Geriatric Medicine

Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine Programme

PROGRAMME DATES

Saturday, 16 August 2025 to Saturday, 18 July 2026

APPLICATION PERIOD

Monday, 31 March 2025 to Friday, 30 May 2025
[In GDA3, select programme under Graduate Diploma, Part-Time, Term = August 2025]

To submit your interest in this Programme and to be included in our mailing list, please complete this form.

APPLY ONLINE

CV Summary Form 2024_2025

PROGRAMME DETAILS ADMISSION FEES WITHDRAWAL

PROGRAMME DETAILS

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

The Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine [GDip (Geri Med)] Programme is offered by the Division of Graduate Medical Studies (DGMS), NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Society for Geriatric Medicine Singapore (SGMS). The Programme is designed to provide primary care physicians with basic skills in caring for the older adults.

This is a 1-year part-time Programme consisting of 10 self-directed learning workshops. Each workshop is conducted on a Saturday afternoon (3-hour duration) once a month from August 2025 to May 2026. There is an added component of a Community Hospital Visit for all learners (more information will be provided during orientation).

PROGRAMME COMPONENTS

There are a total of 10 workshops, and Community Hospital Visit, which will be held from August 2025 to May 2026. The duration of each workshop is 3 hours, conducted in the form of lectures, case studies and/or discussions.

Workshops:

Title		Date	Mode of Delivery
Workshop 1	Lecture: The Physiology of Aging and Impact Lecture: Atypical Presentation of Disease Lecture: Geriatric Assessment, Frailty and Sarcopenia	16 Aug 2025	To be conducted face-to-face on NUS Campus.
Workshop 2	Lecture: Approach to Falls and Immobility Lecture: Principles Of Geriatric Rehabilitation Practical: Aids and Appliances	13 Sep 2025
Workshop 3	Lecture: Health Promotion in Older Adults Case Studies: Chronic Diseases for the Elderly Case Studies: Hypertension, Postural Hypotension, Congestive Cardiac Failure	11 Oct 2025
Workshop 4	Lecture: Community Services Lecture and Case Studies: Principles of Prescribing in Older Adults	8 Nov 2025
Workshop 5	Case Studies: Ethical Issues in Older Adults (i.e. ACP, DNR, Feeding) Case Studies: Terminal Care of Older Adults	29 Nov 2025
Workshop 6	Lecture: Performing Mental State Examination Lecture: Differentiating Delirium from Dementia Case Studies: Dementia	10 Jan 2026
Workshop 7	Lecture: Depression and Insomnia Case Studies: Elder Abuse	7 Feb 2026
Workshop 8	Case Studies: Approach To Poor Feeding, Nutritional Support in Older Adults Practical: Feeding Aids and Appliances Lecture: Assessment Of Swallowing Impairment in Older Adults	7 Mar 2026
Workshop 9	Lecture: Principles Of Wound Management Lecture: Wound Care Products Lecture: Assessment of Pain and Use of Analgesics	11 Apr 2026
Workshop 10	Lecture: Assessment Of Urinary Incontinence Case Studies: Urinary Incontinence Practical: Continence Aids and Appliances	16 May 2026

Note: The information above is subject to changes without prior notice.

Community Hospital Visit

All learners will be required to visit a community hospital as part of the programme. The visit which involves multi-disciplinary collaborations and clerking, is meticulously designed to enrich the learners’ medical education and clinical skills.

More information will be provided during orientation.

ASSESSMENT / EXAMINATION

Students will be assessed as follows:

Each student must achieve at least 80% attendance for the 10 workshops to be eligible to take the examination.
Assessment Component

1. Part A: Theory Assessment (20%)
  - Including 2 Case write-ups addressing some of the following areas: immobility, instability, incontinence, intellectual decline, chronic medical problems, social & psychological issues, and carer issues. The case write-ups are to be submitted: by 10 November 2025, 2359hrs (tentative) and by 9 March 2026, 2359hrs (tentative) respectively. The submitted case write-ups will be graded by 2 independent markers and the final score will be the average of the 2 scores.
2. Part B: Written Examination (30%)
  - 100 MCQs with a duration of 120 minutes. Note: Student must achieve at least 80% combined attendance for the workshops and must pass Part (A) in order to take the written examination held in June 2026.
3. Part C: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) (50%)
  - 10 stations where each station consists of 11 minutes (3 minutes of reading and 8 minutes of examining). The category of the stations includes the following: Category I (Practical): Aids and appliances; Continence devices; Feeding and medications and wound care Category II (Clinical): Services for the older adults Category III (Clinical): Approach to clinical problem

Note: Student must achieve at least 80% combined attendance for the workshops, must pass Part (A) and attempted Part (B) in order to take the OSCE held in July 2026.

Retake of Examination

A student who fails either the written or practical examination component may retake the examination at the next available examination upon paying the re-examination fee. All students have two re-examination attempts within 3 years of candidature period.

INTAKE DATE

CME POINTS

ADMISSION

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Hold a recognised basic medical degree.  
Possess a valid Singapore Medical Council (SMC) Practising Certificate. 
Have a minimum 2 year(s) of clinical experience post-graduation (excludes housemanship). 
Have at least 6 months looking after older adult on a regular basis within the last 3 years. Experience could be gained either locally or overseas.
For overseas foreign doctors or non-recognised MBBS degrees: 
- Overseas doctors from non-traditional sources must fulfil additional criteria:
  - An additional 1 year (minimum) of local experience in Geriatrics (i.e. 2 years of clinical postgraduate experience plus 1 year of geriatrics-related work experience in Singapore)
  - Submit at the point of application, a strong letter of support from the institution which they are working.

