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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.


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


Internships outside the context of a "categorical" residency are called "transitional internships" or "traditional rotating internships," and involve rotating through all the major specialties, such as Emergency Medicine , Family Practice , Internal Medicine , Obstetrics/gynecology , Pediatrics , and Surgery . {Link without Title}


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.


GREAT BRITAIN


An intern in the United Kingdom is equivalent to a Junior House Officer .


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)