Glossary of Common Terms Associated with Hospital Staff

Thanks to Dr. McDreamy, surgical drama Grey’s Anatomy is currently one of the most-watched television shows in the US. Aside from the tangled love lives of the main characters, another source of confusion among the non-medical viewers of the show has to do with the differing titles of the doctors. Why is George still called an “intern” while Meredith and the gang are already “residents?” What makes “attendings” any different from other doctors? Why does everybody call Dr. Webber “chief”? To help you understand the indication of each title, here is a glossary of common hospital staff terms.

Medical interns

First-year residents fresh from medical school graduation are called medical interns. Because the results of their medical exams are yet to be released during the start of internship, medical interns are not yet licensed to practice medicine. To gain hands-on medical experience, however, medical interns are allowed to scrub in for some surgical procedures.

Medical residents

If they manage to pass their medical boards and intern exams, medical interns will move on to be medical residents (thus the explanation why George remains an intern). Medical residents are doctors who legally practice medicine under the supervision of attending physicians. Aside from practicing medicine, medical residents also perform teaching and supervisory duties to medical interns.

Attending physicians

Doctors who have finished training for their medical specializations are called attending physicians. As the “doctors in charge” in their respective sub-departments, attending physicians are ultimately responsible not only for the medical care of their patients but also the clinical performance of their residents. In teaching hospitals, attending physicians are required to teach interns and train residents to become better medical practitioners.

Chief attending

Every institution needs a boss. In a hospital, the big boss is the chief attending. The chief attending is an attending physician who is responsible for the overall organization of the entire hospital department. In the surgical department at Seattle Grace Hospital, that responsibility is given to Dr. Richard Webber.

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