Do I have to do a residency?

[david_a_hill]

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Am I able to practice if I don't do a residency?

I am in Illinois, and I think you need to do a year post grad for your licence. If I then just wanted to "open shop" would I be able to?

 

[DocGibby]

Are you a DO? If so, I think you might be confusing your DO internship with your residency. I believe Illinois (along with Michigan and a few other States), requires that all DOs do a one year Osteopathic medicine internship in order to recieve a license to practice in the State. Then, following your DO internship, you can either do a DO or an MD residency.

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DocGibby
MSUCOM class of 2004

 

[david_a_hill]

Yes, I am a DO student.

Does this mean that if I wanted to do an allopathic residency in IM, I would have to do 1 year osteo internship then a 3 year residency. Would the osteo year count as PG1 of the IM residency?

I have a Nat Health scholarship. I figured that as soon as I had a licence I could head off to a rural area and "open shop". Hopefully, working with an experienced doc, so that I would be like an apprentice.

I realize that for the future not having done a residency or being board certified may hurt my prospects. But, I never entered medicine for the money.

 

[DocGibby]

The days of apprenticeship training ended back in the late 19th century.

Check out this link: http://opportunities.aoa-net.org/Opportunities/Opportunities.asp

It is the AOA's database for internships and residencies. It looks like you'll need 1 year of Osteo internship plus 6 years of a IM residency. However, I believe that if you do a IM osteo internship that will count for your first year of residency (meaning a total of 6 years all together). Little unsure on that last point, though.

I'd appreciate some additional input from someone who knows exactly how that works. In anycase, your basically looking at 6-7 years of post-doctoral training before your on your own in Illinois.

 

[RollTide]

You guys have me confused, or either you are confused. In order to practice internal medicine or family practice, the TOTAL postgraduate years involved are 3. If you do a traditional internship and then do a osteopathic IM or FP residency, the total is three years. There is the possibility that if you do an allopathic residency after a osteopathic internship that you may have to basically re-do PGY-1 making your total postgraduate training 4 years. Where in the hell are you getting 6-7 years?

 

[david_a_hill]

Rolltide,
How does being a DO work in Florida? Do you have to do the 1 year osteo internship before you can be licenced, or can you do a 1 year allopathic PG1 and still be licenced?

I know that true "apprectice" training went out many years ago. I just want to know if I can practice on my own without doing a residency. I know that it's "not a good idea", and that many people wouldn't want to go to someone with so little experience. I just want to know if it can be done.

 

[RollTide]

I intended to answer the original poster's question. In the old days, a person could graduate from medical school and do either no residency or just a one year internship and practice as a generalist. Those days are basically gone. I do not think there are any states that allow you to do this anymore. In order to get your liscence to practice in a state, you first have to complete a PGY-1 year and then take USMLE-III to get a liscence to practice medicine. Your talking about a NHSC- scholar prgram which REQUIRES you to do a residency in FP,IM,Peds, Psych, or OB/GYN. I have looked at their online list of positions and they all require BC or BE status. So my answer is yes you do need a residency. Those people you are talking about who practice in the rural U.S. are mostly BC FP.

 

[RollTide]

Florida is one of the five states that require the osteopathic internship for licensure, but the AOA has recently passed bylaws that will allow students to use some allopathic transitional years in replacement of the internship. Other PGY-1 years that have the same rotation splits as the osteopathic internship will also be considered. The problem is that the states do not have to recognize these programs just because the AOA does.

 

[DocGibby]

My bad. Sorry about that. That's what happens when you work and try to look up stuff on the net. I was looking at Botsford General Hosp. in Mich (follow the link provided and go under resdencies, IM, Michigan) For some reason they list a 6 year residency program. I thought that didn't sound right, but I figured hey "that's what it says." I just now checked Genysis Hospital (also in Michigan) where it is indeed a 2 year residency preceeded by a one year traditional or IM residency.

Sorry my bad.

 

[RBorhani]

I am an Emergency Med resident in IL now (ACGME program (MD)). I am a DO. I did not do an osteopathic rotating internship as IL is not one of the five States that requires it. The ones that do are (FL, WV, PA, MI, and OK).

In most states all you need is one year of post graduate training to get your permanent license (i.e. be able to practice on your own or moonlight as a resident). However, if you do that (start practicing after only one year of post graduate training) you will not be board certified in any specialty (i.e. you will be a general doc) and you will have a hard time getting hospital privileges (i.e. being able to admit your patients to the hospital under your name) and most insurance companies will not pick you up.

In IL and I am not sure where else you will need to do at least two years of postgraduate training to get your permanent license.


[This message has been edited by RBorhani (edited 07-22-2000).]