JCST Residency training and assessment requirements
This page contains information on the Specialty Training Requirements (STRs), Entrustment Professional Activities (EPAs) and criteria for progression to senior resident for JCST accredited residency programmes.
Last updated 11 September 2026
Specialty Training Requirements (STRs) and Entrustment Professional Activities (EPAs) for JCST accredited residency programmes
This section details the STRs and EPAs for each specialty/subspecialty:
The STR documents the training and assessment requirements for the specialty/subspecialty (e.g. didactic programmes, clinical experiences, scholarly activities, summative assessments etc.)
EPAs are units of professional practice (tasks) that can be entrusted to the resident with the right competencies to perform at the specified entrustment level, as assessed through workplace-based assessments.
Note: In addition to the requirements stated in the STRs and EPAs published below, residents must comply with any other regulatory requirements or practice-based requirements mandated by the healthcare institutions or place of practice.
Specialty Training Requirements (STRs) and Entrustment Professional Activities (EPAs) for JCST accredited residency programmes
Criteria for progression to senior residency
The criteria for progression from Resident to Senior Resident are as follows:
a. Certification by the Programme Director (PD) that the resident has completed R3 [1] and acquired the necessary competencies specified for an R3 [1] resident. The PD’s certification should be based on robust, objective and standardised criteria and should include regular multiple clinical formative assessments by core faculty members. This process could be further strengthened by inter-institution / inter-cluster workplace assessments of the resident in R3 [1]; and
b. Fulfilment of the requirements laid down by the Residency Advisory Committee (RAC) for progression to Senior Resident. Unless otherwise stated, the examination criterion in the table below refers to the attainment of the entire qualification (i.e. all parts of the examination are required).
[1] R4 for Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Criteria for progression to senior residency
Specialty | Length of Residency Training | Criteria for Progression to Senior Resident [2] |
Advanced Internal Medicine & Internal Medicine related specialties [3] | 5 to 6.5 years (including Internal Medicine residency) | For residents entering R4 from July 2019 onwards
|
Anaesthesiology | 5 years | For residents entering R4 from July 2019 onwards
|
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 6 years |
|
Diagnostic Radiology | 5 years |
|
Emergency Medicine | 5 years |
Note: Residents who pass the MCEM (MRCEM) before 1 January 2020 will still be eligible for progression to Senior Resident with PD’s certification. |
General Surgery | 5 years (AY 2024 and earlier intakes) 6 years (AY 2025 and subsequent intakes) |
|
Hand Surgery | 6 years |
|
Neurosurgery | 6 years |
|
Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 6 years |
|
Ophthalmology | 5 years |
|
Orthopaedic Surgery | 6 years |
|
Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) | 5 years |
|
Paediatric Medicine | 6 years | For residents entering R4 in 2015 and after
|
Paediatric Surgery | 6 years |
|
Pathology (Anatomical) | 5 years | For residents entering R1 from July 2019 onwards
For residents entering R1 from AY2025 onwards
|
Pathology (Chemical) | 5 years |
|
Pathology (Forensic) | 5 years |
|
Pathology (Medical Microbiology) | 5 years |
|
Plastic Surgery | 6 years |
|
Preventive Medicine | 5 years |
|
Psychiatry | 5 years |
|
Radiation Oncology | 5 years |
|
Urology | 6 years |
|
[2] For those who sit for foreign exams (e.g. MRCS), the certification that the candidate has passed the specified exam must be sent directly from the certifying body to the JCST secretariat. Alternatively, the programmes should sight the original copy of the pass letter (hardcopy or downloaded directly from the examination body’s IT system), the email notification of exam results (saved in non-editable format) or the degree scroll, and submit the certified true copies (scanned copies are fine) to JCST for verification. | ||
[3] Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatric Medicine, Haematology, Infectious Diseases, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Nuclear Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Renal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology. | ||
Geriatric Medicine (GRM) and/or General Medicine (GM) exposure for senior residents in Internal Medicine related specialties
The Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB) requires all Senior Residents in Internal Medicine-related specialties [1] to complete the mandatory 6 months of GM and /or GRM posting(s) during their 3 / 3.5 years of Senior Residency Training. These 6 months must be consistently done for 2 months per year in each of the three senior residency years and will be a documented requirement for exit certification by JCST before specialist accreditation by the SAB.
The requirements for General Medicine (GM) and Geriatric Medicine (GRM) postings effective from July 2014 are in the JCST Circular 110-13 and its Annex.
[1] These specialties include Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Haematology, Infectious Diseases, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Renal Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology