Medical Intern and Resident

An intern is a medical school graduate in their first year of post-graduate training, often called a "first-year resident" in the U.S.. A resident is a doctor in their second year or any subsequent year of post-graduate training after the internship, specializing in a specific area. The primary difference is the level of training and experience; an intern is at the beginning, while a resident is further along, taking on more responsibility and working towards board certification in a specialty.  

Feature	Intern	Resident
Level of Training	First year of postgraduate medical training	Years 2+ of postgraduate training
Autonomy	Works under close supervision and guidance	Takes on more responsibility and supervises interns and medical students
Specialization	General training to be licensed to practice	Specializing in a particular medical field
Experience	New to clinical practice after medical school	Has completed the initial internship year
Role	Completes tasks under direction	Manages patient care, diagnoses, and treatment plans