This training period begins after students complete the internship. Today, most enter a residency program, and devote two to six years of additional in-hospital training. On average, a residency lasts three years, but the lengths of residency programs vary considerably between specialties and even a little within individual specialties. In general, the surgical specialties require longer residencies. At the end of this training, a physician sits for a certification exam in that specialty.
Residents learn how to diagnose and care for patients, and they work to develop their people skills.
They will also learn how medical conditions can deviate from textbook descriptions. As they grow more experienced, residents assume more responsibility and independence until at last they graduate from their training program and can practice on their own. Emergency medicine limits shifts to 12 hours and workweeks to 72 hours. Surgery has no limits. In reality, resident physicians typically work up to 120 hours a week, including 36 hour shifts for several weeks at a time.