Pre-registration in historical perspective

This essay examines the background and implementation of the statutory requirement that each medical graduate in Great Britain must spend a pre-registration year in hospital training before full registration can be effected. It looks briefly at the French and USA 'internship', and then describes the British situation before 1950, when a Medical Act made the pre-registration year compulsory. The Parliamentary Act was passed after full consultation with appropriate professional organizations and, despite various changes, still provides the basic structure of the first postgraduate year of medical training.