Medical Expert Witness Training Course 2019

Registration Fees: $650* (inclusive of 7% GST)
*For SMA/AMS Members (in good standing), $250 will be refunded upon completion of the training. 

Registration Deadline: 5 April 2019


Introduction | Fees | Importance of this Course | Programme Outline | The Organizers |


    
Introduction   

The Medical Expert Witness Training Course 2019 is a joint collaboration between the Medical and Legal Profession of Singapore.

It is an interactive course conducted over 3 days (4 May 2019, 29 June 2019 and 6 July 2019)

This course aims to prepare Medical Professionals to be an effective medical expert witness in court. 

Course Objectives:

1. To acquire the knowledge and skills on writing medical expert reports.

2. To be aware on the skills and pitfalls in giving oral evidence in court as an expert witness. 

3. To acquire practical skills by being directly observed and coached in providing oral evidence in court

Participants are expected to:

1. Complete an online learning module* before Day 1 of the course which consists of lecture notes and reading materials for the course.

*Only registered participants will be given access to the MEWT e-learning portal. The MEWT e-learning portal account details will be sent to you after registration and payment has been confirmed.

2. Complete the Multiple Choice Questions on the learning portal before the course.

3. Complete an assignment* of drafting an expert report based on a case study after Day 1 and submit it before Day 2. Marking and Feedback will be done on the report as part of the learning process.

*Please set aside time for the completion of the assignment between Day 1 and Day 2. Only participants who have completed the assignment will be able to proceed forward to Day 2 and Day 3 to present their report in the courtroom

4. Participate in practice-based learning on Day 2 and 3 where they will have the opportunity to give oral evidence before a District Judge of the State Courts in a courtroom.

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Fees

Registration Fees
 

Category	Registration Fees
	(Inclusive of 7% GST)
SMA / AMS Members*	$650
Non-Members (GP/ Specialist)	$650

*For SMA/AMS Members (in good standing), $250 will be refunded upon completion of the training.

Note:

• Bank Charges are the responsibility of the participants and should be paid at source in addition to the registration
• Registration will only be valid upon receipt of the full payment by registration department according to the deadline indicated. A confirmation email will be sent after receipt of the required fees.

Payment Policy

Payment of Registration Fees must be made in Singapore Dollars and by Cheque, Bank Transfer or Credit Card: Visa or Mastercard.

Cancellation Policy

• Registrants are able to withdraw/cancel their registration and be refunded of the fees already paid if the registrants submit written notice of withdrawal to Academy of Medicine, Singapore.
• Request for withdrawal shall be subjected to the Refund Policy table shown below.

 

Refund Dates	% of Refund	Amount
25 January to 5 April 2019	100	$650
6 April to 20 April 2019	50	$325
21 April to 6 July 2019	0	$0

        
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Why is it important for Experts to be trained?

The expert evidence in a medical expert report and the testimony offered by the medical expert witness is often a critical component in arriving at an equitable and fair decision in any medical dispute.
This is applicable in the courts of law especially for medical negligence cases or medical disciplinary tribunal of professional misconduct or even in the complaints committees and peer-reviews of hospitals and professional bodies.

An expert witness possess special knowledge and experience of a subject that enables the expert to give opinions and draw conclusions relevant to the case to impartially and objectively assist the court or tribunal in its work. The expert witness is expected to articulate the standard of care in medical negligence and standard of professional conduct in disciplinary tribunals and give an opinion supported by good arguments and evidence as to whether the standard is met.

Writing a medical expert witness report is a highly disciplined and skilled work with accepted and prescribed formats. In addition to writing a good medical expert report, medical experts may be required to appear in court to give oral testimony and be cross examined to verify facts and validate and defend the expert report.

To be effective, a medical expert witness needs to be trained and experienced. Untrained, unskilled and incompetent expert witnesses would mislead the courts or tribunals to an inappropriate conclusion and make dispute resolution complex, wasteful and costly. Giving oral testimony or “being put on the stand” can be a nervous and anxious experience especially for the unprepared. The medical expert witness training course creates a safe and guided learning experience for a simulated expert report writing and simulated court to deliver oral testimony and be cross examined by judges and lawyers who are experienced and proficient in giving immediate feedback.

Doctors who have completed the medical expert witness training have discovered a vast new area of knowledge in medico-legal medicine and a safe hands-on experience in report writing and oral testimony. In fact many of them find their own clinical practice improving to meeting professional standards and case notes documentation.

In the absence of good local medical experts, the courts have to dependent on foreign medical experts to articulate the professional standards. Depending on foreign medical experts who may be not aware or sensitive to the local context and culture of medical practice could be sub-optimal for all parties concerned in the dispute. With the increasing complexity of medical practice and rising expectations of the public and patients on the performance and behaviour of doctors, it is timely that competent and skilled medical expert witnesses are available for the benefit of the patients, the public and the profession to ensure effective and equitable dispute resolution. 

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Programme Outline