Within the field of health there are issues that everyone knows and cause divisions of opinion. One of the best examples is the National Examination of Applicants for Medical Residencies (ENARM) which has a long history that has been marked by chiaroscuro. That is why it is worth remembering the reason that led to its creation and identifying if it is still relevant today.
In this sense, in the past we have already shared with you some of the biggest flaws that have been reported throughout all its editions. They range from the alleged sale of seats and other types of illegal acts to the promise to offer 30 thousand seats that was never fulfilled.
Brief history of ENARM
But you have to go in chronological order. The ENARM was applied for the first time in 1977 and since then it has been an instrument for measuring knowledge in general medicine. The body that regulates and administers it is the Interinstitutional Commission for the Training of Human Resources for Health (CIFRHS).
The objective for which it was born was to make general practitioners able to study a specialty Therefore, it is a knowledge test that consists of a summary of everything seen in the university, internship and social service.
Within its history, the biggest change occurred in 2008 when for the first time it was carried out in electronic format and has been carried out that way ever since. It now consists of 450 questions, of which 400 correspond to clinical cases from the medical area presented in Spanish. While the remaining 50 are in English.
Until now, they have been applied 45 editions of the ENARM and the biggest problem is the number of seats. The increase in available places has been minimal compared to the number of interested parties that register each year.
To put in context, until 2019 only two out of 10 applicants obtained a place. While during the last statistics it increased to four but it is still insufficient. Most cannot meet their goal even with a high rating.
Is the ENARM a filter against self-improvement?
In that vein, some voices have accused this test of being responsible for the deficit of specialists that Mexico has. In fact, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said that it is a barrier that threatens the professional improvement of doctors.
With that logic, it can be considered that he is partially right. Although there are many young people who want to pursue a specialty, most cannot due to lack of space. In some cases they even present the test on several occasions and do not achieve their objective.
Although there is a large number of general practitioners who graduate every year, very few have access to a specialty. The problem is not that they do not want to improve themselves but that they must face a hard barrier called ENARM. Many prepare themselves with courses that last several months but they don’t even get it that way.
On the other hand, it is also mentioned that the ENARM should be maintained because it is a way to identify the most qualified general practitioners. It is not a filter but it is a measure of basic knowledge that someone with aspirations to be a resident should pass.
In either case, the source of the problem is that hospitals do not have enough places to accommodate so many doctors in training. Therefore, before thinking about whether the exam is still necessary, the construction of more hospitals should first be considered. In this way it could be achieved that, in the not too distant future, anyone could access the specialty.