Progress of the attractiveness of Rheumatology among medical speciality training candidates (MIR) in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the progress of the attractiveness of rheumatology at successive MIR calls, from 1983 to 2014.

METHODS: Candidates in the Spanish training system for medical doctors choose their specialties sequentially, ordered by their ranking in the qualifying exam (MIR). The highest, median and lowest rank of candidates choosing rheumatology training positions in every MIR call from 1983 to 2014 was requested from the Department of Management of Specialized Medical Training (General Department of Professional Regulation; Spanish Ministry of Health). To compare, the same data was requested for other specialties. In order to define and analyze the attractiveness of each specialty we introduce an 'index of attractiveness', based on the normalized difference of the actual median rank reported for each year and the average median obtained in 1000 simulations in which candidates choose specialties at random.

RESULTS: Regarding the median of the election of rheumatology, the range went from 244th in 1983 to 3394th in 2008, showing a progressive increase over the years in absolute figures. A mathematical simulation allowed quantifying the difference between the observed median and what would have happened if specialties had been chosen by pure chance. Results show a tendency to recover the attractiveness of rheumatology in recent years.

CONCLUSIONS: After a sharp decline in the attractiveness of rheumatology during the last years of the 20th century, there seems to be a recovery.