La MIR placement selection 2026 It's already underway, marking the next step in a journey that began with medical school, continued with an intense year of study, and culminated in the exam held in January. Thousands of doctors with ranking numbers now risk their immediate future in just a few minutes in front of a computer or in the auditorium of the Ministry of Health.
This year, the call for applications Specialized Health Training in Medicine It arrives packed with new features and relevant data: an increase in placesThe emergence of a new specialty in Emergency and Urgent Care, an extraordinary recruitment drive to fill vacancies, and virtually real-time monitoring of the process, both from the Ministry itself and from scientific societies and specialized media.
Calendar and organization of the selection of MIR places 2026
La placement allocation phase For resident physicians, the training is concentrated during the month of May, with a Election proceedings begin on Monday, May 4th at 08:45 a.m. From that moment, the Ministry of Health calls the applicants in stages, strictly respecting the order number obtained in the exam.
This edition offers around 9.276-9.278 MIR places Of the 12.366 places available for Specialized Healthcare Training, this represents an approximate increase of 3,5% compared to the previous year. Just over 15.000 doctors with ranking numbers applied for the positions, so almost 6.000 doctors They will be left without a place despite having passed the test.
The call scheme follows a very marked structure: during the first days, the following are carried out two daily shifts of 350 applicants Each one. The morning session starts at 08:45 a.m. with the lowest numbers; in the afternoon, at 15:00 p.m., those next on the list continue. This format is maintained from Monday to Friday until around May 22, at which point the number of slots per session may be increased to expedite the final stretch.
The Ministry has established that the The regular award period ends on May 27thNeither on weekends nor on May 15th, a public holiday in Madrid, are election events held, so the calendar progresses exclusively on weekdays. Meanwhile, the deadline for online application It opened on the morning of April 28 or 29 and remains operational until just before the start of the session assigned to each order number.
Once a place is assigned, The choice is firm and cannot be changed.No exchanges, substitutions, or subsequent modifications are permitted in the ordinary process. Therefore, preparing the preference list and managing session times are crucial.
Two options to choose from: in person in Madrid or online from home
After several years with exclusively electronic voting, the Ministry maintains a mixed award systemAny applicant can choose to complete the entire procedure online or go in person to the Health Department headquarters in Madrid, provided they have previously registered their electronic application.
Those who choose to appear in person should carefully check the day and shift according to your order numberFor most days, access is through the Marcelino Camacho Auditorium, located at 40 Lope de Vega Street, on the right side of the Ministry building. Only on the penultimate day of the bidding process is the main entrance at Paseo del Prado 18-20 used, so it is essential to pay attention to the official instructions published on the website.
The Ministry's own recommendation is that, even attending in personPlease have your signed online application ready so that any technical issues or last-minute errors don't result in lost opportunities. In the Auditorium, names are called in groups of ten people, who can check the availability of places on screens and formalize their selection there.
For those who choose the online option, access is through the Health Department's electronic headquarters using the same identification document The platform allows you to filter by specialty and autonomous community, create an ordered wish list, and modify it as many times as necessary until the start of your assigned shift.
This tool gives prominence to features such as the simulator "Simulate"The system estimates the availability of places based on the applications of other applicants, as well as the historical allocations by ranking number. Simply saving a draft is not enough: the application must be submitted and electronically signed, usually using Autofirma, before the session timeout expires; otherwise, the system will not consider it.
Key information about the call for applications: available positions, applicant profile, and final schedule
According to figures released by the Ministry of Health, in this call 16.836 people were admitted Of the 15.092 candidates who took the MIR exam, 15.084 received a ranking number. The pass rate is nearly 99,95%, with a marked feminization: approximately 64,8% of those who pass the exam are women, compared to 35,2% men.
As for the offer, some are at stake 9.275-9.278 places for medical residentsThis makes the MIR (Medical Residency Exam) the degree with the most places and applicants within Specialized Health Training. It is followed by Nursing, with approximately 2.279 vacancies that are filled in just five days, and a group of smaller degrees (Psychology, Pharmacy, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), which usually complete their placements in a single round. Medical residency positions They are distributed throughout the national territory with notable territorial differences.
