Internship (medicine)
A medical 'intern' is a physician in training who has completed medical school and has a medical degree, but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised. Under the guidance of senior doctors, interns will learn how to diagnose and treat patients, handle medical records and deal with different clinical situations. 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 depending upon the country, as does the terminology used.In Australia, medical graduates must complete one year in an accredited hospital post before they receive full registration. This year of conditional registration is called the intern year. An internship is not necessarily completed in a hospital at the same state as the graduate's medical school.Austria
In Austria, the sixth and final year of medical school is called "Klinisch-praktisches Jahr" or "KPJ". In this internship students complete at least three rotations in surgical and non-surgical specialties before they finish medical school.
After graduation and before starting residency, new doctors must complete a 9 months long "Basisausbildung". In this time, they are supposed to acquire the most important practical skills for practicing medicine regardless of their future specialty and are supervised by a board-certified specialist. After completion, new doctors are allowed to decide whether they want to complete residency or the so-called "Turnus", which is the approx. 3.5 year long training in general medicine. Only after successfully completing residency or the "Turnus" and subsequent board-certification, doctors are allowed to practice medicine unsupervised.In Brazil, medical school consists of six years or twelve semesters. The final two years are the internship. During this time, students work extensive hospital hours and do basic hospital work while supervised by residents and staff. This period is usually divided among internal medicine, surgery, gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, emergency medicine, family medicine, and a final elective period in which the student chooses an area for further experience. On conclusion of the internship, the student becomes a doctor and may work unsupervised or enter a residency program to gain a specialty.China
The basic medical license in China is granted by examination. Those with a bachelor's degree in medicine are allowed to participate in the exam after one year of internship. Those with an associate's degree are allowed to participate after two years of internship in primary care using an assistant physician's license. Those with a professional degree are allowed to participate after 5 years of internship in primary care using the same license.
A further internship system for Chinese medical practitioners is called guīpéi. This program consists of a minimum of 3 years of rotating across secondary care departments. Interns have reported long hours, poor pay, repetitive work, and a lack of respect under this system, with a wave of suicides in January 2024. Guipei grants a further certificate, considered indispensable for career advancement. Being hired at a government-run hospital virtually requires this certificate, as hospitals prefer doctors that can work unsupervised.
The guipei system has been in place since 1993. The latest system-wide rules were set in 2013, though some specific divisions have received updates since. For example, a new 2024 rule requires physicians who majored in traditional Chinese medicine to rotate through at least 15 departments in addition to the 3-year requirement.In Hong Kong, anyone who is awarded a bachelor's degree in medicine from the University of Hong Kong or the Chinese University of Hong Kong, or holds a non-local medical degree and passes the licensing examination held by the Medical Council of Hong Kong, must practice as a houseman in a public hospital under the administration of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority for 12 months, during which a department rotates every three months, which must include internal medicine and surgery. After passing the intern assessment, they can be officially registered as medical practitioners. The salary of interns is half of the starting salary of officially registered doctors working in public hospitals, which is now about HK$36,000 per month.Chile
After high school, a medical education in Chile takes seven years—five years as a medical student and two years as an intern, earning the degree of Médico Cirujano. Internships minimally include the four basic specialties. After completing the internship, the new physician may work in primary care, hospitals, or apply to residencies for a specialty.DR Congo
DR Congo has a two-year internship program for public health schools. Many hospitals employ Doctors prior to their full registration with the medical council.Ecuador
After finishing high school, students may apply to medical school. Medical school generally consist of six years of medical school. The final year is an internship, in which students rotate through surgical and clinical specialties. Completing the program earns the student the title of Médico Cirujano. Additionally, a doctor must complete one year of community medicine to obtain a medical register and license from the Public Health Ministry. After this, the MD may enter a residency or apply to a specialty.Egypt
Before 2018 and upon graduating from a six-year medical school, students undergo one year of internship or clerkship training at a university or teaching hospital, officially known as the National Compulsory Medical Internship Program. During this year, a graduate must complete two-month rotations in each of general surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology and emergency-anesthesiology. They also must complete one-month rotations in a sub-specialty of their choice in internal medicine and/or surgery. After 2018 the length of medical school has been reduced to five years and the internship has been extended to two years. On completion of the internship they take the Egyptian Medical Licensing Examination and they are licensed to practice.Germany
The last year of the medical studies in Germany is a mandatory clinical internship called Praktisches Jahr or PJ. This internship comes without a salary. Some clinics pay a small allowance. The interns work as doctors, but are closely supervised. Doctors of medicine, who successfully finish their medical studies receive legal qualification and the status of assistant doctor immediately when taking up a medical occupation. However, they cannot enter private practice or work unsupervised until they receive a full board certification in their chosen specialty.Ghana
The housemanship is a two-year period after graduating from medical school during which newly qualified doctors, practice under supervision in designated hospitals in the country. This involves six month rotations each in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, in no particular order. Alternatively, a houseman may opt to do a rotation in anesthesia or psychiatry in place of one of the traditional four rotation areas. During this period the houseman holds provisional registration status with the Ghana Medical and Dental Council. After the student successfully completes the housemanship, they receive full registration status and the rank of Medical Officer.India
After 4.5 years of medical school to earn their MBBS degree, every doctor in India must complete a one-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship in various specialties to achieve permanent registration from the National Medical Commission as a physician licensed to practice as a primary care doctor throughout India.Indonesia
Every medical graduate from an Indonesian public or private university, or from an overseas-approved institution, after an adaptation process, must apply for internship registration to the Indonesian Medical Council. After the council approves their application, an intern must apply to the Ministry of Health for an internship position. After the MoH accepts the application, the intern serves supervised rotations in a hospital emergency department, hospital inpatient/outpatient and public primary healthcare. After completing the internship, they receive an Internship Completion Certificate from the MoH—which is the requirement for full registration in the KKI. A full registered doctor can practice as a general practitioner or pursue postgraduate education for a specialty and sub-specialty.Iran
In Iran, a seven-year medical education ends with an 18-month internship in a university hospital. On completing the internship, a person may work independently as a Medical Doctor or take the National Comprehensive Residency Exam and continue studies in a specialty. If they decide to work as a General Practitioner, they must first complete compulsory service in areas the Iranian Ministry of Health has designated as under-served. The internship rotates through all major and minor specialties, including emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, infectious diseases, and psychiatry.Iraq
In Iraq, graduates of a six-year medical program start a two-year internship in a hospital. The first year is divided into three months in specialties: internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, and pediatrics. In the second year, students must finish various-length courses in sub-specialties. After the two-year internship, doctors may practice independently. At that point, they must practice in under-served areas for one year—after which they may apply to study a specialty.