The Basque Health Service has taken a significant step in human resources management by announcing that The period of specialized healthcare training residency will count as working time for the professional development of its staff. This decision, long demanded by medical and nursing groups, significantly changes how experience is counted within the Basque public health system.
With this modification, the years dedicated to specialization through MIR, EIR, FIR, PIR and other residencies These internships will no longer be considered solely as a training phase and will be incorporated as services provided within the healthcare administration. The announcement was made at the Osakidetza Sectoral Committee meeting, which also addressed measures to strengthen Primary Care during Holy Week and the schedule for the upcoming Public Employment Offer.
What does it mean that MIR time counts towards a professional career?
So far, Years of residence were not taken into account for career advancement.Despite the fact that residents work full-time, take on on-call shifts, and accumulate extensive clinical experience during this period, Osakidetza's new Professional Development model incorporates this time into the calculation of services rendered for the first time.
The professional career path in the Basque healthcare system functions as a system of levels or stages linked to career path, training, experience and merits of the staff. Each level entitles the individual to a specific salary supplement that is paid monthly, so the recognition of MIR time has a direct economic impact for those starting their career as specialists.
With the announced change, a doctor who completes a four- or five-year residency They will not start their professional career from scratch, but will reach the top position with those years already credited towards seniority and professional development. The same will apply to specialist nurses, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, and other professionals who enter the system through an accredited residency program.
The measure will affect the various pathways to specialized healthcare training: MIR (medicine), EIR (nursing), FIR (pharmacy), PIR (psychology) and other specific specialization pathways recognized within the public system. All these years will count as service in Osakidetza when assessing merits for access to higher levels in the professional career.
The healthcare organization emphasizes that the new Professional Development model seeks to improve the quality of care, incentivize staff and strengthen their skillsaligning economic and professional recognition with the true career paths of those who work in healthcare centers.
Impact on doctors, nurses, and other specialists
The recognition of the period of residence has a particularly visible effect in a context where Relations between doctors and the Ministry of Health are strained. due to the debate surrounding the Framework Statute and working conditions. In this context, Osakidetza's decision is interpreted as a move to become more attractive to other autonomous communities and the private sector.
The change is not limited to the medical community: It will also apply to professionals in nursing, pharmacy, psychology, biology, chemistry, and other fields. who have completed a specialized healthcare training program. For all of them, the years of residency will be recognized as seniority for career advancement purposes, bringing forward the possibility of accessing the different levels and their corresponding salary supplements.
In practical terms, this means that Healthcare personnel will be able to "recover" financially the effort invested in their years of specialization.Instead of viewing residency as a period that does not count towards official experience in the eyes of the administration, it will now count as effective computable work time, which shortens the timeframes for consolidating pay improvements and professional recognition.
Osakidetza frames this decision within a broader strategy of retention of healthcare talentThis initiative aims to prevent specialists from leaving for other regions or the private healthcare sector. At a time of shortages in certain profiles, guaranteeing better professional development opportunities has become a key tool for attracting and retaining professionals.
This change may also have repercussions on territorial balance, since Other autonomous communities could be pressured to adopt similar measures If they want to remain competitive in attracting young doctors and nurses. For now, the move puts the Basque healthcare system in a leading position in recognizing residency time.
New Professional Development Model at Osakidetza
The recognition of the MIR period is integrated within a new Professional Development model that Osakidetza is deployingThis system establishes a series of levels that are achieved based on career path, continuing education, accumulated experience and other merits, with the aim of linking professional progress to the improvement of the quality of care.
In practice, this means that the hours of training, participation in projects, the care experience and now the residency These factors are assessed collectively to determine each employee's career stage. Advancement to higher levels entails significant salary increases and greater institutional recognition.
Osakidetza has insisted that this model aims to motivate healthcare staff and encourage them to maintain and update their skills throughout their entire working life. At the same time, the organization believes that a well-designed professional development program has a positive impact on patient safety and the quality of services offered to the public.
The inclusion of the period of residence in the calculation of services rendered is interpreted as a necessary adjustment for Aligning the discourse of recognizing professional effort with the reality of residents' workwho for years have demanded that their contribution to the healthcare system not be left out of the official assessment.