APPLICATION

Applicants are required to submit an online application via Graduate Admission System (GDA3) by the stipulated closing date. A step-by-step guide to applying online can be found here. A completed application would have fulfilled the following:

All required fields are accurately filled, and all supporting documents are uploaded into the system.
The non-refundable application fee payment is successful and supported by Tax Invoice (also known as the receipt), which is downloadable from the system.

The following supporting documents must be uploaded to the GDA3 system by the closing date:

Receipt for payment of application fee
Recent passport sized photograph (image in jpeg format and 400 x 514 pixels)
CV (employment history; in ascending order) to be submitted using the template provided HERE.
A certified true copy/scanned coloured copy of the following (Official English translations will be required for stamps or certificates that are not in English):
Identification documents:
- NRIC: for locals/ Permanent Residents
- Employment Pass and Passport: for foreigners residing in Singapore
Recognised basic medical degree certificate (MBBS)
Valid practising certificate
Certificates of other medical qualifications, where applicable
English Language Proficiency Test scores, where applicable
Documentation of Geriatric posting experience
Letter of Support (applicable to overseas applicants)

Photocopies of certificates and/or official translations (in English)^# including any other official supporting documents will be accepted only if they have been prepared and/or authenticated by one of the following:

Issuing University of Medical School;
Medical Council of which you are registered and licensed to practice;
Ministry of Health, Singapore;
Notary public or Justice of the Peace;
Division of Graduate Medical Studies (DGMS) - For authentication by the DGMS office, original certificates and documents must be produced.

^#Applicants must submit an authenticated translation if their official supporting documents are not in English. A fresh ink stamp must be used to authenticate the copy or translation of the primary medical qualification.

Applicants who fail to present their original documents for verification without acceptable reasons will not be admitted to the Programme.

Applicants whose original documents have been damaged or misplaced must apply to the relevant organisations / authorities for replacements or letters of verification.

An applicant is only allowed to enrol concurrently in another programme offered by NUS or another University only if granted approval from the Vice Dean of Faculty and the Head of Department. The Degree Programme refers to any programme (including examination-only programmes) which leads to NUS Degree conferment.

Successful applicants will be notified via email to accept the placement and make the Examination/Programme fee payment via the application portal. Placement will be confirmed only after payment receipt. The Division of Graduate Medical Studies (DGMS) is not obliged to provide any reasons for unsuccessful applications.  

FEES

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FEES

Description	Fee (SGD)
Application fee*	87.20
Programme fee (inclusive of Examination fee)	7,672.80
Payment Modes	PayNow (preferred option), Credit / Debit card

Notes:

All fees listed are in Singapore Dollars, including the prevailing Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate unless stated otherwise.
*The Application fee is non-refundable and must be paid at the time of application.
All payments should be supported by a Tax Invoice (also known as the receipt), which can be downloaded from the system upon successful payment.
Successful applicants will be notified via email to accept placement. Placement will be confirmed only after a successful payment transaction.
DGMS reserves all rights to review and adjust fees as necessary and accordingly without prior notice.

RESIT FEES

Descriptions	Fees (SGD)
Written Examination:	766.00
Practical Examination:	1,529.00
Payment Mode	PayNow (Preferred) / Credit Card

A student who fails either the written or practical examination component may retake the examination at the next available examination upon paying the re-examination fee. All students have two re-examination attempts within 3 years of candidature period.

FUNDING

This programme is eligible for the Skillsfuture Credit (SFC) scheme. At the point of programme registration, please inform the programme administrator that you intend to use your SkillsFuture Credit in part or in full for the qualifying programme fee. You should then submit your claim on the MySkillsFuture Portal within 60 days before the programme start date (date inclusive). Please visit the Skillsfuture site for more information.
This programme is also eligible for the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC)’s Community Care – GP Partnership Training Award – for GPs sponsored by a Community Care institution. For more information, please email to: ccgpta@aic.sg

WITHDRAWAL

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DEFERMENT POLICY

Students who wish to defer will need to write to DGMS, citing the reason for deferment and providing supporting evidence where applicable after acceptance of placement. This request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. No deferment will be accepted after the allocation of clinical attachment. The candidature will automatically lapse should an enrolled student fail to complete the course within 3 years from the date of matriculation.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

All withdrawal and refund requests will be subject to a 10% administrative charge capped at SGD 500.00. To submit your request, please use this form.
All requests must be submitted within 14 calendar days from the last day of the Examination end date or before the programme commencement date, where applicable.
Supporting documents must be submitted via email in all cases after submission of the online request.
The Division will generally consider providing refunds to candidates under the following circumstances:
- Medical – Refund request must be accompanied by a medical certificate.
- Pregnancy – Refund request must be accompanied by a medical report.
- Involvement in an accident, e.g. victim of crime, accident or disaster – Refund request must be supported by evidence such as a medical report and/or police report.
- Compassionate grounds - Bereavement in the immediate family refers to the loss of parent(s), grandparent, sibling, spouse, or child and must be supported by relevant documents such as a death certificate, proof of the relationship, etc.
Requests for refund under the following reasons will not be considered:
- Lack of preparedness or readiness for the Examination/Programme for which the candidate/student has enrolled.
- Failure to arrange time away from work.
- Inability to secure a visa or other travel documents required to attend the Examination/Programme.

For further inquiries, please contact:
Sarrah Nur (Ms) | Michael Tjeng (Mr)
Tel: (65) 6516 1322 | (65) 6516 4915
Email: gsmv110@nus.edu.sg | gsmv106@nus.edu.sg