As part of the Programme, residents are required to undertake a research project under supervision. They are required to carry out practical work and to produce an original written document in connection with it. The topic of the project is finalised between the residents, the Director and the project supervisors. Every effort is made to allow the residents to work in an area in which they are interested.
The aim of the research project is to demonstrate that the residents can:
- State a problem clearly
- Identify a problem of significance to the Programme subject area
- Select and use appropriate methods to investigate the findings
- Report the findings and comment on their meaning
- Describe all these stages clearly
During the residency, the residents will review the relevant literature, devise and perform experiments, analyse the results and write the report. It is an invaluable exercise in improving skills such as organisation, critical judgement, literature search, result analysis and report production.
1. Admission and discharge of in-patients
Residents will clerk and work up patients for admission. This will familiarise the residents with patient history taking and examination and ordering of pre-operative investigations. Residents will liaise with the relevant specialties when the patients need multidisciplinary management.
2. Ward Round
Regular ward rounds would be conducted on the Department’s inpatients. Hospital and ward routines would be practised. The resident is responsible to the registrar/senior registrar and the consultant.
3. A & E and in-patient night duty
The resident is rostered for A & E stay-in call. He forms the first line of the A & E call roster for both dental and maxillofacial emergencies. During these postings, the residents will learn the management of acute conditions as encountered in the A & E department.
4. Out-patient Clinic
Residents will be assigned outpatient duties and operating sessions under local anaesthesia. The residents will also attend consultant and combined clinics. They will be exposed to the range of patients managed by the consultants.
5. Combined or subspecialty Clinics
Residents are scheduled to attend combined multidisciplinary clinics or subspecialty clinic during the MDS course.
6. OMS Journal Club Meeting
OMS journal clubs are held monthly, organized by the OMS Departments in National University of Singapore and the National Dental Centre. The resident is expected to participate in this meeting and to make presentations assigned to him.
7. Quarterly Implant Seminar and Clinico-Pathology Conference
Resident to present a literature review of a published paper, including relevant theory to synthesize and evaluate for a research study. CPC would allow clinicians and residents to have an all rounded perspectives of oro-facial pathology which includes clinical aspects and also the histopathology.
8. L A Operating Sessions
Residents will be allotted to perform minor surgical procedures.
9. G A Operating Sessions
The resident attends operating sessions of staff in the department/unit. He will participate in the surgery either as assistant or as a surgeon under supervision from the respective supervisors. The level of participation would depend on the complexity of the case, the level of skill of the resident and the level of expectation of his supervisors.
10. Attachments
The resident would be rostered to the following units for exposure relevant to his training:
a. Head and Neck Surgery
b. Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery
c. ENT
d. Intensive Care Unit
e. Anaesthesia
f. Accident & Emergency Department
g. Overseas Oral & Maxillofacial units
The period of each attachment is from one to three months.
General
As a member of the department, the resident is expected, from time to time, to undertake duties and responsibilities that the supervisor(s) or Head may assign him. As a staff, he is governed by the departmental guidelines and is expected to follow them.
The supervision of undergraduate dental students is an important component of specialist training. Senior residents (3rd year) will be involved in the supervision of third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. In addition to these formal teaching sessions, a senior resident in training may also be involved in the supervision and mentoring of all junior staff within the department (dental officers).