An intern is posted in all the clinical departments of the hospital on a rotation basis. This gives them the basic clinical experience in all the disciplines of medicine and enables them to work as a General Physician. The intern is also given a monthly stipend. The amount may vary from one college to another, based on ownership by State or private entity. Completion of internship is a necessary pre-requisite for award of the degree, license to practice medicine and for postgraduate studies or higher specialty training. On passing the final MBBS examination at the end of 5years, a medical student is first awarded a Provisional registration certificate by the Medical Council of India or the State medical council and they can start the internship,This procedure is also mandatory for students those who completed their medicine from Ukraine, Russia after qualifying National Board screening Exam FMGE. The permanent registration certificate along with the "MCI Registration number" and the final Medical degree is given only after obtaining a CRRI completion certificate endorsing the successful and satisfactory completion of the CRRI.
Comparison
The internship is different from the House Officership in the UK and many other countries, where it is not a compulsory tenure. The house physician or the house surgeon, unlike an intern, works in a particular department of his or her choice and is paid a monthly 'salary' for his work in the hospital. The American counterpart is called a "resident" or a "resident doctor". In some parts of the world, they are also called a "senior house officer". In comparison, in India, the Internship or the House Surgeoncy or the House Officership - all are considered to be the same. And, there is no such term in common parlance as "House Physician" in India. This is because, in India, the doctor who is undergoing higher specialty training following Internship is called a "Post-Graduate student". This is because in India, specialty training is considered to be a period of 'learning' whereas in other countries, it is considered a period of 'training'. Nevertheless, some institutions in India have begun to adopt the changing patterns in the world and have started calling their 'PG students' as 'residents' but they still pay them stipend and not a salary besides collecting tuition fees. Also note that in the United States, a first-year resident is called an "intern". This is because the Americanmedical students do not undergo the Indian type of CRRI rotation in a hospital at the end of their medical school. However, the American counterpart during the last two years of medical school rotate through each clinical department which parallels the Indian CRRI training. The American medical students are awarded the "M.D." degree at the end of 4 years of medical school. So, essentially the American M.D. is equal to the Indian MBBS. Whereas an Indian-MBBS can practice independently, a US-MD cannot practice without completing the residency training.
Responsibilities
Interns are entrusted with clinical responsibilities under the supervision of a medical teacher and/or a resident. They do not work independently but can treat patients. Interns are not supposed to issue medical certificates, death certificates or medico-legal documents under their own signatures because they do not have a MCI registration number.
