"Don't Want to Go to Surgery or Emergency Medicine"... Even 'Seoul National University Hospital' Faces Staffing Shortages

Surgery Recruitment Announced 11 Times
Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Positions Filled Immediately

Even Seoul National University Hospital, one of the top national hospitals, is facing a shortage of doctors in 'unpopular' departments such as surgery and emergency medicine. In contrast, departments like dermatology and plastic surgery quickly filled their recruitment quotas.

According to the 'Specialist Application and Recruitment Status by Department' received by Kang Min-jung, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, Seoul National University Hospital had to conduct recruitment 11 times last year to fill 46 surgical specialist positions.

Seoul National University Hospital exterior view. [Photo by Seoul National University Hospital]

Despite repeated recruitment announcements, the required number of doctors was not met, resulting in more than 10 postings. Only on the 11th attempt were they able to secure 47 specialists, one more than the originally planned number. Surgery was the only department at Seoul National University Hospital to recruit doctors more than 10 times in a single year.

The department with the second-highest number of recruitment attempts was internal medicine, with nine rounds. Last year, internal medicine sought 82 doctors but managed to hire only 72 after nine attempts.

The situation is even more severe in emergency medicine. Although 24 doctors were needed and eight recruitment announcements were made, only 11 applied and 10 were hired, filling less than half of the required positions.

Thoracic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics also barely met their required numbers after five recruitment rounds each.

Unlike surgery, popular departments such as plastic surgery filled their planned recruitment numbers in just one round without additional hiring. Dermatology and orthopedics also filled their quotas with only two recruitment rounds throughout the year.

A specialist refers to a doctor who, after obtaining a medical license, completes a residency period of one year as an intern and three to four years as a resident at a training hospital such as a university hospital. The choice of specialty is made when entering the residency program after completing the one-year internship.

The prevailing view is that the accumulated avoidance of surgery at the resident stage when choosing a specialty is leading to a shortage of specialists and recruitment difficulties.

There is also an opinion that the shortage of personnel causes long working hours, which in turn leads to further shortages, creating a vicious cycle.

It is even projected that by 2035, there will be a shortage of more than 27,000 doctors. Nevertheless, the quota for medical school admissions has remained unchanged for 20 years. Although the government has attempted several times to increase medical school quotas or establish new medical schools, these efforts have been thwarted by strong opposition from the medical community.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.