Criteria for Specialist Accreditation

General Criteria for Specialist Accreditation

1. The specialty must be in the listed Specialties Recognized in Singapore. SAB will only accredit a doctor for specialist practice based on the approved list of specialties and sub-specialties.
2. The applicant must have training and post-graduate 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 for Specialist Accreditation

(Note: Only for the specialties and subspecialties recognised by the SAB)

Please note that the above criteria are subject to change by the Specialists Accreditation Board.

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. 

Country-Specific Criteria for Specialist Accreditation

Detailed criteria are available for the list of countries stated below. For more in-depth information, please refer to the section on Country-Specific Criteria.

• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Australia and New Zealand
• European Union Countries
• Other Countries

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How to Apply for Specialist Accreditation in Singapore?

Applicants

All the information that you will need to apply for specialist accreditation can be found here. Follow one of these links to access the information relevant to you. After browsing the site, you can contact us if you still have queries.

• Local-Trained Doctors
• Foreign-Trained Doctors

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