These are the specialties preferred by the MIR

After the exams and finishing the degree in Medicine, it is time to choose the specialty.

 It is a very important decision, since it marks the professional future as a doctor.

There are more than 50 specialties and they are divided into:

• Medical: Allergology, Anesthesiology and resuscitation, Digestive system, Cardiology, Endocrinology and nutrition, Geriatrics, Hematology and hemotherapy, Medicine of physical education and sports, Space medicine, Intensive medicine, Internal Medicine, Legal and forensic medicine, Preventive medicine and public health, Work Medicine, Nephrology, Pneumology, Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology medical oncology, Radiation oncology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation, Rheumatology and Family and Community Medicine.

• Surgical: Cardiovascular surgery, General and digestive surgery, Oral and maxillofacial surgery, Orthopedic surgery and traumatology, Pediatric surgery, Plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, Thoracic surgery and Neurosurgery

• Medical-surgical: Angiology and vascular surgery, Medical-surgical dermatology and venereology, Obstetrics and gynecology ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Urology.

• From laboratory: Clinical analysis, Pathological anatomy, Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical pharmacology, Immunology, Nuclear medicine, Microbiology and parasitology, Clinical neurophysiology and Radiodiagnosis.

With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose one specialty or another.

There are several factors to take into account when choosing.

• Job offer. Are there many job opportunities at the end of the residency?

• Medical practice. The more rotations the service where the residence is carried out has, the more experience is acquired.

• Working conditions. The most important are the low frequency of emergency services or emergency services and the opportunity to treat all kinds of people. This generates a wider variety of treatments and diagnosis.

• General organization and rotations. It is necessary to be clear if there are rotations, if these imply displacements and if they are also external.

• Economic remuneration. The salary is undoubtedly decisive.

Although there are variations every year, it is true that the most demanded specialties are usually always the same.

If we base ourselves on the data for this year 2023, there were 8,550 MIR places available.

In the top 3:

• Dermatology, 115 places sold out on the second day.

• Plastic surgery, 51 seats quickly sold out.

• Cardiology, 190 places sold out on the ninth day.

It is a very complete specialty, as it encompasses aesthetic, surgical and medical aspects. In addition, it offers many possibilities to open a private practice since it does not require large technological equipment.

But the main reason according to experts is its absence of guards. This allows professionals to have more free time.

Many MIR recognize that this specialty has great social prestige.

Patients increasingly appreciate that not only their physical problems are resolved, but also their emotional ones.

That is why Aesthetic Surgery has other subspecialties, which are:

• Reconstructive surgery

• Body Aesthetic Surgery

• Facial Aesthetic Surgery

It is curious that this specialty is one of the favorites, because it is very different from those previously mentioned.

Many professionals recognize that the quality of life is not very good. The reason is the long shifts, very delicate patients and lack of sleep.

This makes a lot of sense, since cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality in Spain. The volume of patients is very high, and that makes it a specialty where routine is conspicuous by its absence.

However, it's still one of the favorites. Why?

Specialists recognize that the feeling of having helped a patient until he leaves the hospital recovered is very satisfying.

Furthermore, it is a specialty in constant progress and research. There are always new techniques, drugs and devices that improve the quality of life of patients.

Residence is not something exclusive. At the same time, residents can continue training while completing their residency.

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