Top hospitals tell trainee doctors to confirm return or resignation by July 15

Teaching hospitals, including the five largest ones in the country, have begun surveying trainee physicians to see if they “really” want to resign. Some university hospitals are also holding briefings for them.

Some training hospitals, including Korea University Medicine (KU Medicine), have reportedly met with trainee doctors and told them they can accept their resignations as of Feb. 29.

Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) holds two briefings for trainee doctors on Thursday and Friday. The hospital explains the recruitment and special case training for the second half of 2024, as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Monday. On Thursday, SNUH's education and training team emailed trainee doctors, asking them to return to the hospital or inform them of their intention to resign by Monday noon.

Asan Medical Center (AMC) also sent a text message to trainee doctors on the same day, asking them to notify the hospital of their resignation.

"We would like to confirm whether you will return or resign for the second half-year recruitment of trainee doctors and fix the number of senior-year medical residents," AMC’s education and training team said, asking them to return to the hospital or inform their intention to resign by Monday noon. "If you do not return or do not respond within the deadline, we will understand that you have no intention to return."

The Catholic University of Korea’s Catholic Medical Center (CMC), to which Seoul St. Mary's Hospital belongs, also sent a text message to doctors asking them to return or resign by Monday noon.

"We would like to confirm your return and resignation status to fix the number of trainee doctors for the second half of 2024," CMC said.

Samsung Medical Center (SMC) also texted junior doctors with the same content and attached a link to the return and resignation response by Monday noon. SMC followed the suit of other hospitals, stating that if they did not return or respond by the deadline, it would assume they had no intention of returning.

Severance Hospital reportedly sent a similar notice to trainee doctors asking them to confirm their resignation.

KU Medicine met with trainee doctors and told them it could accept their resignations as of Feb. 29. Instead, it asked junior doctors to inform it of their decision to return or resign by Monday noon. If medical residents do not respond within the deadline, KU Medicine said it will likely dismiss them as of June 4.

Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital informed the doctors that it will hold a briefing session on Friday. On Thursday, the hospital's education and training department sent a text message to trainee doctors and asked them to attend the briefing, saying, "We would like to confirm your intention to return or resign to confirm the number of vacancies for the second half-year recruitment of trainee doctors and that of senior-year residents."

The hospital added that it must finalize the number of vacancies by Monday and complete the resignation process to enable the application for trainee doctors for the second half-year recruitment scheduled for September.

Some hospitals offered to accept the resignations as of Feb. 29 if trainee doctors agreed they would not file a lawsuit against the hospital for indemnity.