Confused about derm/im res and board certification

[medcurious]

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I have three small questions that have been bothering me for a few days. The first being, in the combined derm/im residency which is 5 years, is that first year equal to the internship year? If so then that means the additonal 4 years are supposed to make up for the 3 yr derm 3 yr im residency. How could they squeeze 6 yrs of residency into 4. That does not make sense to me! Anyone? Also, at what time after one's residency does one actually become a board certified doctor and is the test the same as the USMLE exams?

 

[clc17]

The programs are 5 years...so that is 1 year shorter than doing 3 IM and 3 derm.

The first year is an intern year. That year is in medicine and everyone in derm is required to do it...not just the combined programs. It counts as a medicine year. I assume the other 4 years are split almost evenly so really it only cuts short each residency 6 months (2.5 years each).

Then, it hardly makes sense to do. I beg all of you contemplating combined residencies in anything to just choose one. MEd/Neuro, blah blah. In the end you'll likely practice one (in your case dermatology). What do you want the years of medicine for?

Finally, you get your MD when you graduate from med school. You then apply for a state license after passing all steps of USMLE. Then you are a licensed physician (good for residency and some moonlighting), but in order to get approval for reimbursement for medicare, HMOand get malpractice insurance etc ( in other words in order to get PAID and be protected) you need to take your boards in whatever it is you studied. For me that will be derm, after the end of residency.