As the deadline for the additional recruitment in May for retiring residents approaches, attention is focused on how many residents will choose to return.
According to the medical community on the 25th, hospitals across the country will close applications for the additional recruitment targeting retiring residents around the 27th. Successful candidates are expected to be announced at the end of this month.
This additional recruitment is conducted separately from the regular recruitment held twice a year and is intended to provide returning opportunities for residents who wish to resume their training, accommodating the requests of the medical community. Although it is being carried out as an autonomous selection process by each hospital, there are reportedly not many applicants from major hospitals despite the approaching deadline.
Among residents considering a return, there is a cautious atmosphere weighing various realistic conditions. For military deferral residents who have been waiting for enlistment since retirement, there are voices expressing that 'enlistment privileges' should be a prerequisite since a warrant could be issued at any time upon returning. In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Military Manpower Administration have stated that they will do their best to accommodate the situation of the residents.
There is also the issue of the training period for returning interns. Generally, intern training lasts for one year, but claims are being raised within the medical community that the training period should be reduced to nine months. If returning this time, interns would need to complete their training by May of next year, making it realistically difficult to begin residency training by March of next year. In response, the Korean Association of Training Hospitals has formally suggested this issue to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.