Recruitment of Residents and Medical Licensing Exam Registration Begin in Second Half of Year... Response is 'Cold'

"No intention to train... Will not return for fall term"
95% of 4th-year medical students refuse to consent to personal data provision

The recruitment for second-half residents and the registration for the practical exam of the medical licensing examination began on the 22nd. However, it is reported that a significant number of eligible applicants are showing a cold response.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Applicants for the second-half residency, known as the "autumn turn," must apply by the end of this month, take the written and practical exams in August, and if they pass, start their first day of work on September 1. Each training hospital posts residency recruitment announcements on their hospital websites on this day, disclosing the number of recruits by department, schedules for written and practical exams, eligibility criteria, and the scoring ratios for each exam.

Despite the government's conciliatory measures such as applying training exceptions, residents' reactions remain cold. Earlier, the government decided to apply training exceptions only to residents who resign and return in September this year. Under current law, residents who resign during training cannot return to the same specialty and year within one year. However, residents maintain their stance of not returning regardless of the exceptions. A resident who submitted a resignation letter to a local hospital said, "At first (early in the resignation), I thought I might return if the government's position changed," but added, "Now, I have no intention to continue training. I will apply for the autumn turn and will not return."

The medical licensing examination for expected medical school graduates is open for registration from today until the 26th. However, a significant number of fourth-year medical students, who are the examinees, are boycotting the exam by refusing to provide personal information to the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, the exam's organizing body. Without providing personal information, registration for the medical licensing exam is not possible.

This year, the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute plans to hold the practical exam for the medical licensing exam from September to November, and the written exam in January next year. To verify examinees, each medical school had to submit a list of expected graduates to the institute by the 20th of last month, which requires the examinees' consent to provide personal information.

According to the Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA), a survey of 3,015 fourth-year medical students from 40 medical schools nationwide showed that among 2,903 respondents, 95% refused to submit the consent form for providing personal information for the licensing exam.