Residency (medicine) - Terminology

Terminology

A resident physician is more commonly referred to as a resident, senior house officer (in Commonwealth countries), or alternatively as a house officer. Residents have graduated from an accredited medical school and hold a medical degree (MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB). The residents collectively are the house staff of a hospital. This term comes from the fact that resident physicians traditionally lived the majority of their lives "in house," i.e., the hospital. Duration of most residencies can range from three years to seven years for a specialized field such as neurosurgery. A year in residency begins between late June to early July depending on the individual program, and ends one calendar year later. A first-year resident is often termed an intern, although this term is quickly being changed to "first year resident". Depending on the number of years a specialty requires, the term junior resident refers to residents that have not completed half their residency. Senior residents are residents in their final year of residency. Some residency programs refer to residents in their final year as chief residents (typically in surgical branches). Alternatively, a chief resident may describe a resident who has been selected to extend his or her residency by one year and organize the activities and training of the other residents (typically in internal medicine and pediatrics). If a physician finishes a residency and decides to further his education in a fellowship, he or she is referred to as a "fellow". Post-residency physicians are referred to as attending physicians, or consultants (in Commonwealth countries).