The
SAF Medical Training Institute (
AbbreviationAn abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SMTI,
MalayMalay is a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the...
: Institusi Latihan Perubatan Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura, Simplified Chinese: 新加坡武装部队医疗训练学院) has been the home and the cradle of the
Singapore Armed ForcesThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF) medic since its early days as the Medical Orderlies Training School (1966-1968) and the School of Military Medicine (1968-2006).
SMTI's primary role is to provide training for medical vocationalists to meet the operational and peacetime requirements of the SAF, producing medical personnel (e.g.
The
SAF Medical Training Institute (
AbbreviationAn abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SMTI,
MalayMalay is a group of languages closely related to each other to the point of mutual intelligibility but that linguists consider to be separate languages. They are grouped into a group called "Local Malay", part of a larger group called "Malayan" within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the...
: Institusi Latihan Perubatan Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura, Simplified Chinese: 新加坡武装部队医疗训练学院) has been the home and the cradle of the
Singapore Armed ForcesThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF) medic since its early days as the Medical Orderlies Training School (1966-1968) and the School of Military Medicine (1968-2006).
SMTI's primary role is to provide training for medical vocationalists to meet the operational and peacetime requirements of the SAF, producing medical personnel (e.g. Medical Officers, Dental Officers, Nursing Officers and Medics) to attend to all the healthcare needs of SAF servicemen and servicewomen.
The institute prides itself in equipping servicemen and servicewomen fresh from
Basic Military Training CentreThe Basic Military Training Centre is a military training facility located in Ladang, Pulau Tekong in Singapore...
(BMTC) and
School of Infantry SpecialistsThe School of Infantry Specialists is a military training centre for specialists in the Singapore Army. The school is situated in Pasir Laba Camp in the western part of Singapore...
(SISPEC) with the knowledge and skills to operate as Combat Medics and Combat Medic Specialists. Trainees undergo a 9-week (for Combat Medics) or 14-week (for Combat Medic Specialists) programme which comprises theory and practical lessons on topics ranging from patient assessment to multiple casualty management in the military context, as well as the operating of medical equipment (e.g.
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
resuscitatorA resuscitator is a device using positive pressure to inflate the lungs of an unconscious person who is not breathing, in order to keep him oxygenated and alive. There are three basic types: a manual version consisting of a mask and a large hand-squeezed plastic bulb using ambient air, or with...
,
automated external defibrillatorAn automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
). Intravenous (IV) cannulation is a key competency and all trainees are required to perform a total of 10 successful live IV cannulations in order to graduate. Upon graduation, it is mandatory for Combat Medics and Combat Medic Specialists to pass the Annual Medic Proficiency Test (AMPT) during active service and the annual Medical Vocational Training (MVT) during Operationally-Ready National Serviceman (NSman) service.
SMTI also houses the Medical Response Force (MRF), which is the medical arm of the SAF's
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence GroupThe Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group is a group formed by various Singapore Armed Forces units to enhance counter-terrorism capabilities and provide an immediate response in the event of chemical and biological incidents.The CBRE Group also works closely with the...
(CBRE Defence Group). Selected Combat Medics and Combat Medic Specialists go through a conversion course to be specially trained by the MRF to provide on-site management to casualties of chemical incidents.
In addition to its military training function, SMTI also contributes significantly to the medical arena in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
through its non-military courses. SMTI imparts precious lifesaving skills to civilians ranging from
Singapore Civil Defence ForceThe Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency....
(SCDF) paramedics to doctors involved in
Advanced Trauma Life SupportAdvanced Trauma Life Support is a training program for doctors and Advanced Practice/Critical Care Paramedics in the management of acute trauma cases, developed by the American College of Surgeons. The program has been adopted worldwide in over 40 countries, sometimes under the name of Early...
(ATLS).
On 7 March 1998, the Singaporean military institute's Paramedic Training Programme was awarded accreditation by the Paramedic Academy of the
Justice Institute of British ColumbiaThe Justice Institute of British Columbia is a public, post-secondary educational institution in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, that is focused on training professionals in the justice, public safety and social services fields...
(JIBC).
SMTI's Paramedic Training Programme, a collaborative project between the SAF and SCDF, was officially launched by Mr Matthias Yao (Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and National Development) and Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee (Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Home Affairs) on 15 July 1996.
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