[Report] "You Have to Learn to Open a Clinic"... Ultrasound Course Crowded with Sajik Residents

Hundreds of Residents Attend Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Training Hosted by the Korean Medical Association
Nonstop Note-Taking During Lectures and Flood of Questions During Breaks
Despite Government Incentives to Return, Attention Shifts to Private Practice and Employment

"I want to attend because it's a lecture that practically helps with patient care. I hope various types of lectures will continue to be held in the future." (Orthopedic resident A)

At around 8:40 a.m. on Sunday the 4th, the 'Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Training Course for Residents Who Resigned' held at the main auditorium of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was packed with residents who had resigned. They were filled with joy at meeting colleagues outside the hospital after a long time and with anticipation for new learning. While waiting for the lecture to start, they greeted other residents they hadn’t seen for months, asking "How have you been?" and chatted, saying things like "It's nice to come outside even though it's hot" and "○○ wanted to come too, but the seats were already full, so they couldn't."

On the morning of the 4th, residents who resigned are attending a lecture at the 'Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Training Course for Resigned Residents' held in the main auditorium of the Korean Medical Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Tae-won Choi peaceful1@

At 9 o’clock, Park Geuntae, Chair of the KMA Resident Career Support TF and President of the Korean Association of Private Practitioners, came forward to greet the audience. Chair Park said, "We plan to prepare various programs tailored to the needs of residents and private practitioners," and added, "Through this training course, I hope you easily understand the basic principles of musculoskeletal ultrasound and acquire extensive knowledge by learning ultrasound findings of diseases frequently encountered in clinical practice."

As the lecture began in earnest, the eyes of the residents who had resigned sparkled even more. They took notes nonstop as if not wanting to miss a single word, and during breaks, they surrounded the lecturer, Ko Gwangpyo, Academic Director of the Korean Orthopedic Association, and asked many questions.

The residents who had resigned unanimously expressed satisfaction with the lecture. Mr. B (32, male) said, "After resigning from the hospital, I hadn’t been able to study properly, but I like that a lecture directly helpful for working in private practice was prepared," adding, "I hope more diverse training sessions will be added in the future."

Mr. A also said, "It seems many people who trained in neurosurgery and orthopedics came," and added, "Although it’s a lecture that is practically helpful, you can’t master it perfectly by studying just once or twice, so I hope such lectures continue to be held."

The KMA plans to develop more programs in response to these residents’ demands. Chair Park said, "We will prepare to provide practical help to residents in various ways, including not only training courses but also job placement guidance and career exploration opportunities through private practice experience." KMA spokesperson Choi Anna also said, "At the meeting on the 7th, we will further discuss various education and support measures for residents who resigned."

Residents who resigned from training hospitals in protest against the government’s policy to increase medical school quotas are recently turning their attention to opening private clinics or employment despite government incentives such as the second half 'autumn turn' recruitment. However, as many residents flood the job market at once, competition appears to be intensifying. The number of residents who resigned and applied for the KMA lecture that day reached 250, about 2.5 times the 104 applicants nationwide for the second half resident recruitment. Although initially only 200 applicants were allowed on a first-come, first-served basis, hundreds of applicants flooded in within two hours, prompting the KMA to urgently increase the quota by 50.

On the previous day, the 3rd, nearly 400 residents who resigned attended a private practice preparation briefing hosted by the Gyeonggi-do Medical Association, far exceeding the capacity of 300. At a dermatology clinic in Seoul, when an unusually large number of over 150 applicants applied for a job posting, the hospital director personally sent an apology email saying they could not hire all of them.

Resident C (male, in his 30s) who resigned said, "I have no plans to return to the training hospital I attended, but I can’t just sit idle either," adding, "If the situation prolongs, I think I will have to get a job in private practice and then consider my next career steps."