69% of young medical graduates remain in Bulgaria

69% of young doctors from the Faculty of Medicine remain in Bulgaria. The most desired specialty among graduating young doctors is “Anesthesiology and Intensive Care,” according to the results of a traditional survey among 243 Bulgarian graduates from the Class of 2025 of the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Sofia. This was reported by the educational institution.

10.78% have chosen this specialty. This is a significant jump—of more than 7%—compared to the Class of 2024. The interest in the specialty has its explanation: during the COVID-19 pandemic, many students began working as volunteers in intensive care clinics, and subsequently as orderlies, thus finding their calling in this demanding and noble specialty.

In second place, doctors indicated “Pediatrics” (10.29%), and in third place, “Surgery” (8.33%). These are followed by “Ophthalmology” (5.88%), “Endocrinology” (5.63%), and “Dermatology” (5.39%). Equal interest was recorded for three specialties: “Cardiology,” “Obstetrics and Gynecology,” and “Orthopedics and Traumatology”—each would be practiced by 4.9% of the class. The remaining specialties are preferred by 1% to 3% of the Bulgarian graduates.

96% of them have already decided on a specific specialty. Only 4% have not yet decided what they want to practice. It can be said that this is the most focused class to date regarding their desire for specialization, as in previous classes, those who were undecided ranged between 10% and 20%.

The Class of 2025 is the fourth in a row to confirm the now steady trend of graduates wishing to continue their development in Bulgaria. 69% of graduates plan to work here. This means that in the coming weeks, approximately 167 young medics will enter hospital facilities in our country or begin working in outpatient care. The choice to work as a “physician in clinical practice” significantly predominates (85%), and the number of those wishing to become general practitioners is clearly increasing (11%) compared to 7.7% in the previous class.

The percentage of those who would choose a career in pharmaceutical companies remains traditionally low (2%).

The three most important expectations of young doctors are: improved remuneration for medical labor (18.2%), improved management at all levels of the healthcare system (17.2%), and the development of new, better legislation (13.6%). They also emphasize the need to maintain modern equipment, as well as the opportunity for career growth within the healthcare system.

30% of the Class of 2025 plan to leave the country, with an interesting point for this class being the increase in those wishing to work in the USA (10.4%)—an increase of 5% compared to the previous one. At the same time, there is a decrease of about 3% among those who will choose an EU country for their professional realization (77.7% of those departing).

The motives of those leaving Bulgaria are: higher pay abroad (23.8%) and better organization of the healthcare system (20.3%). Graduates continue to cite the fact that the development of young personnel in the healthcare system in our country is difficult (13.5%) as a reason for leaving.