Will the Door Open for "Additional Resident Recruitment in May"? Medical Community "Surveying Return Demand"

Council of Training Hospitals Closes Survey at Each Hospital
Korean Academy of Medical Sciences: 300 Residents Express Desire to Return
Residents Must Resume Training This Month to Take Next Year’s Specialist Exam

The medical community is currently deliberating on ways to allow resigned residents to return to their training hospitals. This is because some of the resigned residents have expressed their intention to return, and normalizing the training environment is urgently needed to ensure the proper training of specialists. However, the community is exercising more caution than ever in seeking justifiable grounds for their return, in order to avoid the perception that residents are being pressured to return or to prevent criticism that excessive privileges for residents are being repeated.

According to the medical community on May 13, the Korean Association of Training Hospitals, a coalition of 211 training hospitals nationwide, conducted a survey of resigned residents regarding their intention to return in May, with the survey closing at 6 p.m. the previous day. The association has now begun compiling the results. The survey, which began on May 8, included questions about residents' willingness to return and the conditions they require for their return.

An association official explained, "We asked the resident representatives at each hospital to collect responses about the intention to return through the survey," adding, "We intend to gauge public opinion in order to recommend to the government that these residents be allowed to return, so that new specialists can be produced next year."

The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, which oversees resident training and specialist qualification exams, is also awaiting the results of the survey being conducted by the resigned residents. The academy revealed that, so far, about 300 residents have expressed their desire to return to training hospitals. Lee Jinwoo, president of the University Medical Association (and professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine), said, "Since the government has stated that it is willing to negotiate if there are grounds for the residents' return, confirming and communicating the number of residents wishing to return could serve as a justification to persuade the government."

This movement is reportedly due to a shift within the residents' group, especially among senior residents (third- and fourth-year), who have recently begun voicing their desire to return to hospitals. If a resident's training gap exceeds three months, they are not eligible to take the specialist exam. Since this year’s resident training began in March, if they do not return by May 31, they will be ineligible to sit for the exam in March next year due to insufficient training time. If they return through recruitment in the second half of the year, they will have to wait another year to take the specialist exam.

Earlier this year, when recruiting residents, the government applied a special training provision that did not enforce the usual restriction preventing resigned residents from returning to the same department and year within one year. For those wishing to return, the government also allowed them to complete their training and postpone military service until after their training was finished. However, the application rate among eligible residents was only 2.2%. Currently, there are 1,672 residents in training nationwide, which is only 12.4% of the pre-conflict level.

Initially, the government had drawn a line, stating that it would not consider additional recruitment until the next resident intake in September. However, when the medical community recently requested another round of recruitment in May, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyuhong stated, "If the intention of resigned residents to return is officially confirmed, we will consider additional recruitment."

President Lee stated, "As soon as the final survey results are compiled, we will begin discussions with the government and do our best to ensure that additional recruitment of residents in May can be decided."