An internship program involves learning by participation in the patient care activities of a hospital or clinic. A one-year internship has formed part of Taiwan medical students' undergraduate training for forty years. We assessed the current status and trainees' feedback of internship at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) through questionnaire. Ninety-one questionnaires were obtained for analysis from 204 interns in April 1997. Our survey revealed that the average number of working hours for interns at NTUH was more than 70 hours per week and duty time was 2.76 ± 0.06 days per week. Average lecture time was 1.7 ± 0.09 hours per week and bed-side teaching time was less than 2 hours per week. Instructors had been assigned for interns in one-third of the departments where interns participated. The relatively long working hours and duty time obviously influenced interns' learning motivation and efficiency. However, internship significantly improved students' medical knowledge and clinical performance. This improvement was helpful for choosing between different residency specialties after internship. Only one-fourth of interns were aware of the legal regulations they obliged. In general, the interns' motivation for leaning was rather strong and internship did improve their clinical performances and doctorpatient relationships. They also learned to sympathize patients' suffering and understand the role that a physician plays. However, they were rather puzzled by the unclear legal status of interns. These findings should provide insight for modifying the existing internship program at NTUH.