18. Oktober 2013 at 15:42
by Katharina Lampichler
The medical education system in the US differs greatly from that in Austria. Students in the US first have to go to college and enroll in the so called pre-medical program. Basically any undergraduate major can be chosen if a certain set of medicine-related courses is also completed. Most of the students will focus on science majors but it would also be possible to study economy or arts, take some extra classes for pre-med and get into med school. At the end of college (usually 4 years), students have to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) in order to apply for med schools.
After college graduation students enter the real medical school. Admission numbers vary greatly depending on reputation of the med school and number of applicants in that year. It is a 4 year program split into pre-clinical and clinical courses. During med school the famous USMLE steps have to be partly completed. The clinical courses are usually taken at hospitals students would like to apply for residency later on. One of the most important parts of the residency application process is the letter of recommendation from physicians that students worked with during their clinical training.
Medical students in the US are usually more involved in the clinical daily life than Austrian students. They get assigned to a specific intern or resident and usually work the same hours as the designated doctor including weekends and take care of their own patients. That way the students can experience how it is like to work as a doctor without having the full responsibilities. Although the med school training in the US is probably more intense than in Austria my perception is that final year students in both systems are on the same level when it comes to knowledge and clinical skills.
The downside of the American system is that private med schools cost around 50 000 dollars a year which means that every medical graduate has at least 200 000 dollars of debt while Austrians usually have none.
During the final year of med school students start to apply for a residency in their favorite speciality. The residency programs all have different durations and training schedules depending on subspeciality. The training can range from 3 years for internal medicine to 7 years for neurosurgery. There is also the possibility to apply for combined residencies (for example internal medicine and neurology).
