They could have chosen any other specialtybut his vocation led them to choose Family Medicine; almost without hesitation. Are Raul Pascual, Maite Parra, Ana Gimenez and Maria of Andrew, the first four MIR in choosing this specialty, often reviled, in the Valencian Community. The four will complete their residency in medium or small hospitals – Gandia, Manises, Peset and Arnau de Vilanova-Llíria, respectively – although They could have opted for any other reference center; but they have preferred to spend the next four years in hospitals “family atmosphere”. The Valencian has been one of the few autonomies in filling all their places to become a family doctor. He did it in the first call and the situation contrasts with the national balance, in which 246 of the 2,492 places have been left vacant, double that of the previous call. They are, therefore, a species of rare bird among the MIR. But, What are the reasons why these four young people have opted for Family Medicine?
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First line
“He patient contact and follow-up of the family doctor is unique in this specialty,” explains Raúl. With the number 2,339He has been the first MIR to choose the specialty – “I was surprised when I found out,” he admits; the first resident to choose Family at the national level, she did it with the number 17 – and she will do it at the Gandia hospital, although she lives in Albal. “They recommended me to do the specialty in a regional and this is a center with recently new facilities,” he tellsLift-EMV. Furthermore, the specialization in Community Medicine draws a lot of attention “because it helps prevent other diseases.” And, as Ana points out, it is the specialty that can “promote a greater change in the patient’s life and habits.”
Raúl Pascual will do his residency in Family Medicine in Gandia.
Maite, who will complete her residency at the Manises hospital, was also recommended to take it outside of the reference centers because, in large hospitals, when rotating through the different specialties, the “specialist pays more attention to his own resident than to Family”; or that, at least, other residents have transferred. Just as the specialty is considered of a lower level by many MIR, the same thing happens with doctors in training in large hospitals: “In some centers, Family members are second-class residents.“explains María. For this reason, she has opted for the Arnau de Vilanova because of the 30 new residents, 10 are in the same specialty. “When we rotate, if there is no cardiology resident, I am the specialist’s resident and count on me fully to teach me.” In his case, the vocation comes from the family because his mother it was in the past. “She was a doctor 24/7 because she didn’t stop answering calls and helping the most vulnerable people,” she acknowledges. And she experienced it firsthand during her internship period.
The desire to learn and maintain broader knowledge about medicine are also other reasons that have tipped the balance when choosing. “After so many years of study, I want to know everything, not specialize in a specific system and forget everything else,” says Maite. In the end, they all agree that the family doctor and Primary Care are the “gateway” to the health system. Raúl is much more forceful: “We are a vital part that supports all medicine“.
Maite Parra during her internship in which she opted for Family Medicine.
A reviled specialty
After explaining the reason for your decision, the question is the other way around. Why is the specialty so poorly considered? The list of reasons is not trivial: high care load, up to 40 patients per day; worse working conditions, with the need to increase wages through guards; few possibilities of jumping to private healthcare, more difficulties when it comes to reconciling… In short, worse quality of life, at a time when the new generations prioritize it when considering their professional future.
It is true that in each MIR call there are vacant places in its discipline – this year 246, although none in the Valencian healthcare -, but it is also true that 2,246 residents will soon begin their residency in Family Medicine, more than in any other specialty; For example, in Dermatology, one of the most in demand, there were only 123 places in the current call. In fact, the autonomous communities have asked the Ministry to expand the number of annual places in Familya thousand a year, but for the four future doctors the problem is not so much in the number of places, but in the general consideration of family doctors.
María de Andrés has decided to be a MIR in Family Medicine at the Arnau de Vilanova hospital.
“They have to get make the specialty more attractive -, says María – and that happens for configuring the specialty so that the doctor is not so overloaded and have a better quality of life.” Especially because, although many people do not consider it that way, Family Medicine is a specialty in itself; but, Every year, it has more patients and fewer professionals; an average of between 40 and 50 people served by a professional. For her part, Ana believes that the training plan is not “excessively attractive” because there is a lot of rotation through specialties and it can seem “that you don’t know as much as the rest.”
The solution to cover the shortcomings of the health system -hire professionals without residency and, therefore, without specialization- nor does it contribute to improving the consideration of the general practitioner. They practice as family doctors, with assistant contracts; In practice, as the four explain, they earn more than them and will be their bosses, without “having gone through the MIR.”
Ana Giménez has chosen Peset to do her residency in Family Medicine.
