internat
/ɛ̃.tɛʁ.na/
The English phrase 'medical residency' is internat in French.
internat refers to the period of specialized clinical training a doctor undergoes after graduating from medical school. To express the act of undergoing a medical residency, you can use the phrase faire son internat.
Which one should you use?
While internat refers to the period of training, interne refers to the resident doctor themselves. Additionally, more specific formal terms include internat de médecine to mean a medical residency program and internat médical to indicate medical residency.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium and Switzerland, the term stage post-universitaire is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun internat is masculine and is used with the definite article l'internat.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ɛ̃.tɛʁ.na/ and has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, internat describes both a medical residency and the boarding school system where students live and study.
- In France, the rank a doctor achieves in the concours de l'internat determines not only their specialty but also which city they are allowed to live in during training.
- The term interne is much more prestigious in French than the English word 'intern', as it specifically denotes a qualified doctor undergoing specialized training.
Examples in context
- Je vais passer l'examen de l'ECN pour intégrer l'internat de médecine.I will take the ECN exam to join the medical residency program.
- Il commence son internat en cardiologie demain.He starts his medical residency in cardiology tomorrow.
- L'internat est une période très intense pour les médecins.Medical residency is a very intense period for doctors.
- Elle a terminé son internat l'année dernière.She finished her medical residency last year.
Example conversation
Two friends talking about their career goals.
- LucasEst-ce que tu veux faire l'internat ?Do you want to do a medical residency?
- EmmaOui, je veux devenir chirurgienne.Yes, I want to become a surgeon.
- LucasC'est un concours très difficile.It is a very difficult exam.
- EmmaJe sais, mais je vais étudier dur.I know, but I am going to study hard.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry internat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
