Two years of prelicensure training: observations from the alberta experience

Alberta is the only jurisdiction in North America which requires two years of training between receipt of the MD degree and licensure to practice medicine. Definitive studies to evaluate the validity of this decision are contemplated, since the legislation is now seven years old. Although several different bodies support the concept of two years' training rather than one, they disagree over how those two years should be spent, and there remain several interested parties which are not convinced about the necessity for two years' training. This article examines the data from seven years experience.