Radiología (English Edition)

Radiología (English Edition)

Volume 59, Issue 3, May–June 2017, Pages 232-246
Radiología (English Edition)

Original Report
Choice of the specialty of diagnostic radiology by results of the competitive examination to assign residency positions from 2006 to 2015Análisis de la elección de la especialidad de radiodiagnóstico en el examen MIR desde el año 2006 hasta 2015

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rxeng.2017.03.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To analyze the profile of residency candidates choosing the specialty of diagnostic radiology in function of variables related to the positions available in different years.

Materials and methods

We compiled the data published on the Spanish Ministry of Health's website during the acts celebrated to allow residency candidates to choose positions based on the results of the competitive examinations held from 2006 to 2015, comparing the specialty of diagnostic radiology with the other specialties available in terms of positions available, net questions, sex, nationality, and order of choice of the position.

Results

The specialty of diagnostic radiology occupied the 16th position in the ranking of specialties according to the median number of order in the choice for each of the positions offered in the years studied. The first diagnostic radiology residency position was usually assigned after 75 candidates had chosen other specialties, and the last position was usually assigned after 3700–4100 candidates had chosen their positions. During the period studied, of those who chose diagnostic radiology 58% were women and 76% were Spanish nationality. Candidates preferred hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, and the hospital chosen with the lowest median position (highest score on the competitive examination) was the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Conclusions

Diagnostic radiology is chosen by candidates with good positioning in the ranking according to official examination results, is less likely than other specialties to be chosen by women, and is chosen mostly by Spanish physicians. Candidates prefer large hospitals in provincial capitals.

Resumen

Objetivo

Analizar el perfil del opositor que ha escogido la especialidad de radiodiagnóstico, analizando variables relacionadas con las plazas convocadas a lo largo de la historia.

Material y métodos

Se recogen los datos publicados por el Ministerio de Sanidad español en su página web durante los actos de elección de plaza en el examen MIR desde el año 2006 hasta 2015, comparando la especialidad de radiodiagnóstico con el resto de las ofertadas en términos de plaza, preguntas netas, sexo, nacionalidad y lugar de elección de la plaza.

Resultados

La especialidad de radiodiagnóstico ocupa la posición número 16 en el ranking de especialidades ordenadas según la mediana de número de orden con la que se escogió cada una de sus plazas desde el año 2006 hasta 2015. La primera plaza se suele escoger por debajo del número de orden 75 y la elección de la especialidad se suele terminar entre los números de orden 3.700 y 4.100. Durante el periodo estudiado, un 58% de los electores de radiodiagnóstico fueron mujeres y un 76%, españoles. Los opositores prefieren los hospitales de la comunidad de Madrid, y el hospital elegido con la mediana más baja (mejor número de orden) es el Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Conclusiones

Radiodiagnóstico se escoge en el MIR con buenos números de orden, con menor tendencia a ser elegida por mujeres que otras especialidades y escogida en su mayoría por médicos españoles. Se prefieren hospitales grandes en capitales de provincia.

Introduction

In Spain, in order to be able to practice medicine, the college degree of Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor in Medical Science or degree in Medicine is needed. Since 1984 and as the only available way to be able to have access to specialized medical training it is mandatory to pass a nationwide access exam that the Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality announces every year. This exam is known as the MIR (Medical Residency Exam).1

Since 2009, the exam consists of 225 multiple choice test-like questions together with 10 reserve questions. Theoretically, the maximum number of net questions one candidate can take is 225, yet noone has ever been able to take more than 200 net questions. Net questions are those questions answered correctly in the exam minus one third of the amount of questions failed.1, 2, 3 The grade obtained in the exam (90 per cent of the final grade), added to the assessment of the scale or academic record (10 per cent of the final grade) is used to classify all candidates from first to last based on their respective scores. A higher total score equals a lower position in the classification, so candidate #1 will be the candidate with the highest final grade of all who will have earned the right to be the first one to choose his/her medical specialty among the different medical specialties available in the existing accredited academic institutions across the country.

