Lack of career or incentives?

The awarding of MIR places is back on the tableIn the absence of a profession or good working conditions To practice the profession of family physician, a problem that has been going on for years and which broke records this year. So much so that the Ministry of Health has already called for one Second call for all candidates who did not secure a place To try to cover those that have been abandoned.

If there were 202 vacancies for general practitioners across Spain last year, so this year This number has doubled, 459 vacant positions, Which represents Historic high In this field. Catalonia is the community with the most abandoned squares, nearly a hundred. As is the case every year, dermatology, plastic surgery or cardiology are the ones that were previously filled.

Despite the incentives provided by the government in the form of… Bonuses to make the family doctor specialty more attractive For students who have to start playing sports, the situation has not changed. Many of these students debate their career and quality of life.

'Doctors are burned out'

Natalia, a medical student, was able to choose radiology at Val d'Hebron Hospital. He explains that rotations in the final year of a medical degree in primary care centers make many students see reality.

Many students who have a career decline They choose other specialties at the hospital: “When we practice, we see this. We see that doctors are exhausted.”

“They're tired of the system, not the patient, or their job. That's a very common feeling that all of us students have: 'Oyster, the system is not grateful to this doctor, and if we could take it.' Another thing, we take it.”

On the other hand, Joan Fernandez, who chose the specialty of a family doctor, did the opposite, that is, he could have chosen to train in a hospital, But I wanted to deal with patients every day: “I'm very concerned about the elderly, with all the problems they may have.”

“The difficulty involved in organizing medications or the problems of mobility, all of this attracts me very much. At the same time also immigration, which is an increasingly important factor in the population of Catalonia.”

Clarice Audina, who was very clear about this, He took MIR twice so he could choose the major he liked And that he was not a family doctor: “After repeating this, I was able to choose traumatology, which is one of the few things that I like. I was also interested in gynecology and urology, but in the end I think that is the one that I like the most.”

What can be done to reverse the situation?

Traditionally, primary care is the gateway to the health care system, and for many professionals, it should be the focus of attention. With a shortage of new doctors willing to devote themselves to this, and the potential upcoming retirement of baby boomer doctors, Primary care can admit a critical situation.

There are no miracle formulas, but they all require more funding, to improve the working conditions of GPs and raise the level of specialisation.

From the Barcelona College of Physicians, Vice President Jaume Sellares points out that, in addition to improving working conditions, The family physician specialty should be more present in the curriculum During 6 years of medicine.

“Throughout their career, students have very limited contact with primary care physicians, and I think that's very important,” explains Selaris. In his opinion, specialization should appear at every stage of a doctor's training, and not just in last year's practices.

Students who have a lot of professional ambition

The Vice President of the College of Physicians in Barcelona continues to add A certain contradiction in the systemwhich asks for a very high cut-off mark when the reality is that there is a shortage of doctors.

The cut-off point for entering a medical degree is very high, explains Selaris It profiles very bright students who also want very bright careersfar from the most secretive profile of a family doctor:

“With our shortage of doctors, it doesn't make sense to bring in doctors from abroad because there aren't enough here, and instead, put them on a high cut-off mark.”

“This,” Selaris points out It limits the profile of people who will practice the profession of doctor And the positions they will hold.”

From the Metges de Catalunya Federation, Vice President, David Arribas, points out the reason behind the vacancies of family doctor positions: “The student who has to choose thinks about it a lot, and goes towards specialties that have greater productivity.”

“Above all, those who receive the greatest amount of compensation, of various types, including training, financial, familial and practical reconciliation, which allows them to practice the profession of doctors with the maximum possible guarantees.”

After another year, the union already knows that between vacancies and resignations, the specialty of family and community medicine will be left largely exposed. Once the process is closed, Vacancies will open again next Wednesday For applicants who fall below the cut-off mark for the MIR tests.