In Singapore, rehabilitation physicians typically undergo junior residency training in Internal Medicine after graduating with a medical degree and completing an internship year (previously known as housemanship). Junior residency training is completed after 3 years and with attainment of the post graduate-diploma of MRCP (UK) as well as the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification.
Subsequently, they are eligible to join the senior residency program in Rehabilitation Medicine, where a solid foundation of the core principles is developed. This lasts another 3 years and may include another period of training in a renowned rehabilitation institution overseas.
There are 2 senior residency programmes in Singapore which are housed in the National Healthcare Group and Singapore Health Services clusters. Residency training offers a range of experiences in standard rehabilitation conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, trauma and amputations, as well as oncology. In addition, residents are attached to the local community hospitals and continue their internal medicine experience at acute hospitals. Elective rotations such as pain medicine, paediatric neurorehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and sports medicine can be undertaken in the final year of training.
At the completion of senior residency, a formal assessment and exit examination is conducted by the Residency Accreditation Committee representing the Specialist Accreditation Board of the Ministry of Health, Singapore. Successful candidates may apply to practice as a specialist in rehabilitation medicine in Singapore.