Diagnostic radiology is one of these medical specialties since the MIR exam became a reality for choosing medical specialties back in the 1980s. The official denomination of this specialty – diagnostic radiology dates back to 1984 and is defined as that medical specialty based on imaging diagnoses aimed at achieving diagnostic impressions from macroscopic images of the inside of the body obtained using minimally or absolutely non invasive procedures that may include the use of different kinds of ionizing radiations and other types of power sources. Also, radiologists are responsible for what is known as the “method as the basis for the technique”’ that includes two different moments: choosing the most appropriate procedure (radiological technique) and acknowledging, analysing and interpreting the radiological signs.1, 2

The main goal of this paper is to study what the profile of these candidates who choose the specialty of diagnostic radiology is by analysing the variables associated with the positions made available by the government from the very beginning, and the variables associated with the position within the MIR classification list that, in general, allowed the candidates to choose this specialty, based on sex, origin, hospital, and geographical region. The secondary goal of this paper is to compare the tendencies in the candidates’ profile with other published papers in other settings of similar profile,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and make a correlation between them and surveys from the Spanish Ministry on specialists in medical training.14, 15

Section snippets

Materials and methods

One retrospective descriptive analysis was designed of the numbers of order, exam grade, age, sex, nationality of the candidaes and destination hospitals with the specialty of diagnostic radiology in the access test to the MIR medical residency exam announced publicly every year by the Spanish Ministries of Health and Education, from 2006 until present.

The denomination of the exam follows the nomenclature by the Spanish Ministry of Health including the year the exam was publicly announced -

Results

The average of positions offered from 2006 though 2015, both inclusive, was 217.1; the year with the largest public offer was 2009 with 229 positions and the year with the smallest public offer was 2014 with 207 positions. The percentage of positions with respect to the total was 3.36 per cent and ranged between 3.25 per cent and 3.46 per cent depending on the year (Table 1, Fig. 1). In Spain, the specialty of diagnostic radiology ranks #8 in the list of medical specialities with the largest

Discussion

The specialty of diagnostic radiology is one of the classic specialties that started offering traning positions for specialized physicians back in the 1980s. We have picked the last ten (10) years for our study for two reasons: because they are pretty homogeneous in the positions offer with respect to the total, and because there are no significant variations in its geographic distribution.

The amount of positions offered for all medical specialties varies on a yearly basis. For example, in the

Protection of people and animals

The authors declare that no experiments with human beings or animals have been performed while conducting this investigation.

Data confidentiality

The authors confirm that in this article there are no data from patients.

Right to privacy and informed consent

The authors confirm that in this article there are no data from patients.

Authors’ contribution

  • 1.

    Manager of the integrity of the study: EMQ.

  • 2.

    Study idea: EMQ, JBR.

  • 3.

    Study design: EMQ, JBR.

  • 4.

    Data mining: EMQ, JBR, FSL, JMRL.

  • 5.

    Data analysis and interpretation: EMQ, FSL, AFS, JMRL, MCR.

  • 6.

    Statistical analysis: EMQ, FSL, JMRL.

  • 7.

    Reference: EMQ.

  • 8.

    Writing: EMQ, SCG, JBR, MCR, AFS, SCG.

  • 9.

    Critical review of the manuscript with intellectually relevant remarks: MCR, JBR, AFS, FSL, JMRL, MCR, SCG.

  • 10.

    Approval of final version: all authors.

Conflicts of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interests associated with this article whatsoever.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Ms. Conchi García, Head of the Spanish Medical Residency Examination (MIR Asturias).

References (17)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

Please cite this article as: Murias Quintana E, Sánchez Lasheras F, Fernández-Somoano A, Romeo Ladrero JM, Costilla García SM, Cadenas Rodríguez M, et al. Análisis de la elección de la especialidad de radiodiagnóstico en el examen MIR desde el año 2006 hasta 2015. Radiología. 2017;59:232–246.

View full text