Upon graduating from medical school, many doctors choose to enter a medical residency program, but not all dream of following this path. Here, you'll understand what other alternatives you can choose to achieve success in your career.
Medical residency is a type of postgraduate training, carried out in hospitals under the guidance of specialists. However, the selection process for these programs is highly competitive, and acceptance can take years out of a doctor's career.
This is because, according to the 2025 Medical Demographics, the number of medical residency positions offered annually does not meet the number of graduating doctors. And for this reason, many professionals choose other alternatives to specialize and advance their careers.
In this article, you will learn about the main alternatives to medical residency and understand which one makes the most sense for your professional goals and medical career.
Medical residency, master's degree, or doctorate?
Unlike medical residency, which focuses on clinical practice, a master's degree is a theoretically, geared towards research in the health field. Those who wish to become professors, for example, need to complete it.
Many universities offer this training, and some areas in which a newly graduated doctor can specialize include:
- Public health;
- Pay attention to the family;
- Child health.
After completing a master's degree, those who pursue research can continue their studies with a doctorate, potentially leading to an academic career.
Postgraduate studies in Medicine
on the other hand Postgraduate lato sensu , are offered by institutions accredited by the MEC (Brazilian Ministry of Education) and have a minimum 360 hours workload of
In this case, the newly graduated doctor can choose from a wide specialties medical. The specifics vary greatly depending on the institution, but the advantages are usually:
- Greater control: when compared to medical residency, postgraduate studies offer much more control over the student's career – they can start as soon as they finish their medical degree, without depending on any approval process to pursue their success. Furthermore, they can already begin practicing in their chosen area during the course.
- Flexible schedules: unlike medical residency – which typically requires extensive hours, making other activities impossible – postgraduate studies have a different schedule. In the medical postgraduate program at São Leopoldo Mandic, for example, students can combine their work routine with course classes, thanks to the hybrid format.
- Curriculum customization: In postgraduate studies, as in medical residency, clinical cases are studied. In some institutions, real clinical cases are used – as at Mandic. However, in this program, unlike residency, students have the freedom to bring up topics they want to cover in class, with the option of using cases selected from the institution's clinic. This is a methodology exclusive to Mandic.
It is important to highlight that, although postgraduate studies provide physicians with clinical and theoretical knowledge in various areas, they do not automatically confer the title of specialist like medical residency. To obtain the title, the individual must take specific exams and meet certain requirements established by the Medical Societies of each specialty, along with the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB) and the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM).
What are the specialization options in postgraduate studies?
The specializations are very diverse. At São Leopoldo Mandic, for example, you can choose from:
Click here to learn more details about each of these courses.
