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This question is about education section on resume.
Residency vs. fellowship
The difference between a residency and a fellowship is that a residency refers to a post-medical school training program for doctors, while a fellowship refers to a post-residency training program for doctors in a specialized field of medicine.
Residencies are mandatory programs for most doctors. They take place in hospitals or similar medical environments and involve hands-on medical training for doctors in a broad sense, as well as some specialized training in the field of medicine they have studied. Residencies are focused on patient care, community service, research, leadership, and patient education.
A fellowship is a program completed by a doctor after they have finished their residency. It is a more advanced level of training in the specific medical discipline that the doctor has focused on, such as oncology, cardiology, neurosurgery, or gastroenterology. Fellowship programs can be as short as one year, and as long as three years.
Key Takeaways:
| Residency | Fellowship |
|---|---|
| A residency refers to a post-medical school training program for doctors. | A fellowship refers to a post-residency training program for doctors in a specialized field of medicine. |
| Residencies take place in hospitals or similar medical environments and involve hands-on medical training for doctors in a broad sense, as well as some specialized training in the field of medicine they have studied | A fellowship also takes place in a hospital or similar medical environments and is a more advanced level of training in the specific medical discipline that the doctor has focused. |
| Residencies are focused on patient care, community service, research, leadership, and patient education, which are the foundations for the practice of medicine. | Fellowships are focused on one specific area of medicine, such as oncology, cardiology, neurosurgery, or gastroenterology. |
| Residencies normally take around four years to complete. | Fellowships programs can be as short as one year, and as long as three years |
| The American Medical Association (AMA) states that doctors in their first year of residency earn an average of $60,000 per year. | Doctors participating in their fellowship programs often don't make as much as physicians in their speciality, but do make more than doctors completing their residency programs. |
| Residencies are mandatory programs for most doctors in most states. | Fellowships are usually not a requirement, but are voluntary programs that doctors choose to pursue in order to further their expertise. |
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