do you have to do a residency?

[ollie2003]

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or can you just join a practice after med. school. (assuming one would take you)

just curious if the residency is mandatory.

 

[FinallyOnMyWay]

Residencies are not mandatory to carry that lovely "MD" after your name. I know at least a couple of people who didn't do a residency or only completed a year of one.

BUT, neither of these people practice medicine. (They're in business and policy).
I'm pretty sure that to practice, you need a residency.

 

[hmno82]

Yup, ya have to to practice anywhere in the U.S. Of course, if you just want to research and just need an MD to back you up then you don't. I know a guy who is doing that. He doesn't intend to practice, so he won't be doing a residency.

 

[Bones2008]

To be a licensed practitioner you have to complete at least your internship year. After that, you're elgibile to take the USMLE Step 3, thus completing your licensure. So, technically, you can practice without completing a residency. The question is, will anyone come to be your patient?

 

[drlexygoat]

Ollie, please tell me you're not applying right now....

 

[WatchingWaiting]

As mentioned, you are a licensed physician after doing one year of internship and passing Step III of the USMLE. You are, however, a general practitioner and will probably not be able to do anything other than set up practice in a rural or underserved area.

 

[postbacc]

Originally posted by FinallyOnMyWay
Residencies are not mandatory to carry that lovely "MD" after your name. I know at least a couple of people who didn't do a residency or only completed a year of one.

BUT, neither of these people practice medicine. (They're in business and policy).
I'm pretty sure that to practice, you need a residency.

What specifically do the people do who went into business or policy? I'm curious about what type of business options exist post-MD and pre-residency

 

[lowbudget]

Yes, if you want to practice medicine. If you finish 1 year of internship and pass USMLE Step 3, you're a licensed physician and can practice medicine as a GP. No one's a GP anymore because it's been replaced by FP (3 years of residency). The exception is in the military where after your internship you can be a GMO, flight surgeon, or submarine doctor for a few years, then you go back into residency. Good luck in finding an employer who will hire a GP who has not done a residency and board certify. And good luck in malpractice court when FPs testify against you and ask you how many years of training you've had.

 

[Habari]

it's obviously mandatory to practice - but certainly not requisite otherwise by any means. my school doesn't require students to take the boards to advance either, though the overwhelming majority do. there are myriad options after you finish school. i know 3 classmates who have no interest in doing a residency, but have very valid reasons for coming to med school. not everything has to be on a track, through an application process or have an obvious path.

 

[twaspatz]

There is an ER physcian at our local hospital (town size: 75,000 - Level 3 trauma center) that is a DO who never did a residency. Completed his intern year and is technically a GP. Pretty damn good doc I might add. Very few of the ER docs actually have done an emer. med. residency, most are IM.
So as a GP (intern year only - no residency), and having taken the board exams, you are licensed to practice, if you can find someone willing to hire you as a GP. Your options may be limited however.

 

[BPKurtz]

The only people I know who don't do a residency are people who want to go into industry (e.g. work for a pharmaceutical company), are MD/JD, or do something like public health (although there are public health residencies and most true MD/MPH practicioners have done a residency). Bottom line, practically nobody sees patients without having done a residency first. Among other things, I imagine it would be damn hard to get malpractice insurance. As a 4th year med student (MD minus 3 months), I can tell you I would not be comfortable sending my grandmother or any relative of mine to one of my classmates until after they complete a residency -- med school prepares you very well for residency, but not to be out alone practicing somewhere. Even after you graduate, you still have a lot to learn.

bpkurtz

 

[ollie2003]

thanks for the response.

just curious, I didn't think it was possible (and don't want to try it)

a friend who was wondering asked me, and I couldn't think of a case where you could practice without residency--but now i can say that technically there is a small small chance that it would be possible.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

I suppose you could moonlight your whole career after the PGY-1. This, however, is not advised. 😉

The jobs available were mostly EM jobs, but I anticipate that all future EM physicians will be BE/BC, residency trained EM docs.