Training Directions for Internal Medicine Residents

In September 2025, following the resolution of prolonged conflicts between residents and the government, internal medicine residents returned to their training hospitals. The recently implemented Resident Training Environment Innovation Project limited duty hours to a maximum of 72 per week and prohibited continuous shifts longer than 24 hours. Moreover, if the proposed Resident Training Environment Improvement and Status Enhancement Act is enacted, resident duty hours may be further reduced. While these changes represent a significant advancement in protecting residents’ rights as workers, concerns remain about whether adequate training and clinical experience can be ensured within such restricted schedules. This perspective article outlines the challenges faced by the Korean Society of Internal Medicine and training hospitals. The Korean Society of Internal Medicine should take the lead in restructuring residency curricula with a stronger emphasis on general internal medicine, strengthening support for faculty supervisors, and establishing competency-based evaluation systems. Training hospitals should no longer view residents as indispensable labor but as trainees, deploying them according to educational goals while balancing labor and education. Residents themselves must also engage in self-directed learning and professional development. Through these coordinated efforts, future internists in Korea can grow into true professionals equipped with both patient-centered clinical competence and academic capability.