24 articles
Academy of Medicine
Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS), professional body of medical and dental specialists founded 1957; awards FAMS, administers in-training examinations for 23 residency programs, publishes the Annals, and has 13 Colleges and 6 Chapters.
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is a private nonprofit body, established in 1981, that sets standards for and accredits US residency and fellowship programs.
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, also MBChB; Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae) is the primary undergraduate medical degree in Commonwealth and related systems, regulated in India by the NMC with NEET-UG admission and CBME 2024 curriculum.
Comparison of MD and DO in the United States
MD vs DO in the US: the two physician degree paths, allopathic MD and osteopathic DO, differ in philosophy, OMT training, and COMLEX vs USMLE exams, but outcome studies show similar patient care, and both match through the single ACGME accreditation system.
Diplomate of National Board
Diplomate of National Board (DNB), also DrNB and FNB, is India's NBEMS-awarded postgraduate medical qualification, legally equivalent to MD/MS/DM/MCh, entered via NEET-PG with 3-year hospital training and a two-stage exit exam.
Doctor of Medicine
The Doctor of Medicine (MD or M.D.) is a professional doctoral degree in medicine granted in the United States and Canada after four years of accredited study.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), a US physician degree from COCA-accredited colleges founded on A.T. Still's 1874 philosophy; DOs are fully licensed physicians with OMT training, COMLEX licensure, and outcomes matching MDs.
Doctor of Pharmacy
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD): the six-year entry-level professional doctorate for US pharmacists since 2000, ACPE-accredited under Standards 2025, with IPPE/APPE rotations and NAPLEX licensure; distinct from the PhD and adopted in countries such as Thailand and Japan.
Fellowship (medicine)
Fellowship (medicine): post-residency subspecialty training in graduate medical education, also called advanced GME. ACGME-accredited, typically 1-3 years, entered via the NRMP fellowship match, leading to ABMS subspecialty certification.
Hanoi Medical University
Hanoi Medical University (Trường Đại học Y Hà Nội), founded 1902 as the Indochina Medical School, is Vietnam's oldest public medical university in Hanoi, offering a six-year Vietnamese-language Doctor of Medicine degree and large postgraduate training.
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), founded 1903, is the largest accredited U.S. medical school, a nine-campus Indiana system, LCME-accredited through 2032-33, 13th among public schools in NIH funding.
Internship (medicine)
Medical internship: supervised clinical training period for new medical graduates, also called house officer year or clerkship; lasts one to two years, varies by country, and was absorbed into US residency in 1970.
Medical certificate
Medical certificate: a clinician-issued document attesting to illness, fitness, or cause of death. Includes the UK fit note (Med 3, introduced 2010, digital since 2022), FAA airman medical certificates, and death certification.
Medical degree
Medical degree: MD or MBBS university qualification certifying physician training. Key facts: first US school 1765, Flexner report 1910 closed 89 of 155 schools, USMLE licensure, UK GMC oversight.
Medical education
Medical education: training of physicians across undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing stages, organized around competency-based curricula, the WHO 2022 UHC framework, and growing AI integration.
Physician assistant
Physician assistant (PA), also called physician associate: a licensed U.S. clinician practicing medicine in every specialty under team-based physician collaboration. Founded 1965 at Duke by Eugene Stead; 200,000+ PAs, NCCPA-certified (PA-C), 27-month master's programs.
Postgraduate medicine
Postgraduate medicine: medical education after the primary medical degree, and the name of several journals, chiefly the British Postgraduate Medical Journal (Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine, 1925, now Oxford University Press) and the American Postgraduate Medicine (Charles Mayo, roots 1916, Taylor & Francis).
Pre-medical
Pre-medical (pre-med) describes the undergraduate coursework, experiences, and application preparation for US medical school, including the MCAT, rather than a degree program or major of its own.
Residency (medicine)
Residency (medicine): supervised postgraduate hospital training after medical school, originating at Johns Hopkins in 1889 under William Osler; governed by ACGME standards, 80-hour work limits, and NRMP Match placement.
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), British medical royal charity founded 1929, chartered 1947; trains and examines O&G doctors via MRCOG, sets Green-top Guidelines, 19,000+ members worldwide, London Bridge headquarters.
Shanxi Medical University
Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学), public medical university in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; founded 1919 as Shanxi Medical Training School, renamed Shanxi Medical University 1996; known for physiology, forensic medicine, and ESI top-1% clinical medicine.
United States Medical Licensing Examination
USMLE, the United States Medical Licensing Examination, is the three-Step exam (Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 3) owned by FSMB and NBME that physicians must pass for US medical licensure; first administered 1992, Step 1 pass/fail since January 26, 2022, four attempts per Step.
USMLE Step 1
USMLE Step 1, the first United States Medical Licensing Examination step co-sponsored by FSMB and NBME, is an 8-hour basic-science exam reported pass/fail since January 26, 2022, with a $695 fee and new 14-block format from May 14, 2026.
White coat ceremony
The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage cloaking entering medical, nursing, and other health students, first held in 1989 at the University of Chicago.