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A medical intern, in the context of medical education in the United States, is a historical term for a physician in training who has completed medical school, passed step two of the USMLE or COMLEX-USA, and is undergoing his first year of post-graduate training (PGY1). An intern in the medical field has an M.D. or D.O. degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised in the US. In other countries medical education generally ends with a period of practical training similar to internship, but the way the overall program of academic and practical medical training is structured differs in each case, as does the terminology used (see medical education and medical school for further details).
Internship duration
A medical internship lasts one year and usually begins in July. Internships come in two variations, transitional and specialty track. After a physician has completed an internship and step three of the USMLE or COMLEX-USA, he or she can practice general medicine. However, the majority of physicians complete a specialty track medical residency over two to seven years, depending on the specialty. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) no longer uses the term intern, but refers to all postgraduate physicians in training as residents. However, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) continues to require osteopathic physicians (D.O.'s) to complete an internship before residency.
Transitional and Prelim
Some residencies that start as PGY-2, examples include Anesthesia, Radiology, PM&R (Physical medicine and rehabilitation), Neurology etc.. There are two kinds of internships outside the context of a "categorical" residency: "Prelim" internships are done in either medicine or surgery, and they are 12 months of either just medicine or just surgery. "Transitional internships" or "traditional rotating internships," involve rotating through all the major specialties, such as emergency medicine, family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and surgery*. Transitional years are similar to 3rd year of medschool. Some prefer transitional year programs because they usually aren't as strenuous as a prelim year. On the other hand, a prelim year could be a better preparation for PGY-2.
Track
A first year (PGY1) resident in a specialty residency is sometimes also referred to as a specialty track intern. For example, a first year resident in surgery can be referred to as a surgical intern.
United Kingdom
The British equivalent of an intern is a junior house officer.
Australia
In Australia, medical graduates must work for one year in a hospital as an intern, followed by 1 to 3 years as a resident.
See also
References
- ACGME.org (pdf) - Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Glossary
- Man.ac.uk - 'A Doctor's Life: A personal (and probably biased) guide to how doctors in the UK are trained and work within the structure of the National Health Service' (last updated February 2002)
"Medical intern"