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What is a Teaching Hospital?

Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

A teaching hospital is an operating hospital where medical students and recently graduated doctors may complete their training. They are often but not always associated with a university, and sometimes called university hospitals. Because many of the working doctors are supervised trainees, critics suggest that teaching hospitals may be less safe than regular ones, with error due to inexperience being a higher probability. However, teaching hospitals are often extremely well-funded, and may possess better and newer technology and treatments than state or private medical facilities.

Practical experience in medical disciplines has long been a proscribed part of the learning process for doctors. As early as the 6th century, early Persian hospitals were used to teach incoming physicians and provide them with actual experience. Today, graduate-level and post-graduate physicians must spend several years training in teaching hospitals before being considered a fully qualified specialist.

Med school graduates must complete a residency.
Med school graduates must complete a residency.

In the United States, students begin working in a teaching hospital during the second half of their four-year graduate program. At this point, the students are considered interns, and are not full medical doctors. After graduating, the new doctors begin a three-year residency in their preferred fields in teaching hospitals. Usually, the first year of residency is spent as an intern to an advanced resident, learning a variety of different disciplines. After the intern year, physicians usually choose a specialty and spend several more years training in their chosen discipline.

Teaching hospitals offer students a variety of specialties in which to practice their profession before obtaining a degree.
Teaching hospitals offer students a variety of specialties in which to practice their profession before obtaining a degree.

Other countries, such as New Zealand, have a different process of training doctors. Instead of an undergraduate, graduate and post-grad training system, medical students take a six year long program, with introduction to teaching hospitals being done in the third year. Unlike in the United States, where post-graduate doctors are matched up with teaching hospitals through a national database, New Zealanders have only two major schools that conduct medical training. Around the world, the use of training hospitals tends to vary depending on the national training programs and the availability of internships at local hospitals.

Teaching hospitals may give students practice at dealing with cases of trauma in the emergency room.
Teaching hospitals may give students practice at dealing with cases of trauma in the emergency room.

Understandably, patients may be somewhat concerned by being treated at a teaching hospital. Although in many countries the doctors allowed to practice medicine at the hospitals are already qualified physicians, they do not have the same level of experience as their fully-trained colleagues. However, interns and residents are usually heavily supervised and second-guessed by their teachers, so the care you receive may actually be more researched and considered. If you are under the care of an intern or resident and feel uncomfortable or worried, ask to speak to the senior doctor before agreeing to any suggestions or treatments.

The chaotic world of the teaching hospital has been an inescapable setting for many successful television shows. The life-and-death situation of any hospital combined with the training of young doctors has led to the creation of at least five popular shows in the United States alone. Gray’s Anatomy, Chicago Hope, House, MD, ER, and Scrubs are all set in teaching hospitals. While these shows usually have diligent researchers searching for accurate medical information and can be extremely entertaining, they should not be taken as a guideline for the level of skill and professionalism at a real-life teaching hospital.

Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.

Learn more...
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

lluviaporos

@pastanaga - The thing is, I don't think many people actually have that much of a choice as to where they go and whether or not it's a teaching hospital. Either you are on your way in an emergency vehicle and they just go to the nearest one, or you are constricted by whatever insurance you have or whatever procedures they specialize in doing.

Personally I'd rather have a teaching hospital, because I like having explanations of what is going on and those are the best places to get one. But I don't think I've ever ended up in a hospital that was my pick of a bunch. It's usually a choice of necessity, if that.

pastanaga

@Fa5t3r - There may be some truth to that, but a teaching hospital might end up with some pretty raw staff. The difference between an experienced medical professional looking for a vein and an inexperienced one poking around in hope is huge, as I can attest.

Fa5t3r

To be honest, I'd rather be in a teaching hospital because newer doctors are probably going to be much more on their toes. I'm sure doctors who have been in the business a long time are going to eventually stop being as vigilant and start working somewhat on auto-pilot and that's when mistakes can happen.

If you've got a supervisor breathing down your neck and your job hinges on getting every single detail correct then you are going to be trying your very best all the time.

Not that experienced doctors don't mostly try their best, but new doctors just have more incentive.

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    • Med school graduates must complete a residency.
      By: goodluz
      Med school graduates must complete a residency.
    • Teaching hospitals offer students a variety of specialties in which to practice their profession before obtaining a degree.
      By: spotmatikphoto
      Teaching hospitals offer students a variety of specialties in which to practice their profession before obtaining a degree.
    • Teaching hospitals may give students practice at dealing with cases of trauma in the emergency room.
      By: Tim Glass
      Teaching hospitals may give students practice at dealing with cases of trauma in the emergency room.