The MIR residency positions are scheduled to begin between the following days: 4 5 and JuneIn regions where June 4th is a public holiday, the deadline is moved to June 3rd and 5th. The official start of the training period for all residents will be June 5th, 2026, once they have passed the mandatory medical examination that must be carried out by the Occupational Risk Prevention Services of the destination center.
As an organizational change, the Ministry has also announced a second extraordinary awardThis is a kind of "second chance" designed to fill vacancies that arise after the regular process. This phase will be activated weeks after the start date and will serve both to allocate positions not initially chosen and those that become available due to early withdrawal or failure of the assigned resident to start.
This mechanism addresses a recurring problem in recent years: positions that are not filled Despite being included in the offer, with a particularly marked impact on some specialties and teaching units, the second round is designed so that applicants who did not choose or were left without a placement in the main round can apply for these vacancies through an extraordinary, exclusively online procedure.
Most in-demand specialties and the behavior of the 'Top 10'
If anything remains constant in the choice of MIR (Medical Residency) positions, it is the pull of a small group of specialties considered to be in high demand. Medical-Surgical Dermatology and Venereology It once again takes its place as the queen of the call, followed very closely by Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery and, somewhat further back but always in the leading group, Cardiology.
The data from the 2025 call for proposals serves as a barometer: the 131 Dermatology positions They sold out before order number 542, breaking their own historical record. Plastic Surgery, with 55 places, closed around order numbers 743-827 according to sources, and specialties such as Ophthalmology and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery also filled their quotas relatively quickly, around order numbers 2.600 and 2.900. Cardiology, which maintains a strong appeal, ran out of places around order number 3.400.
In the MIR 2026, the first elections have once again confirmed these trends. number one of the call, Elena Bianca Ciobanu SelaruShe has chosen to specialize in medical-surgical dermatology at the Hospital ClÃnic in Barcelona, ​​further solidifying the prestige of the specialty and the Catalan center among the elite. This choice aligns with her previous statements, in which she emphasized the balance between surgical practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and long-term stability.
The runner-up, Solomon Joseph MareaThe third candidate, Raúl Pérez-Guisado, with a particularly versatile profile (Medicine, Physiotherapy, and Nursing), has opted for Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery at the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid, after preparing for the exam in Spain and completing a degree program that includes studies at the Complutense University. Pérez-Guisado has chosen Dermatology at the Torrecárdenas Hospital Complex in AlmerÃa, introducing a significant geographical element by securing a highly coveted position outside the major cities of Madrid and Barcelona.
The first ten numbers also include Internal Medicine At the Virgen del RocÃo Hospital in Seville, specializing in Gastroenterology at the RÃo Hortega Hospital in Valladolid, and several specializing in Cardiology, especially at leading centers like the Hospital ClÃnic in Barcelona and La Paz Hospital in Madrid. The top ten specializations include three in Dermatology, three in Plastic Surgery, several in Cardiology, and a significant presence in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, confirming a degree of diversification within the group of top-performing candidates.
Outside of that core group, but still among the top contenders, options such as Cardiology at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital from Madrid or the commitment to Family Medicine in Jaén by applicants with very good order numbers, something that breaks the cliché that the earliest places are always concentrated in the same four or five specialties.
Geographical trends: decentralization and new training centers
Another dynamic that is becoming more established in this selection of MIR (Medical Residency) positions in 2026 is the progressive decentralization of destinationsAlthough Madrid and Barcelona continue to dominate the initial selections, they are beginning to lose ground to cities like AlmerÃa, Seville, Granada, Valladolid, Salamanca, and Valencia, which are gaining appeal among prospective residents.
The first issues have recorded elections such as Dermatology in Torrecárdenas (AlmerÃa)Internal Medicine at the Virgen del RocÃo Hospital in Seville or Gastroenterology at the RÃo Hortega Hospital in Valladolid are among the top choices. Also noteworthy are the Cardiology positions in hospitals in Salamanca, chosen by several applicants with very high scores, including twin sisters who opted for the same specialty and the same hospital, filling all the available positions in this discipline in the city between the three of them.
La MIR Association of Spain and various scientific societies had already warned in previous calls for this Partial displacement from major capital cities towards medium-sized cities. Among the reasons they cite are the quality of care and teaching in their hospitals, more affordable living conditions, and a considerably cheaper rental market than in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​which improves the resident's daily life during their training years.
