> For instance, why do doctors NEED to do a 4-year undergrad degree before medical school?
They don't. Medical schools can accept students straight out of high school, as long as they've completed the required pre-medical coursework. They don't, however, because those students drastically underperform their peers who received an undergraduate degree in a different field.
> Why do they NEED to go to a 2+ year residency after medical school?
Because without it, they literally have never been trained to practice medicine. Where do you get the idea that Europe is somehow different? Residency is required (and comparably long) in the UK, Germany, etc.
> Medical schools can accept students straight out of high school, as long as they've completed the required pre-medical coursework. They don't, however, because those students drastically underperform their peers who received an undergraduate degree in a different field.
I guess all those Australian medical schools will be interested in hearing how their graduates "drastically underperform" all these American doctors who did a postgraduate medical school.
Seems to work well enough, to me, as someone who has used physicians extensively in both countries, and worked in healthcare in both. "drastically underperforming" doesn't really fit that picture.
They don't. Medical schools can accept students straight out of high school, as long as they've completed the required pre-medical coursework. They don't, however, because those students drastically underperform their peers who received an undergraduate degree in a different field.
> Why do they NEED to go to a 2+ year residency after medical school?
Because without it, they literally have never been trained to practice medicine. Where do you get the idea that Europe is somehow different? Residency is required (and comparably long) in the UK, Germany, etc.