¿Ha aumentado el interés por estudiar Medicina tras la pandemia? Un análisis de los datos sobre solicitudes de admisión al grado universitario en Medicina en España

Abstract

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought major changes to many aspects of our society. In order to find out if one of these changes has been the interest of young people in the medical profession, the main objective of this study is to analyze the evolution of the number of applications for a Bachelor's Degree in Medicine in Spanish universities before and after the pandemic. The study is complemented by an analysis of the evolution of the admission grade and gender differences. Material and methodsTo compare the proportion of students who applied to medical studies in Spain before and after the pandemic, the data on admission applications collected from the public access database of the Ministry of Universities of the Spanish Government, from the 2015-2016 to 2021-2022 academic year, were analyzed. ResultsIn the 2021-2022 academic year, there was a significant increase in pre-registration applications for the Medicine degree. Regarding the admission grade, in the 2015-2016 academic year, it stood at 12.47, while in 2021-2022 it reached 13.09. Furthermore, the increase in applications was slightly higher among females than males. ConclusionAfter the pandemic, in Spain, interest in obtaining an undergraduate medical degree increased, resulting in an increase in the admission score for this degree. Moreover, the findings confirm that the process of feminizing the medical profession is still ongoing.