While a medical education involves continual learning over a career lifetime, there are five basic phases:
Undergraduate Premedical Education (College) begins to prepare students for the academic and personal rigors of a medical education; provides the opportunity to obtain a solid foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities; as well as helps students to learn the fundamental problem-solving and communication skills needed to be a doctor.
Undergraduate Medical Education (Medical School) usually involves a four-year program of study, with the first two years focused on learning the basic sciences essential to medicine and the second two years consisting of a series of clinical rotations during which students work with patients and their families under the supervision of faculty physicians. Upon completing medical school, students are awarded their M.D. degree.
Graduate Medical Education (Residency) is a three- to seven-year period when new M.D.s (residents) learn all aspects of patient care and prepare for independent practice in a medical specialty or subspecialty. Residents work with patients under the supervision of attending physicians.
Licensure and Certification represent the fourth phase. Licensure occurs through the medical licensing board in each state and involves, among other requirements, passing the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The first two exams take place during medical school, and the third takes place during the first year of residency. Certification occurs through the medical specialty board for each specialty. Requirements vary by specialty board.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) refers to the career-long process of staying current with one’s chosen medical specialty and maintaining clinical competence through CME courses and training.