Seventy-nine medical interns are about to finish their third week working the wards at Westmead Hospital.

After years of attending lectures, studying and completing assignments, the interns are facing one of their toughest tests yet with their first year on the job.

Epping resident Daniel You, 23, will spend his first 10 weeks as an intern in the emergency department.

Doctor You, who studied for six years at the University of New South Wales, said his first week out of university had been intense.

He said he had to deal with serious wounds, psychotic episodes and certify a death.

"It's really busy in the emergency department — it's a tough place to start," he said.

"The first shift was hectic but I'm slowly getting used to it and slowly finding my feet."

After his time in the emergency department he will be moved to another another ward and in a couple of years he will be able to specialise in a medical field.

He is particularly interested in working in paediatrics or in a general practice.

"You get a lot of support at Westmead," he said. "They don't hold your hand but they're really friendly and ready to answer questions you have about anything."

More than 800 intern positions were made available in hospitals across the state this year.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said all medical graduates who applied for an intern position got an offer. Westmead and Auburn hospitals have 88 interns this year, which is an increase of 15 per cent on last year.

"These trainee doctors will now work on a rotating basis within a network of hospitals which include tertiary-level teaching hospitals and smaller regional or rural facilities and will be exposed to a gamut of scenarios," she said.