Medical students from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine undergo a two-week posting in Phase IV of their medical school as part of their Acute Care module. The Acute Care module comprises of a 6-week posting block, of which 2 weeks is allocated to Anaesthesia and 4 weeks to Emergency Medicine. Students are taught the practice of anaesthesia with a combination of didactic and interactive teaching in the classrooms, simulation labs and Operating Theatres in the hospitals.

The curriculum is tailored to ensure that students understand the risks and benefits of different types of anaesthesia, learn to optimise patients for anaesthesia and surgery, anticipate and recognize postoperative complications, and understand the output of physiological monitoring systems. Core clinical skills such as bag-valve-mask ventilation, supraglottic airway insertion and endotracheal intubation are taught using simulation models and under guided supervision on patients. Students are continuously assessed during their posting and undergo a combined Acute Care end-of-posting test.

At the end of Phase IV, as part of their end-of-year examinations, students will be examined with multiple choice questions, one modified essay question and one clinical skills scenario. NUS Anaesthesia also offers elective postings ranging from 2-4 weeks in duration for Phase IV students after their examinations.

NUS Anaesthesia works closely with our colleagues in Singapore through a working committee with representation from all restructured hospitals. A standardized curriculum and assessment ensure that all students are taught uniformly and have equal opportunities to learn regardless of which hospital the student is posted to. This is necessary as the breadth of surgery, and by extension the anaesthesia diversity, varies considerably between hospitals.

Each year, NUS Anaesthesia awards a book prize for the best and deserving NUS Medicine student, based on academic performance in Anaesthesia, engagement with the department, and research output.

NUS Anaesthesia has consistently achieved good student feedback scores for both curriculum and quality of teaching. In AY2021/2022, our department was awarded the National Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award for excellent posting and teaching scores attained across all healthcare institutions. The department ranked the top in average posting scores and second in average teaching scores amongst 13 specialties.