requirements of the clinical pathway with additional requirements for research. Clinician Scientist Residents are expected to complete an additional year of research which is built into the curricula of the advanced Residency years. During the course of their training, Clinician Scientist Residents are given the opportunity to pursue a part-time Masters in Clinical Investigation (or a PhD if desired). From 2015 onwards, the entry to the Clinician Scientist pathway will start at Residency Year 4 unless there are exceptional reasons. If you wish to apply for Clinician Scientist Residency, please refer to the  Clinician Scientist Residency FAQs

Graduates of Singapore medical schools and those with primary medical qualifications registrable under the Medical Registration Act (Second Schedule) are eligible to apply. Graduates from overseas must secure an offer of employment as a doctor from MOHH before they are eligible to apply.

All candidates are expected to enter Residency training at Residency Year 1 (R1) regardless of prior experience, programmes, and depending on the specialty-specific requirements for completeness of training.

Applications for Residency training are submitted to MOHH through our online portal. Please write to physician@mohh.com.sg for more details.

After successful submission of your Residency portfolio, you will be invited to select your interview dates and time in a separate online exercise. The interview will be conducted using a Multiple-Mini Interview (MMI) format.

The Sponsoring Institutions (SI) also organise Open Houses to introduce their training programmes and get to know you better. Applicants submit the list of their preferred residency programmes and SIs in ranked order and the SIs submit the selected ranked applicants through the MOHH website for the national match.

The matching is based on your submitted choices during matching by matching your choices with the SI’s choices. Applicants are matched by their ranked order of programme choices and stops when a match is made. No match happens if there is no corresponding selection by the SI. 

You are advised to rank as many training programmes as possible to increase the chances of a successful match. The results of the Matching Exercise will be announced on the MOHH website.

Applications are generally evaluated according to a number of criteria including: 

• Academic scores
• Student Internship Programme (SIP) performance
• Interview performance
• Letters of reference

SIs may also use other criteria when ranking their preferred candidates, like clinical work experience and performance. Applicants should speak to the Programme Directors if they wish to know more about how the various SIs identify their preferred applicants.

The results will be released in March. Applicants are advised to check their email inbox for notifications and updates.

Unsuccessful applicants for Residency will continue in their Medical Officer position. Unsuccessful applicants may choose to apply again the following year. Their chances to get a Residency position may increase if they show good promise or excellent performance in their work in their chosen training unit or posting.

Residency positions are limited and the cost of training is high. Your choices should be based on a seriously considered decision as the training position could have been given to someone else who failed to get the match. However, if you wish to pursue a different specialty after you are matched, you will incur a penalty barring you from applying for Residency the following year unless there are exceptional grounds and reasons for the change.

Candidates who drop out of a Residency programme without exceptional grounds and reasons will not be eligible to apply for entry in the next cycle of the Residency programme.

The Residency cycle usually commences on the first working day of July of every year. You need five to seven years of Residency training before a specialist accreditation.

There will be regular competency-based, formative assessments for all Residents including annual In-Training Exams administered by the Academy of Medicine. All Residents are also expected to sit for their respective in-training examinations. This will enable Residents and their Programme Directors and supervisors to identify areas for improvement. These assessments will also help to determine whether a Resident can progress to the next Residency year.

Residents in seven highly-subscribed and popular specialties, namely Dermatology, Paediatric Medicine, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Plastic Surgery co-pay a small portion (S$450 per month) of the total training cost incurred. Such specialties were noted to have higher early attrition, and since a significant portion of their training cost is from public funds, co-payment was instituted.

Yes. MOHH will be collecting a standard administrative fee of S$100 per applicant. Payment is web-based, incorporated into the application engine, and is required before you can complete your application submission.

MOHH will administer your contracts and other relevant Human Resource matters including leave, payroll, etc. The SIs will be responsible for overseeing your training and rotations throughout your Residency. Residents do not participate in the Medical Officer Posting Exercise (MOPEX).

Depending on your period of absence, the specialty you are in, and the point at which you left Residency training, you may enter where you left off. However, if the period of absence exceeds the allowable period of leave, you are then expected to make up for the missing days of training or repeat the posting. Programme Directors may also impose a “refresher” period of training and an assessment prior to resumption of Residency training if the period of absence is long e.g. after coming back from National Service.

For doctors who have to re-enlist, they may undergo a period of Residency training prior to their re-enlistment (disruption of Residency training). Generally, re-enlistment for Residents occur at the end of postgraduate year 2 (PGY2), which can be at the end of R1 or R2. At the end of the prescribed National Service period, one may resume where training left off. A "refresher" period and assessments may be required before a Resident is allowed to join the next Residency year.

National Service will not count towards Residency training. Trainees will need to complete the required training and acquire the expected competencies before they are allowed to exit.