About Medical Residency and Training After Medical School

Many applicants to medical school dont realize that becoming a doctor is not just a matter of graduating from medical school. A great deal of training occurs after graduation, during residency.   Residency typically lasts three years. It is during residency that you will specialize in a particular field of medicine. Residency by the Year The first year of residency is also known as an internship or first year residency (PGY-1 for post graduate year 1, the first year out of medical school). Interns generally rotate among specialties. During PGY-2, the second year of residency, the doctor continues to learn the field, focusing on a specialty area. Fellowship, PGY-3, is when the doctor trains in a sub-specialty.   Daily Tasks Residents are expected to fulfill several tasks daily. Responsibilities of a resident can include: Rounds (talk to each patient about their care).Rounds with the team: teams include several interns, an upper-level supervising resident, and an attending or teaching physician taking care of certain patients. Students are often questioned/drilled about diseases and treatment techniques. Students are able to speak with each patient about their needs and make suggestions for further diagnostic tests and treatments.Students check in with some patients again and delve deeper into their treatments.Residents leave notes or instructions on each patient including possible problems that may arise for the next shift resident.Attend various lectures and conferences.Study at home and work. Students may admit new patients and are expected to: Prepare a history of the patients medical past.Perform a physical examination.Write their admitting orders, which include instructions for tests and medications. All of this work is accompanied by an average annual salary of   $40,000 to $50,000.