Exodus of Doctors: 6,000 Leave Specialization Schools

In the last two years, the landscape of Medical Specialization Schools in Italy has shown a worrying trend. A survey conducted by Anaao Assomed, the hospital medical management union, in collaboration with Anaao Giovani, revealed that out of a total of 30,452 contracts announced, as many as 5,724 positions remained unassigned or were abandoned. Almost 20%, one in 5.

6 Thousand Doctors Fleeing Specialization Schools

The most critical data mainly emerges from certain regions, with Lombardy, Veneto, and Lazio recording 18%, 23%, and 14% respectively of total contracts unassigned or abandoned. Furthermore, some specializations, such as Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and Clinical Pathology and Biochemistry, are experiencing a real “free fall” with non-assignment rates reaching 61%, 22%, and 70%.

The union points out that this exodus from medical specialization programs seems to be directly related to the job opportunities offered by each specialization. Specializations linked to private and outpatient activities are more attractive, while those that are purely “hospital and public,” which played a fundamental role during the pandemic, such as Emergency Medicine, have been neglected.

The survey analyzed in detail the 30,452 contracts announced in the 2021 and 2022 specialization competitions, distinguishing between “unassigned contracts” (those that no doctor chose during the competition) and “abandoned contracts” (those assigned but subsequently changed through a new competition). The result is a considerable percentage of unassigned or abandoned contracts, demonstrating poor planning and a negative impact on the provision of health services.

The geographical distribution of these unassigned and abandoned contracts varies from a minimum of 11% in Sicily to a maximum of 36% in Friuli Venezia Giulia, with a median of 20%. As for unassigned contracts, excluding Sicily (3%), all Italian regions show similar percentages, between 7% in Lazio and 22% in Marche. Friuli Venezia Giulia is the exception, with almost a third of contracts (29%) remaining unassigned.

The Data on the "Exodus" from Specialization Schools

This data reveals a correlation between the greater number of unassigned or abandoned contracts and the specializations most in demand during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. For example, Emergency Medicine has 60.7% fewer specialists than the contracts allocated. Microbiology and Clinical Pathology and Clinical Biochemistry record 78.3% and 70.2% fewer specialists respectively than the contracts offered.

On the other hand, some specializations, such as Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ophthalmology, and Cardiovascular Diseases, have been fully filled by doctors.