Meanwhile, cities like Valencia and Saragossa They are consolidating their position as top-tier training centers, driven by the prestige of institutions such as the University Clinical Hospital of Valencia and the Miguel Servet Hospital. In the latest round of applications, for example, the top-ranked candidate chose Cardiovascular Surgery in Valencia, which was interpreted as a clear indication that excellence in training is no longer the exclusive domain of major historical centers.
This territorial redistribution, however, coexists with the traditional strength of hospitals such as the ClÃnic of Barcelona, ​​La Paz, the 12 de Octubre or the Ramón y Cajal, which continue to be recurring destinations for the best academic recordsespecially in Dermatology, Cardiology, Plastic Surgery and other highly competitive specialties.
Family and Community Medicine: many positions and a permanent focus
Within the MIR 2026 offer, the specialty with the greatest quantitative weight is once again Family and Community MedicineWith 2.544 places distributed across 194 teaching units throughout the country, this figure reinforces its structural role in the National Health System, where Primary Care addresses up to 90% of the population's health needs, as scientific societies point out.
Despite this key role, the dynamics of the Family selection process remain unique. In this call for applications, the first place in Family Medicine It appeared much later than in previous years: around number 109, with a candidate who opted for the Primary Care Unit of Jaén-Jaén Sur, compared to 30th place the previous year. For some applicants, the choice has a strong vocational component, often inspired by the local doctor or by close experiences in health centers.
The Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC) insists that focusing the debate exclusively on the number of vacant positions at certain times It offers a distorted image of the specialty. They recall that, in recent calls for applications, there were 131 vacancies in 2023 and 246 in 2024, but in the last edition, the quota was filled for the first time in five years, the result of a greater outreach effort and the growing public debate on the importance of Primary Care.
semFYC also calls for shifting the focus towards a structural analysis of human resource planningThis should take into account both the population size of each region and its specific healthcare needs. The distribution of Family Medicine residency positions is particularly notable in regions such as Andalusia (around 440 positions), Catalonia (approximately 379), and Madrid (around 254 training positions), reflecting their size and workload.
Behind the scenes, many individual decisions reveal the more human side of the process: doctors who choose Family Medicine with complete conviction, residents who are already planning to visit health centers and talk to their future tutors months before starting, and applicants who, despite having very competitive numbers, opt for this specialty over others that are more financially rewarding.
The new specialty of Emergency Medicine
One of the major new features of the 2026 MIR residency placement process is the official incorporation of the Emergency medicine and emergencies as a new specialty within the Specialized Health Training system. After years of demands from the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), the training program has recently been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and is launching with just over 80 places (82-86 according to the sources consulted).
These squares are They are distributed across several autonomous communitiesAndalusia, Madrid, and Catalonia lead the way with 11 positions each; the Valencian Community offers 9; Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, and the Basque Country have 5; and regions like Aragon, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands have 3 emergency medicine specialist positions per region. The plan is to adjust the number of positions offered in the coming years to address the aging workforce.
Currently, some 25.000 professionals work in Emergency and Urgent Care services In Spain, this includes doctors, nurses, and technicians. Specifically among physicians, approximately 44% of the workforce is over 55 years old, and around 14% are already over 65, placing this sector among the oldest in the system by 2029 unless the training of new specialists is significantly strengthened.
SEMES has stressed the need to plan the number of places available in advance For the coming years, they warn that a significant increase in Emergency Medicine residency positions will be essential for the 2027 call for applications if generational renewal is to be guaranteed. The inclusion of the specialty in the regular MIR (Medical Residency) program in 2026 is a first step, but the scientific societies themselves warn that the challenge is one of the medium and long term.
It is noteworthy that, in the early stages of the election process, none of the best order numbers Despite the hype, many have opted for Emergency and Urgent Care. It remains to be seen how demand will evolve as shifts progress and the perception of stability and career advancement offered by this new training path becomes clearer.
Monitoring tools: The Peephole and other resources
Aside from the Ministry's official platform, the selection of MIR 2026 residency positions can be followed practically minute by minute thanks to external initiatives. One of the most notable is "The Peephole", an observatory promoted by semFYC and integrated into the #ElijoMFyC campaign, designed to analyze in detail how the choice behaves, especially in Family Medicine.
