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Once a student completes a medical program, he or she is awarded a medical degree. The program can take up to five years to complete, but once that is done, most people realize that their education and training is not yet finished. There are other programs they generally join in order to become a fully recognized medical professional.
Medical school graduates may be able to find positions by utilizing the services of such organizations as Soliant Healthcare, or they may wish to put that off for a few more years as they pursue additional training that will prepare them for a more advanced position. This is a critical juncture as individuals either decide to pursue a vastly different career in medicine or continue on the next step toward becoming a physician. Though they may possess medical knowledge, they still require the necessary experience.
The most common opportunity sought after graduating from medical school is residency. At this point in their progress, medical students are considered resident physicians, also referred to simply as residents. Residents practice medicine under the direction of another physician. Generally, this will take place in a clinic or hospital.
Another option following medical school graduation is an internship. This may also follow the first year of a residency, depending upon what the student wishes to go into or pursue as his or her final medical career. There are also fellowship programs where the student is trained in a specialty.
In the end, residency programs are necessary for any medical school graduate who wishes to go on to legally practice medicine.
