When it comes to the duration of medical residency in the USA, a quick Google search will show you that they last between 3 and 7 years. Naturally, the shortest are the 3-year ones, such as Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics. Others, such as Obstetrics, Anesthesiology, and Psychiatry, last 4 years, and so on. But shouldn't the real question be whether this time is enough to prepare us as specialists?
The duration of residency is relative. It is not just about the years of training but also about the time spent in medical school. In the USA, for example, we have "undergrad" of 3 to 4 years, followed by 4 years of medical school, and only then residency. In other words, the medical career requires a much greater sacrifice of time than other professions, which makes complete sense, since after all we care for lives.
Even after residency, learning continues. As long as we are practicing as physicians, we will be eternal students. Residency may end, but studying never does. Only upon retiring does this learning journey perhaps come to an end.
Currently, in the USA, there is a movement to reduce the length of medical school, with accelerated programs that finish in 3 years. At the same time, there are discussions about increasing the duration of residency. For example, Family Medicine lasts 2 years in Brazil, 3 years in the USA, and 4 years in Portugal. But what would be the ideal length?
I, for example, did Family Medicine in 5 years (2 years in Brazil and 3 in the USA). This residency time expanded my knowledge and helped me in my career. It was as if I had done 2 years of theory and then 3 years of practice, but that is a subject for another post. In Internal Medicine, residency lasts 3 years, but you need to do at least one more year of "fellowship" if you want to specialize in some area. And the "fellowships" can last more than a year. The same applies to Pediatrics.
Therefore, the question that really matters is not which residency is fastest, but rather: will I be prepared to practice in my field?