New Regional Certifications to Boost Healthcare Training Standards Across Southeast Asia

• Two new specially designed certification programmes will train doctors, nurses and technical specialists across the region in simulation-based medical education. 

Singapore, 5 November 2025 – The first healthcare simulation certification programmes designed specifically for Southeast Asian professionals were launched at the S3 Conference 2025 opening ceremony today. The event was attended by Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health. The Certified Educator in Healthcare Simulation (CEHS) and Certified Technologist in Healthcare Simulation (CTHS) programmes will provide accessible, rigorous training for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and technical specialists across the region. 

As current international certifications are based on American contexts, these affect the learning experience of participants in Southeast Asia and, consequently, the pass rates. Currently, the pass rates for participants based outside the United States for the Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and the Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist programmes are at 14.6% and 15% respectively^[1]. The new CEHS and CTHS programmes seek to address the critical gaps in professional development for regional simulation professionals by offering contextualised content for Southeast Asian healthcare settings, scheduling that accommodates Southeast Asian time zones, and with lower costs compared to existing international certifications. Both programmes will commence by the end of 2026, with the goal of training 50 participants in the inaugural year. There are plans to scale up the intake over five years to meet growing regional demand.

The key benefits of the new certification programmes are as follows: 

1. Contextualised examination content reflecting Southeast Asian healthcare realities
2. Training scheduled for Southeast Asian time zones
3. Reduced costs for participants through regional development and delivery
4. Enhanced technical expertise for simulation equipment operation
5. Improved patient safety through better-trained healthcare professionals 

Professor Lim Soon Thye, Deputy Group CEO (Research, Education & Innovation), SingHealth, said, "Healthcare simulation has become an essential aspect of training for a spectrum of clinical conditions, enabling healthcare professionals to master complex procedures and hone critical decision-making skills in a risk-free environment. As patient volume increases, with a growing number of complex cases, simulation-based education has become an important pedagogy in developing highly skilled practitioners not just in Singapore but across the region. I am confident that the new CEHS and CTHS programmes will support the growth of the use of healthcare simulation in medical education in Singapore and the region." 

The certification programmes were developed through collaboration between SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation, the Pan Asia Simulation Society in Healthcare, and the Malaysian Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

[1]Pass rates for Southeast Asian participants are not available.

Details of Southeast Asian Healthcare Simulation Certification Programmes

Background 

The Certified Educator in Healthcare Simulation (CEHS) and Certified Technologist in Healthcare Simulation (CTHS) programmes are developed to directly address the limited access and progress to professional development for simulation professionals in Southeast Asia and the region.

Advantages

1) Contextualised content

• Current international certifications are often based on the American contexts, including education systems, regulations, technical jargon and the use of colloquial language.
• Clinical settings may also differ between Asia and the West.
• These factors can cause confusion for Asian participants and pose challenges to effective learning.

2) Southeast Asian-friendly scheduling

• Participants from Southeast Asia currently attend the review courses conducted in the USA in vastly different time zones (e.g. American courses are conducted at 3am Singapore time).

3) Lower costs

• Programmes that are developed locally and regionally will enable training costs to be reduced for participants.
• This will lower the financial barriers to entry so that more Asian healthcare professionals can be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need.

Expected Impact on Healthcare Delivery

4) Enhancing skills for improved patient outcomes

• More participants will be able to benefit from training methodology that focuses on experiential and hands-on learning that augments theoretical knowledge.
• Enhanced knowledge and skills will enable healthcare professionals to provide care that is safer and more effective.

5) Advancing the role of simulation in medical education

• Healthcare simulation provides optimal learning environments for educators and learners, enabling them to hone their skills in a safe environment that provides high-fidelity clinical realism without risk to patients.
• The growth of the use of simulation in medical education enables educators and technologists to advance technical expertise to foster wider adoption.
• In turn, this elevates the quality of simulation-based medical education and training.

With the new CEHS and CTHS programmes, healthcare educators and simulation technologists will be equipped with validated simulation competencies and be well-positioned to deliver healthcare simulation within the Asian context, while upholding rigorous international quality and safety standards.

About the S3 Conference

Hosted by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS) and jointly organised with Society for Simulation in Europe (SESAM) and the Gathering of Healthcare Simulation Technology Specialists (SimGHOSTS), the S3 Conference 2025 is held from 5 to 7 November at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, Academia, Singapore General Hospital Campus. Gathering the brightest minds and ideas in healthcare simulation, the highly anticipated conference will showcase the wide spectrum of healthcare simulation capabilities and applications pertinent across various domains of education today, with the aim of strengthening the practice of healthcare professionals to propel patient care standards in anticipation of future needs.