So, finally, you have completed the challenging four years of medical school. Congratulations! Your path to becoming a qualified doctor starts now.
Once you obtained your medical degree, it’s time to gear up for medical residency, which is the most important part of your journey. Medical residency is the post-graduate training that is especially designed for fresh graduates who recently completed a Doctor of Medicine degree.
Usually, third or fourth-year medical students know which medical specialty they need to apply. However, some students find it challenging to choose the right medical specialty that perfectly fits their interests and career goals. Undoubtedly, medical residency is an exciting and confusing aspect of every medical student’s life.
Knowing the right residency programs that perfectly match your interests and career goals is a challenge for many graduates. Many medical students are curious to know how to match with one of their preferred residency programs, how long is medical residency, what type of training they will receive in a specific medical specialty.
If you are an aspiring physician and want to learn about training in the specialized field of medicine, here is everything you need to know about medical residency. Learn all the steps and you will become a competent physician in near future.
What is a Medical Resident?
A resident is a medical school graduate who takes training in a specialized field of medicine. Medical residents are responsible for diagnosing, managing, and treating different health conditions. They work at hospitals, emergency rooms and private clinics to get specialized training in a particular medical specialty.
What Medical Residents Do?
During their training, medical residents will learn how to diagnose, manage and treat different health conditions. Doctors and senior residents supervise medical residents to perform a variety of tasks. They will learn how to order and interpret diagnostic tests, perform medical procedures, take medical histories and perform physical examinations.
As a medical resident, you might work in a myriad of hospital departments, such as emergency department, operation theater, intensive care unit, pediatrics wards, and general patient wards. Some residents get the opportunity to work in outpatient clinics and doctors’ private clinics. It will allow them to observe how doctors perform physical examinations and treat patients. They will also learn how to communicate with patients, families and healthcare staff. Supervising doctors educate residents how to perform different surgical procedures and diagnostic tests.
Furthermore, medical residents also attend seminars and conferences to strengthen their knowledge and polish clinical skills in a specialized field of medicine.
The Duration of Medical Residency
A medical residency is a period of postgraduate training medical students will receive after completing their medical school journey. The duration of a medical residency depends on the type of specialty you are pursuing. Usually, residency training lasts for three to seven years. Those students who are interested in competitive medical specialties, such as radiology, pediatric radiology and reconstructive surgery are required to complete additional fellowship training.
Here is the required length of postgraduate trainings for board certification.
