National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award 2021
The National Medical Excellence Awards recognises outstanding clinicians and healthcare professionals who have made outstanding contributions in the advancement of healthcare improvements in standards of patient safety and quality of care, which ultimately improves lives.
Professor Tan Hak Koon, is the recipient of the National Outstanding Clinician Educator Award 2021. Prof Tan is the Designated Institutional Official, SingHealth Residency; Chairman and Chief of Obstetrics, Division of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G), KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH); Academic Chair, SingHealth Duke-NUS O&G Academic Clinical Programme (ACP) and Vice Chair for Graduate Clinical Education, SingHealth Academy College of Clinical Medicine.
National Day Awards 2021
In recognition of their exemplary contributions to the SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC and to nursing education, the following nurses were conferred the National Day Awards in 2021:
THE COMMENDATION MEDAL
Ms Hanijah Binte Abdul Hamid, Deputy Director, Nursing, Changi General Hospital (CGH) and Deputy Chair, SingHealth Academy College of Clinical Nursing
THE EFFICIENCY MEDAL
Ms Tng Bee Lan, Nurse Educator, Nursing, CGH
Recognising Excellence in Healthcare Education
The Academic Medicine Education Institute (AMEI) Golden Apple Awards recognises and honours outstanding educators in SingHealth and the Duke-NUS Medical School who have demonstrated excellence in teaching. Their passion, dedication and innovation have transformed teaching as a profession, and helped raise standards of healthcare education. 85 outstanding educators were conferred the AMEI Golden Apple Awards in 2021.
GENERATIVITY AWARD FOR EDUCATORS
Professor Fatimah Lateef, Senior Consultant, Department of Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Co-Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS)
Ms Pang Nguk Lan, Deputy Group Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute for Patient Safety and Quality (IPSQ); Director and Chief Risk Officer, KKH
OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD
Associate Professor Lai Siang Hui, Vice Chair, Education, SingHealth Duke-NUS Pathology ACP; Senior Consultant, Department of Anatomical Pathology, SGH & Associate Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School
Associate Professor Sharon Wong, Deputy Chair, Clinical Programmes and Co-Chair (Allied Health Professionals Residency), SingHealth Academy College of Allied Health; Programme Director, Medical Dosimetry Residency Programme and Senior Manager, Division of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore
OUTSTANDING YOUNG EDUCATOR AWARD
Clinical Assistant Professor Leow Wei Qiang, Programme Director, SingHealth Pathology Residency Programme and Consultant, Department of Anatomical Pathology, SGH
Ms Zeng Wenying, Assistant Nurse Clinician, Nursing Development Unit, National Heart Centre Singapore
PROGRAMME EXCELLENCE AWARD
Clinical Immersion Programme by KKH
Duke-NUS SNEC Basic Certificate for Ophthalmic Assistant and Technician by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences ACP & Singapore National Eye Centre
Malignant Hyperthermia Preparedness through Interprofessional Education (MH-PIE) by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Sciences ACP & SIMS
Nurturing healthcare professionals in health services innovation
Together with SingHealth, Duke-NUS Medical School’s Health Services and Systems Research Programme launched the Graduate Certificate Programme in Health Services Innovation in April 2021.
The two-year programme aims to cultivate a community of healthcare professionals to respond to the need for future innovation and improve patients’ lives. Attendees will be trained to identify opportunities for improvement, learn the impact of innovation as well as ways to reduce costs.
The virtual launch event was attended by about 150 clinician scientists, researchers, policy makers and educators from various organisations and institutes across Singapore. Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean, Duke-NUS Medical School, highlighted the need for health services innovation, and the important role that clinician innovators play in enhancing the delivery of care for their patients, thereby improving lives.
Echoing the theme of innovation in healthcare, Professor Kenneth Kwek, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer (Innovation and Informatics), SingHealth, shared the organisation’s vision for health services innovation. He anticipated that the programme will have a great impact on the innovation of healthcare systems and modelling, and expressed hope that it will develop many new cohorts of innovators to lead and evaluate change using research skills in health services.
The Graduate Certificate Programme in Health Services Innovation has equipped 49 healthcare professionals to date. The inaugural batch graduated in May 2022.
Incorporating gamification to complement competency trainings
SIMS restructured its simulation workshops and training programmes during the pandemic through the use of serious games, allowing healthcare professionals to hone their skills and competencies in safe and supervised simulated environments. An example is the ‘Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification’ workshop, which has equipped more than 900 healthcare professionals with the latest clinical interventions to date. It took on a hybrid learning model with a newly created e-module in 2021.
18 serious games were also developed and specially curated by SingHealth educators who are experienced healthcare professionals themselves. The SGH Pharmacy developed ‘Project VRx’, a high-fidelity 3D virtual reality simulation training programme that enhanced their pharmacists’ competencies in medication safety practices.
The National Neuroscience Institute also developed the Magnetic Resonance (MR) safety training for radiographers to equip them with knowledge on MR safety and risk management. These simulation games were implemented to complement existing training and assessment needs. It fuelled high levels of engagement as learners were exposed to more immersive and interactive learning aimed at improving patient care.
