Medical license rules differ by state, but doctors need at least 1 year of postgraduate training to apply for a license (though without completing a residency, which is 3 years at a minimum, career options are severely limited).

I’m not sure most people would be comfortable with doctors that have zero on-the-job training. There are some places that don’t require it or only require it for a short period but I think most people are in the camp that residency programs are a good thing and not an artificial barrier.

It's a way of forcing ungraduated docs to pay to work. No joke - you have to pay to attend residency and work. And this isn't covered by student debt/government assistance programs.

I know of several doctors who are in _significant_ debt despite working for the public sector for years. Their loans are forgiven, but the residency sits and accumulates interest that they can't quickly pay off because that same public sector work doesn't pay as well.

It's not-quite slave labour.