Medicine is one of the most popular and well-known health disciplines , requiring the services of competent professionals at all ages and at all stages of life in order to maintain physical health and treat the various diseases we may suffer throughout our lives.

At the training level, it is also one of the most demanding careers both at the entry level (the cut-off mark for studying this career is at least one of the highest) and at the level of time spent before becoming a professional (other careers also require continuous training, but the degree is usually obtained earlier).

The duration of this course is determined by a large number of variables, one of which is where it is studied. The structure and conception of this course varies greatly in the different countries where it is studied. Thus, those who study medicine in one country may see how other colleagues in the profession need more or less years to finish their training depending on where it is carried out. In this article we will see how many years are the medical career in each of the countries that have been chosen.

Average years of medical school by country

We leave you with a brief commentary on the length of training required to become a doctor in different countries.

1. Spain

In Spain, the medical career is certainly demanding. The university degree lasts six years. And this is only the degree: if they want to practice in the public network they must spend at least one year within the MIR system (resident intern physician), to enter which they must pass a series of competitive examinations (although about half of those who try each year succeed) to graduate as a general practitioner.

If they consider specializing, the duration increases by several more years (between four and five depending on which one). In total, a doctor who specializes in our country will have gone through training of around 10-11 years (although during the MIR they will already begin to be paid, having a training contract).

2. United States

In the United States, medical training is particularly long. First, it will be necessary to study for four years for a “Bachelor’s Degree” in which they must take pre-medical subjects. After that, they have to study five years of general medicine on a theoretical level, followed by two years of hospital residency. All of this will serve to obtain the degree of Medical Doctor , and if they want to specialize they must carry out training for around two more years (and another two more if they want sub-specializations).

3. United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, as in Spain and other European countries, the medical degree is six years long .

4. Cuba

In Cuba, training to become a doctor would take a total of six years divided into semesters, with the exception of the Internship (or practices) which would last a whole year . The professionals go through different services and units in order to visualize the different existing specialties.

5. Ecuador

In order to become a doctor in Ecuador, future candidates must undergo a training period of between five and six years, the first three years being of basic training, and from the fourth year onwards being able to do hospital practice .

6. Mexico

In Mexico, a medical degree usually lasts six years, although in universities in the north of the country the figure can be as high as seven.

7. Peru

It takes an average of seven or eight years to obtain a degree in general medicine in Peru. That would be four years in a degree and another four in a medical school. After that they can go on to study a specialization that can last up to three or four years.

8. Colombia

As in Mexico, in Colombia the training required to practise as a doctor lasts between six and seven years.

9. Argentina

In this country, training at the grade level takes a total of six years divided into three cycles. In the first (biomedical cycle) they focus on training at the level of human anatomy and biology, in a second cycle (clinical) students receive knowledge about pathology, diagnosis and treatment (being somewhat more clinical) and finally a period of rotation called annual rotating internship in which they do real practice in hospitals.

10. South Africa

In this African country, studying medicine requires about five to six years of study. After that it will be necessary to do two years of practice and one year of community service in a rural environment. Subsequently, different specialisation courses can be taken .