Abstract: Under the backgroud of establishing a unified and standardized postgraduate medical education system in China, this article reviews the origin and current situation of chief resident of internal medicine. By comparing the difference of training in Sino-American, the chief residency of internal medicine should comply with the international medical education system, and flexible design the role and function of chief medical residents combining with the domestic medical and training needs.

Key words: postgraduate medical education, chief resident of internal medicine, residency, fellowship training