Criteria for specialist accreditation

General criteria

1. The specialty must be in the listed specialties recognised in Singapore. SAB will only accredit a doctor for specialist practice based on the approved list of specialties and subspecialties.

2. The applicant must have training and postgraduate qualifications which are recognised by the Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB), Singapore and must either be registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) or have a letter of approval by the SMC to work in an institution or clinic in Singapore. 

3. In order to process the application, the SAB requires documentary evidence of the applicant's specialist training and specialist registration in the country of origin and from the relevant licensing body/organisation in the country where the specialty training was done.

4. Please refer to the criteria shown below:

   1. All applicants should have at least 3 years of working experience in the country of origin as an accredited and licensed medical specialist.

   2. All applicants are to ensure that:

      1. Their specialty training completed must be full-time with a formal training position.

      2. They must have passed the intermediate examination for the specialty.

      3. They must have successfully completed the specialty training with documentary evidence proffered.

      4. Importantly, the specialty training content should be judged and deemed equivalent to Singapore’s local residency programmes in the areas described as follows:
         

         1. General specialty clinical exposure under supervision and competencies obtained are similar to Singapore,

         2. Structured assessments have occurred through specialty training including at the conclusion (summative) of the specialty training,

         3. A clinical environment and practise exposure which shaped the specialty training being similar to Singapore, and

         4. Subsequent specialty practice reflects the reasonable range of settings for the specialty as defined locally.

   3. All applicants applying for specialist accreditation must satisfy the specialty practice currency requirement with at least an average of 168 hours of specialty clinical practice per year for the preceding 3 years. Applicants with limited clinical practice or practice in sub-disciplines of the specialty/sub-specialty applied for, should meet the specialty/sub-specialty practice currency requirement for both the base specialty/sub-specialty and the sub-discipline. Otherwise, the SAB might, at its discretion, impose additional requirements such as the need to undergo restricted practice, where applicable.

5. The application must fulfil the SMC’s registration requirements, e.g. a Certificate of Good Standing and English Language proficiency before the SAB’s approval.

6. Approval for specialist accreditation is subject to the decision of the SAB.

Framework

Description of training:

• Doctors who are specialist-trained in Singapore and have received the JCST Letter of Completion of Specialist Training by the Joint Committee on Specialist Training (JCST)^[1] Singapore.

• Doctors trained in UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Hong Kong and certified to have done and completed their specialist training in these countries / regions. Postgraduate qualifications or certification of a specialist may not be recognised or accredited in Singapore if the training experience is not equivalent to the Singapore training based on the assessment by the Specialists Accreditation Board. They must have a valid Maintenance of Certification document (if this is applicable in the country of origin) and evidence to show that they are currently practicing in the full range of the specialty.

• Doctors trained and specialist-certified in approved centres in European countries (listed in the European Directive 93/16/EEC) should have a basic degree from a recognised medical school in the Second Schedule of the current Medical Registration Act Singapore (MRA Second Schedule) and have completed the entire specialist training in a university training hospital(s) of a recognised medical school in the MRA Second Schedule. Possess at least two years of specialist working experience in the European country where his specialty is recognised under the Directive 93/16/EEC, Swiss–EU/EFTA Agreement or EEA Agreement is a further requirement. Those with less than two years specialist working experience will be assessed by the SAB and conditions may be further imposed.

• Other foreign-trained specialist doctors with qualifications recognised by the SAB and who have undergone specialist training are required to have a number of years of specialist working experience in public institutions of adequate size and standing after acquiring the recognised qualifications, including specialist experience in public hospitals of adequate size and standing after they have been licensed as specialists in their respective countries.

In general, for accreditation in Singapore, the specialist training and qualifications must be judged and deemed equivalent by the SAB to Singapore’s local residency programmes. 

^[1]The JCST is a standing committee appointed by the Specialists Accreditation Board Singapore as prescribed under Section 34(10).