Currently, sports medicine services are only available at select specialist clinics in public hospitals and private clinics. However, the scope of sports medicine practice has expanded beyond sports-related injuries to include prevention of common chronic diseases and treatment of general musculoskeletal injuries, which are particularly common in older people.
With this growing scope, coupled with the number of senior citizens in Singapore expected to climb to 900,000 by 2030, the demand for sports medicine services is set to rise exponentially. This creates an urgent need to develop another tier of sports medicine caregiver who are based in the heartland communities. Being readily accessible to the public, medical practitioners with this knowledge and skillset will play a leading role in the prevention of injuries and chronic disease as well as the management of minor injuries and prompt referral of complex cases to sports medicine specialists.
The GDSM programme, aimed primarily at medical doctors registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently perform pre-participation screening for sport and exercise, manage general and sports-related musculoskeletal injuries in the primary care setting, and provide medical support for sports programmes and events, among others.
Endorsed by the SMC, graduates of the diploma can display the qualification in their clinics to attest to the additional skills they possess. 50 CME points (non-core points will be awarded for non-Sports Medicine specialists) will be awarded to SMC-registered doctors during and after completing the programme.
Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee advises the School Management Board on professional matters relating to the Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine Programme (GDSM). The committee provides periodic review of the GDSM programme, and where necessary, make recommendations to the existing programme and guidance on all aspects of the GDSM, including faculty recruitment, student admissions, curriculum, course evaluation and assessment. The Advisory Committee comprises a chairperson and members nominated by the Programme Director and Course Director (Clinical). The members are leading sports medicine specialists from different healthcare institutions and Singapore Armed Forces.
The membership of the Advisory Committee is as follows:
Name | Designation / Department | Institution | Role |
Dr Benedict Tan | Head & Senior Consultant SingHealth Duke-NUS Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre Senior Consultant, Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital (SSMC@CGH) Senior Consultant, Singapore Sports & Medicine Centre @ Novena (SSMC@Novena) | Changi General Hospital | Chairman |
LTC (Dr.) Suriya Prakaash | Head, Soldier Development Branch Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance | Singapore Armed Forces | Member |
Dr Patrick Goh | Specialist Sports Physician, Sports and Exercise Medicine | Sports Medicine International | Member |
Dr Ong Joo Haw | Director, Sports Medicine Senior Consultant | Khoo Teck Puat Hospital | Member |
Dr Victor Tan | President | Sports Medicine Association Singapore | |
Dr Koh Kim Hwee | Clinic Director, SingHealth Polyclinics - Pasir Ris Consultant, SingHealth Polyclinics | SingHealth Polyclinics - Pasir Ris | Member |
LKCMedicine GDSM Programme Director, Course Director (Clinical) & Deputy Course Director (Clinical)
Name | Designation / Department | Institution | Role |
Dr Lim Chin Leong, Fabian | Senior Lecturer, Medical Education (Graduate Programmes) | Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University | Programme Director |
Adjunct Assistant Professor Lim Ang Tee | Consultant SingHealth Duke-NUS Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre
Consultant, Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital (SSMC@CGH) Consultant, Singapore Sports Medicine Centre @ Novena (SSMC@Novena) | Changi General Hospital | Course Director (Clinical) |
Dr Joshua Li | Associate Consultant, Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital | Changi General Hospital | Deputy Course Director (Clinical) |
Admission Requirements
- General Practitioners with at least six years post-Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery qualification or equivalent; or
- Family Medicine Physicians and other SMC-registered Specialists; or
- General Practitioners with a Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (GDFM); and
- Hold a primary medical qualification endorsed by the Singapore Medical Council.
Other Requirements (if applicable)
Applicants whose MBBS qualification is not from a local autonomous university are required to furnish evidence of proficiency in English language if the medium of instruction is not English.
Application Procedures
f. SMC practising certificate
Are you practicing in a sports and exercise medicine-related environment and/or are sports-related injuries a major part of your current practice? Please elaborate.
Application Period
1 January 2024 – 30 April 2024
Application Fee
Payment Modes
More details on the above payment modes can be found here.
Programme Structure & Duration
Curriculum
The GDSM curriculum combines online lectures and workshops to cater to the needs of medical doctors, who must maintain operation of their clinics concurrently. The ratio of online (72 hours) to contact-hours (53 hours), therefore, balances competency development with flexibility for participants. To complement the online mode of teaching, students will also have access to consultation-sessions with the respective facilitator for each module.
The practical components of the programme comprise workshops held at LKCMedicine’s Novena campus on weekends and clinical / field attachments. Clinical attachments will be offered at participating Sports Medicine clinics.
Faculty
The faculty for the programme includes mainly Sports Medicine Specialists, Senior Sports Physiotherapists, Exercise and Sport Scientists and other allied health professionals from across Singapore. Beside the Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital, we are proud to have the support of other participating healthcare institutions in delivering the programme.
The GDSM syllabus and programme have been reviewed by Professor Peter Brukner, who is Professor of Sports Medicine at La Trobe University and Visiting Professor at LKCMedicine. Professor Brukner is a highly respected Sports Medicine practitioner and academic and his textbook is the primary source of reference for major Sports Medicine programmes internationally.
Programme Director: Dr Fabian Lim, Assistant Dean for Research and Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, LKCMedicine
Course Director (Clinical): Adjunct Assistant Professor Lim Ang Tee, Registrar, Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital
Deputy Course Director (Clinical): Dr Joshua Li Associate Consultant, Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre @ Changi General Hospital
Clinical/Field Attachments
Students will be attached to sports medicine departments at participating sports medicine clinics to observe sports medicine clinicians practising on actual cases. Where possible, and if there are suitable ongoing sporting events, the clinical attachment will also include medical cover of sporting events.
Summary Training
Download the GDSM programme calendar for the July 2023 intake here.
Download the GDSM programme calendar for the July 2024 intake here.
Assessments & Examination
1. Course Assessment for each module via multiple choice question (MCQ) test
2. Final Examination*
(a) 50 MCQs
(b) Objective Structured Clinical Examination
*To be eligible for the final examination, students must fulfil ALL of the following
(a) Obtain a Pass grade for the course assessments
(b) Completed clinical attachment
(c) Participate in all workshops and summary training
Additional Information
Tuition Fee
Period Of Study | Location Of Study | Tuition And Service Fees |
1 year | Singapore (for practical components of programme) | Tuition Fee S$8,502 (includes GST, excludes all course materials and books) The programme fees are reviewed annually and may be revised. The University reserves the right to adjust the programme fees without prior notice Student Services Fee S$251 (includes GST, for two semesters; subject to change) |
Notes
- All fees are subject to changes without prior notice.
Funding
For enquiries related to SkillsFuture Credit Claim, please email to SFCredit@ntu.edu.sg.
Payment Mode
Deferment & Withdrawal
For More Information
To refer to our list of FAQs and Information Sessions, please click here.