No Applicants for Big 5 Hospitals in Second Half as Residents Quit Training to Open Private Clinics...

D-2 Until Second Half Recruitment Deadline... 3 Out of 5 Big5 Hospitals "No Applicants Yet"

On the 29th, two days before the closing of the second half resident recruitment, it was reported that only a very small number of applicants applied to the Big 5 hospitals (Seoul National University, Severance, Samsung Seoul, Seoul Asan, Seoul St. Mary's).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Yonhap News, as of that day, the number of resident applicants to the Big 5 hospitals was extremely low, with three out of the five hospitals having zero applicants.

Previously, ▲Seoul National University Hospital announced recruitment for 159 interns, 7 first-year residents, and 25 senior residents ▲Severance Hospital announced recruitment for 146 interns, 158 first-year residents, and 410 senior residents ▲Samsung Seoul Hospital announced recruitment for 123 interns, 97 first-year residents, and 282 senior residents ▲Seoul Asan Hospital announced recruitment for 131 interns and 309 senior residents (2nd to 4th year residents) ▲The Catholic Central Medical Center, which conducts integrated recruitment for eight affiliated hospitals including Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, announced recruitment for 218 interns, 209 first-year residents, and 590 senior residents.

A representative A from one of the Big 5 hospitals told Yonhap News, "No one applied for the second half resident recruitment," adding, "There is a movement among professors to boycott participation in resident training, and lists of residents who have returned to the medical community are circulating, so applicants seem to be very cautious."

Another representative B from a Big 5 hospital said, "No one has finalized their application submission yet," and added, "It seems that residents who resigned will not return through the second half recruitment."

The government is appealing for residents to return by applying special measures (such as postponement of military service) for residents in training in September, but the number of residents actually willing to return to the medical field is too small, and it is expected that this will cause significant disruptions to the overall medical schedule in the future.