USMLE-like exam results in Mexico

Here in Mexico there is a similar exam to the USMLE, who is proposed to select those medicine graduated into residents to get a speciality.

This exam is called “Examen Nacional de Aspirantes a Residencias Médicas – ENARM” (National Exam of Aspirings to Medical Residences). This exam was on September 3rd and 4th this year, it consists in 700 multiple option questions, of wich 600 evaluate medical knowledge (clinical vignette questions), and 100 evaluate understanding capacity of english-based medical texts. The results was published yesterday. There were 22,985 aspirings for 4,299 vacant places in 22 specialities.

Public and private institutions offer main specialities as follows (annual and national offers):

  • Anatomic Pathology (54 places)
  • Anesthesiology (420 places)
  • General Surgery (460 places)
  • Audiology and phoniatrics (19 places)
  • Epidemiology-Public Health (25 places)
  • Medical Genetics (16 places)
  • Obstetrics & Gynecology (422 places)
  • Sports Medicine (7 places)
  • Rehabilitation Medicine (56 places)
  • Occupational Medicine (58 places)
  • Family & Primary Care Medicine (724 places)
  • Internal Medicine (607 places)
  • Legal & Forensics Medicine (10 places)
  • Nuclear Medicine(12 places)
  • Ophtalmology (102 places)
  • Traumatology and Orthopedics (229 places)
  • Otorhinolaryngology (73 places)
  • Clinical Pathology (17 places)
  • Pediatrics (531 places)
  • Psychiatrics (86 places)
  • Radiology (156 places)
  • Emergency Medicine (183 places)

That give us a number of 18.7% of selected residents-to be, of the total population of aspirings. That’s sounds BAD. I don’t know the facts and numbers of the USMLE, but i think it’s much easier to get a residency at USA, by far.

Congratulations to all my dear colleagues that had approved this important part of our careers. I’m very proud of you guys!

Regards,

Jon Mikel Iñarritu, M.D.

technorati tags: ENARM, USMLE, unbounded medicine

8 thoughts on “USMLE-like exam results in Mexico”

  1. No hay ni punto de comparación entre los dos exámenes, el USMLE es el examen más dificil que existe en el mundo… asi que aunque solo entre el 18% a las residencias en México, el entrar a USA como médico internacional es aún más dificil por que no es olo cuestion de pasarlo sino de sacar arriba de 90 para estar por encima del promedio de los americanos y poder ingresar sin ningun problema… yo saqué arriba de 90 en Step 1 y creanme, es el examen más dificil que he hecho y que haré en mi vida…

  2. Hi evrybody !
    I graduated from UNAM (Ntl. University of Mexico) I took the “Examen Nacional de Residencias” I passed and was able to get #33 place out of 563 aspirants for ophthalmology. I got a score of 63, and became an ophthalmologist.

    I recently took USMLE Step1 and got an 82 (201). I can tell you there is no comparison between the USMLE and the mexican test. The mexican test is far easier and there is less competition. The thing is that they make a curve (Gass curve) to grade the test .

    Fortunately there are a lot of incompetent doctors in Mexico( As in many parts of the world) which makes it easier to pass this examination. The USMLE step1 is far more difficult.

    I have never met or known anybody who has purchased the test and was given the real exam. So don’t be afraid study hard I recommend “Diagnostico y Tratamiento clinico” Papadakis et al.
    If you don’t pass the test don’t blame it on corruption or in the “urban myth” of people buying the exam. Blame it on your lack of preparation for the test.

  3. Pingback: I did it at Unbounded Medicine

  4. ufff, qué rabia me dan todas estas situaciones!!! es increíble!!! y lo peor es que seguramente los burócratas que toman estas decisiones son todo menos médicos competentes…

  5. Semilla:
    I didn’t take this test because i’m not finished my primary education. I’ll take it on next September.

    I agree with your opinion, but here in Mexico this situation is kind different, mainly because of the corruption itself.

    Another thing that i’ll like to change is the opportunities that an individual has to take this test. For example, if you didn’t well this time, the next year you can do it again, and again, and again. I knew a guy who did this test about 20 times, he’s now 46 years old.

    It is vox populi, that if you have $20 – $60K pesos (that’s between $2 – $6K dollars), you can buy it, that is not fair at all. I can’t believe that. It makes me angrier than anything.

  6. Incredible situation, did you did de exam???…
    But I think that its important to filtrate the persons that dont have de capacity to treat patiens seriously and dont have enough preparation, because in your profesion the human life is in risk…There are to many incompetent doctors in our contry, and many people dies because of it…

  7. Thanks for the Congratulations because I aproved the exam, but you have to know that around of this exam exist a lot of corruption. I hope that one day someone puts an end to this situation. No matter, proudly, I can said now that I myself aproved without illegal methods.

  8. Nice site!! well situation in India is similar, to get a residency u ve to sit in a national level entrance exam followed by your getting residency on the basis of ranks.. and the level of the exam and number of people sitting in the exam make it tough…

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