The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the offer of vacancies for medical residency in Internal Medicine in Ceará, in 2003, along with the profile of the candidates competing for them. The obtained data were organized using electronic spreadsheets. There are 14 institutions offering residency programs in Ceará; most are public and all are headquartered in the State capital, Fortaleza. Only three of them offer medical residency in Internal Medicine. The number of vacancies in Internal Medicine authorized by the CNRM (Regional Medicine Council) is 50, 25 of which are R1 (currently filled). Covering three programs in two contests, 216 doctors (50.46%=women) submitted 314 applications. The competition per vacancy in Internal Medicine was 12.56; for specialized fields it was 2.54. The greater part of candidates were from the medical schools of the federal universities in Ceará (44.44%), Paraíba (15.28%) and Rio Grande do Norte (10.19%). Around 48% of candidates had graduated recently, in 2002. This study presents a profile of medical residency in Internal Medicine in Ceará. It suggests the need for expanding and diversifying the offer of vacancies through joint efforts of medical schools and hospitals. This, however, should be decided by the Unified Health System (SUS), whose responsibility it is to define or establish parameters for medical education, including graduation and medical residency, adjusting the profile and offer of vacancies to the health situation in Ceará.
Internal Medicine; Internship and Residency; Personnel Selection
