- Currently, 60% of young people who present the ENARM are rejected.
- This exam is mandatory for all general practitioners who want to become specialists.
- From sadness and anxiety to suicidal ideas are some of the mental problems that applicants who do not obtain a place develop.
The opinions about the National Examination of Applicants for Medical Residencies (ENARM) are quite divided and now the impact it generates on the mental health of young people who present it every year has been questioned. Everything stems from the affectations it provokes in all those who do not approve of it and see their professional aspirations truncated.
preparation never ends
In the first instance, the Medicine career is the most extensive that exists in the world. Only in Mexico are at least six years of training required and in some universities seven years are mandatory. It is a long way to go to acquire the basic knowledge that allows patient care.
At the end of this stage you can start working as general practitioner. It is a noble job and quite necessary because it is the in charge of answering 80 percent of the queries. Therefore, it is the pillar of the health system.
However, although sometimes it is on their own initiative, There are also thousands of cases of doctors who are “forced” by their colleagues and relatives to present the ENARM and be specialists. This is a situation that has been repeated for generations and continues to this day.
The problem is that only a minority obtains a place. Therefore, the thousands of rejected that there are every year see their aspirations truncated. When that happens, a cycle begins that puts their emotional integrity at risk and that is why there are so many frustrated general practitioners.
What happens to young people who present the ENARM and do not obtain a place?
On this subject, the Dr. Eduardo Villalobos it was pretty clear. In his words, the ENARM leaves several sequels in the mental health of young people who do not get a place in hospitals.
Unfortunately, these national exams, such as the ENARM, Eunacom or MIR, leave severe sequelae in the mental health of some. I have attended several Chileans, Mexicans and Venezuelans in Spain and Chile, who live a tremendous nightmare, anxiety, depressive, suicidal ideation. https://t.co/6wqT70ZP0F
– Dr. Eduardo Villalobos (@eduardojvv) September 29, 2022
This situation is more serious than some suppose because the consequences can be of different magnitudes. The most common is to start with sadness and disappointment for not achieving the goal. Young people often blame themselves and take weeks, months, even years to recover.
On the other hand, there are also other cases of greater impact. When the mental health problems generated by not passing the ENARM are not addressed, they can develop pictures of depression that evolve into suicidal ideas. In the worst case scenario, the applicants can end their lives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year 700 thousand cases of suicide globally. In fact, it is already the fourth leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 29. Although the most serious thing is that the trend continues to rise.
Now, despite the mental health problems generated by the ENARM, the drawback is that there are not enough hospitals to accommodate all the young people interested in being residents.
Similarly, among those who support the existence of this test, it is mentioned that not everyone is trained to be a specialist. That is why they must demonstrate that they have sufficient knowledge to be able to aspire to residency.
For now, do you think that the ENARM leaves sequels in the mental health of the applicants?
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