Future of the internship from the standpoint of the medical school.

Abstract

It has been suggested that the internship as a separate phase of medical education should be discarded and that the experience gained during this period should be divided between the clinical clerkship on one side and residency training on the other. At one time, the internship provided not only the first contact with patients but also the final step in preparation for practice. Little wonder then that it came to be regarded with high esteem. However, as the clinical clerkship was introduced into medical school teaching, it gradually evolved into training that closely simulated that which the intern had received in at least the earlier months of his service. Then, with the development of residency training programs in preparation for specialty practice, the resident began to assume some of the responsibility for the care of patients formerly assigned to the intern. Thus, the internship lost much of its earlier glory