Analysis of the Internal Medicine specialty demand in Spanish exam for accessing to the Resident Physicians Training Program through the quotation index (2001–2024)

Abstract

Introduction

Despite internal medicine’s importance in our health system, there has been an impression of a lower demand for the choice of specialty in recent years. Our objective is to know the evolution of the choice of Internal Medicine places between 2001 and 2024 among medical graduates who aspire to specialized training in Spain through new parameters based on quotation and demand.

Material and methods

Based on the data published by the Ministry of Health, we analyze the index and the order of quotation, the order of demand, and the total demand for the period studied.

Results

The internal medicine quotation remained relatively stable throughout the period until the years 2022–2024, when it declined. The number of internal medicine places awarded when the first specialty is exhausted also remains stable. However, the overall demand has deteriorated in recent years, although it continues to maintain an order of total demand above other medical specialties.

Conclusion

Internal medicine has maintained a very stable quotation and demand for years despite the development of different specialties, until the last three years when this quotation and demand worsened. It is essential to make medical students aware of the fundamental role that Internal Medicine plays in our health and hospital system to promote the paradigm shift from the disease to the sick person.