Though colleges and universities have been offering courses online since the initial popularization of the Internet in the 1990s, many have been hesitant to offer medical programs. However, more and more schools are now heading in that direction as well.
Internet-based learning giant University of Phoenix offers an online medical doctorate program, as do a number of other primarily internet-based institutions. However, though most conventional institutions do offer distance learning options for specific classes and lower-level degrees, few do so for advanced medical degrees.
Many universities that offer distance learning and online study programs act as if their degrees are just as reputable as degrees from conventional institutions. However, most employers do not place much value in online degrees, especially in the higher echelons of study.
This is why, even when conventional institutions offer online and distance study programs, they often offer them separate from the "normal" campus-based programs--because they do not want the repute of their campus-based programs to suffer from the dubious light in which many employers view online and distance study programs. Again, the higher degree of education you are seeking, the more this becomes true, so online medical degree programs often leave graduates without the job options they may have been expecting.
The principal reason that employers do not have much respect for online degrees is because they assume that many students of online and distance learning programs do not actually do their own course work. This is because it is more difficult for them to verify that you have indeed done your work.
As with other online and distance learning programs, the basic benefits of distance learning medical degrees are that you do not need to move your place of residence or quit your job in order to get going. You can generally work your classes into your current schedule.
Because most conventional universities do not recognize transfer credits from "online" universities, despite any accreditation they might have, if you have a basic degree from an online university and want to get an advanced medical degree, your only option may be to continue on the distance learning track.