Clinical Observership

The Clinical Observerships are a five-full day programme consisting of two days of classroom teachings and case discussions by local faculty, and three days of clinical attachments to the hospital service, inpatient hospice, day care and home care service. During the programme, participants will get an overview of the palliative care landscape, advocacy efforts and history of palliative care in Singapore, as well as learn core clinical concepts from the local faculty. In addition, participants will get to network with local clinicians, administrators and volunteer groups as they share their experiences in the community.

Programme Objectives

  • To get an overview of what is Palliative Care
  • To see how Palliative Care Services are organised in the different settings of care & integration of care between services
  • To understand the Palliative Care approach to the patient & family
  • To learn how pain & some symptoms are managed
  • To observe communication with patients & families
  • To understand some of the psychosocial issues at the end of life & how patients & families may be supported
  • To see some of the complexities of care planning & shared decision-making

"I learnt how to manage pain, dementia, how to communicate effectively etc. It was surprising to see how the patients were looked after with lots of love and care. The patients seem to be very comfortable and happy, as well as their families. At the moment, we may not be able to apply everything in our country but we will make an effort to care for our patients better.

I would like to thank each and everyone who was involved in our training programme. It was well organised, all the lectures were very informative and we had a very fruitful four days in Singapore. Big thanks to Mr Giam for coordinating and looking after us within this short period."

Tirusha Nawarathna
Participant of the Sri Lanka Observership Programme 2019

"Through this programme, I was able to get an idea for the development of a palliative care service. There was sharing of knowledge and skills between the Sri Lankan and Singaporean medical staff and I was able to gain knowledge on handling, maintaining and skills on communication. Thank you for this arrangement and for the warm welcome."

SA Kanthi Samarasinghe
Participant of the Sri Lanka Observership Programme 2019

"The knowledge I have gained, I will share with my colleagues, friends and health care team. I hope to imitate the holistic palliative care at the National Cancer Centre Singapore in our healthcare setup. I wish the programme was longer and that there will be more of such programmes in the future as it was very worthwhile."

N.D.C.V.K Dharmarathne
Participant of the Sri Lanka Observership Programme 2019