The last process of allocation of places Specialized Health Training has revealed a There is a very marked mismatch between the number of doctors who pass the MIR exam and the places actually available. to train as specialists in the National Health System (NHS). Despite having passed the exam, thousands of applicants will be left out of the residency program.
According to data released by the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants' Association (CSIF), in this call Some 15.084 doctors will participate in the selection of only 9.276 MIR (Medical Residency) positions., despite the announced increasesOr, in other words: nearly 6.000 doctors, practically an entire graduating class, will not be able to continue their specialized training in Spain for the time being.
A process with thousands of applicants and a limited number of places.
The procedure for allocating places for Specialized Health Training 2025-2026 begins, according to the MIR call, with More than 15.000 doctors have already passed the exam and are competing for a clearly insufficient number of places. to meet all the demand. The process will last several weeks, in morning and afternoon shifts, until all the available places have been filled.
Regarding Medicine, the Ministry of Health has put forward the following 9.276 places for resident physicianswhile 15.084 candidates are eligible to apply, according to the job offerThe math is simple: practically four out of ten applicants They will be left without a place and will have to wait for future calls, look for alternatives abroad or rethink their professional career path.
This scenario also occurs in a context in which the The public health system suffers from a structural shortage of professionals.With aging staff, excessive workload, and growing waiting lists, CSIF insists that this is not an isolated problem, but rather an imbalance that recurs year after year and, they warn, worsens with each new recruitment drive.
The union emphasizes that, despite the increases announced in recent years, the number of available positions It does not come close to the real needs of the NHSIn his opinion, a real "bottleneck" has been created in access to specialization, which conditions the future of thousands of young doctors and leaves many healthcare vacancies unanswered.
Family and Community Medicine, epicenter of the imbalance
Within the MIR (Medical Residency) program, the specialty with the most vacancies is Family and Community Medicine, the cornerstone of Primary Care. Meetings have been convened for this area around 2.544 places, just a few dozen more than the previous year (around 30-36 additional places, according to the various information notes collected by CSIF).
The union believes that this increase is clearly insufficient when compared to the pressure that health centers are under.where appointment delays, overcrowded schedules, and a sustained increase in bureaucratic workload are commonplace. They also point out that 28% of primary care physicians are between 60 and 65 years old, meaning they are nearing retirement.
In this scenario, CSIF insists that it would be necessary a much more ambitious increase in the number of Family Medicine positions and medium- and long-term planning that takes into account the generational reliefOtherwise, they warn, the shortage of general practitioners will continue to grow and the difficulties in finding replacements will multiply, especially in rural areas and areas with limited coverage.
The union links this lack of positions to the risk of progressive deterioration in the quality of careWith fewer residents than needed in key specialties such as Family Medicine, it becomes difficult to cover shifts, on-call duties, and reinforce consultations, which directly impacts patient care time and accessibility to the system.
The new Emergency Medicine specialty arrives with few places available.
This year's MIR exam includes, as a new feature, the incorporation of the specialty of Emergency Medicine within formal education. For this new training pathway, resources have been enabled. 82 placesa figure that CSIF also describes as "clearly insufficient".
The union emphasizes that the Emergency Department has been struggling for years. a heavy workload, with intense shifts and tight staffingThey believe the number of places offered is disproportionate to the strategic importance of this service within the National Health System. They emphasize that while the creation of the specialty is a step forward, it falls short in terms of scope.
The union is demanding that accelerate the accreditation of new teaching units in hospitals across the country, both for Emergency Medicine and for Family and Community Medicine. Only in this way, they argue, will it be possible to increase the number of residents in future recruitment drives and alleviate the pressure these services are under.
In parallel, CSIF is asking for the recognition of [the right to recognition] in a uniform manner across all autonomous communities. work of resident tutors, both in terms of remuneration and time commitmentThey believe that without this recognition it is difficult to consolidate stable teaching teams and guarantee quality training for new specialists.
There is also a shortage of places in Nursing and a National Health System in decline.
Although the media spotlight is on the nearly 6.000 doctors who will be left without a MIR (Medical Residency) position, the problem is repeated in other categories of Specialized Health Training, especially in NursingThe data released by CSIF suggests that Only 2.278 EIR positions have been announced compared to 8.741 applicants who have passed the exam, according to the definitive lists.
That means Nearly 6.500 nurses will be left without a specialization position.Despite the acknowledged need to strengthen nursing staff in hospitals, health centers, and community facilities, the union emphasizes that once these professionals complete their specializations, they often also find a very limited number of permanent positions within the National Health System (NHS).
The overall figures for healthcare employment are also discouraging. According to Social Security data cited by CSIF, the The Spanish healthcare sector is projected to have lost around 34.500 net jobs between August 2025 and March 2026.All of this comes at a time when the demand for care continues to grow and a significant wave of retirements is looming.
In this context, the union organization speaks openly of a structural deficit of professionals in several medical and nursing specialties. They assert that this shortage explains many of the system's current problems: from the excessive workload described by doctors and nurses to the increase in waiting lists and delays in care.
Criticism of healthcare planning and brain drain of professionals
Much of CSIF's criticism is directed at what they consider a “terrible” human resources planning in healthcare during the last decadesIn his opinion, the decisions made regarding training positions, hiring and career development have not taken into account the aging of the workforce or the evolution of care needs.
The union warns that the combination of few places available for specialization, tense working conditions and uncompetitive salaries This is pushing many professionals to seek alternatives outside the National Health System (NHS). Among the most common options are other European Union countries, autonomous communities with better conditions, or moving to private healthcare.
This constant flow of doctors and nurses leaving the public healthcare system adds pressure to an already strained system. With fewer staff, shifts, on-call duties, and overtime multiply, which in turn It fuels feelings of burnout and demotivation. among those who remain in the NHS, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
CSIF also warns that, without significant changes, the The imbalance between supply and demand for MIR and EIR places may continue to widen in the coming years. The union fears that each recruitment drive will exclude a growing number of trained professionals, while daily staffing continues to rely on reduced and aging personnel.
CSIF's main demands
Given this situation, the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants' Federation proposes a package of measures to reorient healthcare human resources policyFirst, it demands that the Government implement a genuine health demography policy, which allows adjusting the supply of ESF places to the present and future needs of the system.
The union also demands immediately increase the accreditation of teaching units for Family and Community Medicine and for the new specialty of Emergency Medicine. The goal is to sustainably increase the number of residents, especially in areas considered to have shortages, such as Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and Nursing.
Another recurring request concerns the improvement of the working and training conditions of the residentsCSIF demands that working hours be linked to real teaching objectives, preventing MIRs and EIRs from being used to cover structural staffing shortages. They also request financial or time-based compensation for overtime and on-call shifts, and adequate supervision to prevent unsupervised clinical situations.
In addition, the organization insists on the remuneration and professional recognition of tutoring in all autonomous communities. They believe that without clear incentives for tutors, it is more difficult to attract and retain specialists willing to take on this task, which is key to the quality of specialized healthcare training.
Finally, CSIF demands that pending specializations be promoted, such as that of Medical-Surgical Nursingand that the staffing levels at all levels of care be comprehensively reviewed. Their proposal involves linking decisions regarding the number of MIR and EIR residency positions to a realistic analysis of the needs of the National Health System, and not solely to the budgetary constraints of each fiscal year.
With all this background, the start of the new MIR process paints a clear picture: Thousands of doctors and nurses who have passed their exams will be left without a specialty placement, while the healthcare system continues to report staff shortages and excessive workload.The gap between what the NHS needs and what is offered each year in Specialized Health Training has become one of the major outstanding debates in Spanish healthcare.
