What are “internes” and “externes” in French hospitals?

In French hospitals, un externe is a medical student in the middle years of the degree, who works part-time on the wards, and un interne is a more advanced student who has passed the national exam and is training in a specialty. Both are still students. The English word “intern” suggests a short work placement, so it can mislead you, and externe has no everyday English match at all.

The news item explains the pair in one breath: les internes et les externes, c’est-à-dire les étudiants en médecine, and adds that they rarely have time to cook. Interne has a second life at school, where it means a boarder who sleeps at the school (un élève interne), and externe is the day pupil. The word simply means “inside the institution” versus “outside it.”