Although the government pushes hard to restructure tertiary hospitals, even the “Big Five” hospitals are experiencing a shortage of fellows. Notably, subspecialties with “pediatric” in the title find it harder to find full-time doctors, better known as fellows.
According to the “Recruitment Results for Full-time Doctors at Big Five Hospitals” report submitted to Rep. Suh Myong-ok of the ruling People Power Party by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday, the Big Five hospitals put up recruitment notices for 1,243 full-time doctors in October last year, but only 566 people applied, less than half. The application rate was 45.5 percent.
Asan Medical Center showed the highest application rate among the Big Five, with 154 people applying for 222 positions, showing an application rate of 69.4 percent.
Seoul National University Hospital had 155 applicants (50.8 percent) for 305 positions, Samsung Medical Center had 90 applicants (41.5 percent) for 217 positions, Severance Hospital had 116 applicants (35.9 percent) for 323 positions, and the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital had only 51 applicants (29.5 percent) for 176 positions.
The recruitment results for full-time faculty at the Big Five hospitals differed significantly before and after the government-doctor conflict. In 2023, 1,127 people, or 70.8 percent, applied for 1,591 full-time positions in the Big Five hospitals. This year, 45.5 percent applied, a 25.3 percentage point drop in one year.
All departments -- popular or unpopular – struggle to find fellows
Notably, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and neurosurgery departments could not find applicants even at the Big Five hospitals.
Seoul National University Hospital was scheduled to select 12 fellows for emergency medicine and obstetrics-gynecology, but not a single person applied. The same was true for neurology and urology. The neurology department sought to recruit 10 positions and the urology department three positions, but no one applied.
Asan Medical Center looked for five full-time ICU fellows, but there were no applicants. Samsung Medical Center also had no applicants for a full-time emergency physician.
Severance Hospital failed to recruit full-time physicians for many specialties with “pediatric” in the title. Pediatric urology, pediatric cardiology, and pediatric orthopedic surgery had no applicants.
Even “popular” departments with high incomes after opening struggled to recruit full-time doctors.
Seoul National University Hospital recruited four and three positions in plastic surgery and dermatology but received zero applicants. Asan Medical Center's dermatology department (two positions) also received zero applicants. Severance Hospital's Department of Plastic Surgery and Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine had one applicant each for four and 23 positions. The Department of Dermatology (five positions) did not find any applicants.
Samsung Medical Center was scheduled to hire 13 full-time anesthesiologists, but only one applied. The departments of rehabilitation (two positions) and dermatology (one position) had zero applicants.
Seoul St. Mary's Hospital was no different. Only one applicant applied for 11 positions in anesthesiology and pain medicine, and none for plastic surgery (two), radiology (14), rehabilitation (three), or dermatology (one).