Thousands of young doctors are faced with a crucial choice: which specialization to pursue? To guide these graduates, the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, has presented the campaign #WeSaveLivesThe goal is to draw attention to the world of emergency medicine, a field that urgently needs new specialists.
A quarter of emergency places are not filled
Over 101,000 doctors work in the National Health Service, but only 4,312 are specialized in emergency-urgency. In the two-year period 2022-2023, one specialization position was assigned for every four advertised, a situation that reflects a worrying shortage of professionals in this vital sector for public health.
Schillaci did not mince his words: “Increasing the places in Specializations is not enough if those places are not assigned. Last academic year, of the 945 Emergency-Urgency scholarships advertised in 37 Universities, only 25% were assigned: one in four. This shows how urgent it is to enhance those professions from which our young people are fleeing today and this is what we are committed to”. The statement leaves no room for doubt: the numbers speak of a growing disinterest towards this specializationwith direct consequences on the ability of the healthcare system to keep up with the pace.
Safety and Burnout: The Issues That Drive Young Doctors Away
Working conditions in the emergency room are not easy: heavy loads, high risks and the ever-present phenomenon of burnout. Added to this are episodes of violence towards healthcare personnel. “Emergency-urgency facilities are particularly affected by staff shortages in relation to workloads, by burnout phenomena that go hand in hand with high levels of responsibility and unfortunately by the great risks of aggression, an aspect that saddens me a lot,” said Schillaci, who also recalled the measures introduced to protect personnel, such as tougher penalties in the event of aggression and increased checks in emergency rooms. Probably, the only way to attract more young doctors to this specialization would be to raise salaries or take alternative measures such as those to bring back the “brain drain.”
An appeal to young doctors: choose with your heart
To strike the hearts of young graduates, the #Noisalviamovite campaign focuses on those who experience the reality of the emergency room on a daily basis. The testimonies of specialists and already trained doctors are collected in video teasers and reels for social media, offering an authentic glimpse of the work on the front lines.
“Their testimonies have been collected in a teaser video and 10 video reels for social media: a unique and authentic perspectivethrough personal experiences and stories, insights into daily work, challenges and professional goals”, underlines the ministry.
The campaign presentation was also attended by Francis Franceschi, president of Italian Emergency Medicine Schools (Items), who launched an appeal to young people: “I hope they do it with heart”. Franceschi does not hide the fact that many students, even if passionate about emergency medicine, choose other specializations, perhaps attracted by economic prospects or by the idea of avoiding a life that is too demanding.
But, as he himself says, “if you have to do this job for your whole life, you better choose with your heart.” Which is sacrosanct, but like all young people, new doctors also have the right to stability and to build a future for themselves.
The emergency room is a cornerstone of the healthcare system, an indispensable sector that cannot afford to lose its appeal among young doctors. “We cannot live without the emergency room and the territorial emergency, it is vital. But in recent years there has been a disenchantment with this discipline that however gives you so much from a professional and human point of view”, concluded Franceschi.