This new approach could also serve as a basis for future union negotiations on career developmentThis is relevant both in the Basque Country and throughout Spain, as it opens the door to rethinking how experience and merit are measured within health services.
Reinforcement of Primary Care during Holy Week and hiring of residents
Alongside the announcement regarding MIR time limits, the Osakidetza Sectoral Committee has addressed a specific plan for Strengthening Primary Care during the Easter holiday periodThe goal is to ensure continuity of care, especially in health centers and in areas considered critical due to their workload.
Among the main measures is the decision to Hire senior residents who wish to do so between March 30 and May 3This is a formula already used on other occasions, such as last Christmas, which allows absences due to rest periods to be covered and ensures adequate service to the population during periods of high mobility and demand.
This reinforcement is part of the Primary Care Contingency Plan for Easter WeekThis measure is designed to minimize the impact of healthcare staff vacations on the daily operations of health centers. With this, Osakidetza aims to respond more quickly to the healthcare needs of the public during these weeks.
The decision to use senior residents is based on the fact that This group already has considerable experience and in-depth knowledge of the systemThis facilitates their temporary integration into teams without the need for lengthy adaptation periods. Furthermore, these types of contracts can serve as a first contact with the stable job market for professionals who are about to complete their specialization.
By combining the recognition of residence time with Additional job opportunities for those about to complete their trainingOsakidetza creates a more attractive framework for those training in the Basque health system, trying to ensure their permanence once they complete their residency.
Public Employment Offer 2022-2024 and union support for the call
At the same meeting of the Sectoral Committee, the organization reported on the progress made in the next Public Employment Offer corresponding to the years 2022, 2023 and 2024According to what has been conveyed, the intention is to open the registration period in the coming weeks, although the process will be carried out in phases.
The first phase of this OPE will focus on the so-called mass categoriesThese positions offer a high number of jobs and employ a large number of professionals. They include administrative assistant, administrative officer, nurse, nursing assistant, service worker, ward attendant, physiotherapist, laboratory technician, and senior administration and management technician.
The forecast is that the selection process will be rolled out in stagesThis is to better manage the organization of the tests and the subsequent integration of those who obtain a place. This means that different categories will learn their specific schedules as the preliminary phases are completed.
Osakidetza has highlighted that The SATSE and Basque Medical Unions have expressed their support for the callThis support is significant in the context of labor tensions within the healthcare sector. This union backing could facilitate the public employment examination and reduce the risk of conflicts during the process.
The confluence of a broad public employment offer, a new, more favorable professional development model And the recognition of the residency period as effective experience creates a scenario in which stable, quality employment in the Basque healthcare system gains weight and appeal for healthcare personnel in Spain.
Incorporation of health psychologists into Primary Care
Another point discussed was the next Incorporation of health psychologists into primary care network consultationsOsakidetza has announced that the hiring list for these professionals, who will participate in an initial pilot program, will be published shortly.
In this initial phase, the entry of Nine health psychologists will provide services in a total of fifteen health centers.The initiative seeks to strengthen mental health care through resources closest to the population, integrating the psychological perspective into the approach to emotional problems and mild disorders.
With this measure, Osakidetza intends Promoting emotional well-being through intervention programs from Primary CareThis reduces the burden on other levels of care and improves early access to psychological support. The presence of these professionals in health centers can facilitate early detection and closer support in cases that do not require immediate referral to specialized mental health services.
This pilot project is part of a broader trend, both in Spain and in other European countries, of Strengthen mental health services and bring them closer to the communityThe experience gained from this initial implementation will be key to assessing possible future expansions of the device.
The combination of greater professional recognition for healthcare personnel, New roles in Primary Care teams and reinforcement plans during periods of high demand It outlines a more comprehensive organizational model, which attempts to respond to both the care needs and the job expectations of those working in the health system.
Taken together, the decisions adopted by Osakidetza at the last Sectoral Committee point to a reorganization of professional development and human resource management that It more realistically values ​​the contribution of years of residence.It introduces improvements in job stability through the OPE and strengthens citizen support at key moments and in sensitive areas such as mental health.