The peephole functions as a interactive data viewer It offers maps by autonomous communities and provinces, a search engine for teaching units throughout the country, a resources section with reports and press releases, and a guide with "keys to understanding" the figures. The aim is to avoid simplistic analyses focused solely on vacant positions and to provide context on the actual distribution of demand.
This tool allows view coverage status The study examines the different specialties, monitoring the availability of Family Medicine positions at each stage of the process and quickly identifying regional differences. semFYC encourages a shared responsibility in interpreting the data, noting that the high volume of Family Medicine positions creates a unique dynamic that cannot be directly compared to much smaller specialties.
Specialized media and unions have also developed search engines and tracking panels These resources are updated at the same pace as the Ministry publishes the official data for each round. These supplementary resources help applicants readjust their strategy on the fly, as they see certain specialties fill up or others remain available over time.
Taken together, the ecosystem of digital tools makes the MIR selection process increasingly transparent and analyzable, in which the Decisions are no longer made blindlybut supported by historical data on available positions, option simulators, and comparisons with previous calls for applications.
Controversies, exam security, and institutional context
Although the election phase is usually experienced as a time of celebration and nerves rather than conflict, the MIR 2026 arrives marked by several controversies related to the organization of the exam and the accumulated delays in different phases of the Specialized Health Training calendar. Several associations, including the MIR Spain Association, have asked the Ministry for a external audit to analyze what they consider security shortcomings during the entrance exam: classrooms with a shortage of examiners, a lack of frequency jammers, suspected use of mobile phones or electronic devices, and a general feeling of chaos in certain areas. These complaints add to the criticism regarding the delay in publishing the lists and other milestones in the schedule.
The Ministry of Health, for its part, maintains that It has only detected two relevant incidents in the exam: a case of smart glasses and another applicant who refused to show their electronic devices. In both cases, the test was suspended. Minister Mónica GarcÃa downplayed the incidents, framing them within the context of the test's growth, with 56% more places and 20% more candidates compared to previous years.
The Ministry argues that this increase in volume has forced the implementation of More protective procedures and more robust computer systemsThis, in turn, would explain a good part of the delays in this edition. It is also assured that work is already underway to prevent these problems from recurring in future calls for applications, especially given the recent validation of tens of thousands of foreign medical degrees, which are expected to boost demand.
However, these tensions have not prevented the selection of placements from proceeding according to schedule. Around the Ministry of Health building, the same scenes are recurring. typical images from every May: candidates accompanied by family and friends, banners, flowers, hugs, tears of relief and mobile phones raised to record the moment when the specialty and the hospital that will mark the next years of their professional life are confirmed.
A technical process… and a profoundly human one
Beyond the big numbers, the choice of MIR 2026 positions is riddled with very different personal stories who share the stage. Some decisions have been brewing since the first year of university; others are finalized almost at the last minute, after nights of doubt and endless simulations on the online platform.
Some applicants arrive with a very clear specialty in mind, like those who have spent years dreaming of specializing in Cardiology at a specific hospital or Family Medicine in their province. Others consider several options until the very end, comparing locations, talking to residents, and weighing the balance between vocation, quality of training, working conditions, and personal life. In many cases, the family and professional role models They have enormous weight in the decision.
The scenes that are repeated at the doors of the Ministry—twins choosing the same specialty in the same city, students celebrating having secured a place in their family doctor's specialty, foreign residents choosing their destination while connected from their countries of origin—underline that the MIR is not just a administrative award procedurebut a vital transition that marks a before and after.
Each ranking number opens or closes possibilities and forces one to accept that perhaps the ideal option isn't possible, but other alternatives may also fit into one's life plan. This mix of cold calculation (consulting statistics, looking at lists, reviewing placement histories) and personal intuition makes choosing placements a turning point where technique and humanity intertwine.
With an increasingly digitized system, an expanding range of positions, new specialties like Emergency Medicine underway, Primary Care claiming its place, and a map of destinations that is gradually decentralizing, the MIR placement selection 2026 It paints a fairly clear picture of the current state of Spanish healthcare: a sector in transformation, with significant challenges in planning and working conditions, but also with thousands of young people willing to start a residency that, with its lights and shadows, remains the fundamental gateway to the specialized medical profession.
