Lleida's Arnau de Vilanova Hospital has secured Catalonia's first Medical Intern Resident (MIR) place in the new Emergency and Emergencies specialty. This makes it the fifth hospital in Spain to assign a position for this new medical field, according to territorial head of Emergencies, Oriol Yuguero.
A future resident will start this specialty at the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, choosing it over seven other Catalan Institute of Health (ICS) hospitals. There are 11 available places across Catalan hospitals and 82 throughout Spain for this new programme.
“A woman who enquired about us, came to do a rotation in the Arnau unit, obtained one of the best MIR scores, and chose us over the other seven ICS hospitals,” Yuguero told reporters. The new specialty aims to ensure all Emergency services in Spain have standardised training, so professionals know what to do in complex situations. Previously, doctors had to complete unregulated master's degrees or courses, Yuguero explained.
New Training and Future Plans
The training plan for the new specialty includes placements at Igualada Hospital, the Medical Emergency System (SEM), and the Prat de la Riba Emergency Primary Healthcare Centre (CAP). There are also plans for Vielha and La Seu hospitals to be accredited to receive Emergency residents.
At Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, 22 doctors with over five years in the Emergency unit will directly validate the specialty. Eight other doctors, with two to four years of experience, can also gain the qualification if they pass an exam. Those with less experience will be able to take the exam in four years. After this period, the specialty will only be obtainable through the MIR programme.
“We hope to offer two new places from 2027 onwards. This would mean continuous improvement and help guarantee generational replacement among our staff,” Yuguero added.
Record Number of Training Places in Lleida
Lleida will gain four specialised health training (FSE) places next academic year, reaching a record total of 93. Nursing, Psychology, Pharmacy, and Biology places were assigned by score during the last week of April. Arnau de Vilanova Hospital successfully filled all 29 places it offered, a hospital spokesperson confirmed. Future medical residents started choosing their training centres on Monday, with the process ending on 27 May.
