In January 2024, 14 Adventist candidates appeared at the exam centre (it is the second record of Adventist participation in these state exams) and received a visit from the Minister of Health while they waited to begin after sunset. Although the exam itself was at the end of January, we are now in the middle of the process of assigning places, since the end of March is when the final results come out and the MIR, EIR and FIR training courses do not begin until May. So, it is also a reason for prayer.
Exams on Saturday
The training of medical specialists in Spain has been carried out since 1978 through the MIR (Resident Internal Physician) program, which includes an entrance exam (MIR exam) and several years of professional training activity, depending on the type of medical specialty.
Likewise, specialization training programs in pharmacy (FIR), nursing (EIR), and psychology (PIR) were established in later years.
The four entrance exams to MIR, FIR, EIR, and PIR specialized health training are a type of selection to qualify for a place in the corresponding specialty. They are known for their high level of difficulty, the long study time they require, the large number of candidates who apply, and the intense years of training that follow.
Something else that these exams have in common is that they are always convened at the national level, by the Ministry of Health, on a Sabbath.
Religious freedom
Thanks to laws that protect freedom of religion and conscience in Spain, Adventist candidates can request a change that allows them to take the exam outside of Sabbath hours, that is, after sunset on Sabbath.
This means that, after their request to change, in accordance with legal protection, is approved, Adventist candidates must appear at the offices of the Ministry of Health of the Government of Spain, in Madrid, on the same day and at the same time as the official call. But this provision comes with the particularity that, until the sunset time of that Sabbath is met, they must be kept incommunicado and guarded in one of the rooms of the Ministry, to guarantee two things: first, that they do not have any advantage in terms of exam that the rest of the candidates have previously taken, and, second, that their rights to religious freedom are respected.
Once Sabbath has passed and sunset has arrived, our Adventist doctors, nurses, pharmacists or psychologists will begin their corresponding exam, which will last the same hours as for the rest of the examinees. Which means, sometimes, finishing late at night.
Testimonials
Last Saturday, January 20, 2024, 14 Adventist health professionals met at the Ministry of Health to take the MIR, EIR and FIR exams. According to one of the candidate doctors, this was perhaps the second largest group of Adventists that the Ministry’s security guard, who usually attends to the examinees each year, could remember.
Aside from the difficulty of the exam and the challenge added by the call on Sabbath, for believers, any situation can be used as a reason to witness for the honor and glory of God.
This is what some of the health workers who have been examined in 2024 express.
Testimony of D.T.O. Nurse of the Madrid-Calatrava church
“The Specialized Health Training exams are difficult both because of the preparation they involve and because of the long hours they last, especially having to wait until sunset. But the fact of doing it together with other brothers in the faith and being able to encourage each other, seems to me to be a very nice experience.”
Testimony of Mabel Correa. Nurse of the Puerto de Sta. María church
“I wanted to do the EIR for many years. It had been a long time since I practiced nursing because I [had] dedicated myself more to my family, so it was a good experience for me to be able to retrain, update myself and start everything again. (…) Thinking that there will always be obstacles in life and that God will help me overcome them, I undertook this experience.
The truth is that the days before the exam were very critical because I didn't know if I was fully prepared or not. I felt like, as an Adventist, I was a little bit alone because I knew I had to wait until sunset, etc.
When they answered [the request], they confirmed that they respected my Sabbath hours and that I had to appear in Madrid, at the Ministry of Health. And [imagine] my surprise that, when they were calling [us] to enter, there were other people who said they were also waiting until sunset! They were Adventists too! We were 14 Adventist people at that time: 2 nurses, 1 pharmacist, and 11 doctors.
The waiting experience was very nice because we all had the same feeling. That's what I admire most about our Church: that wherever we are, we are always family, and we feel at home when we are together.
The Ministry staff placed us in a waiting room just for us. We were all there together for these hours talking in confidence. The two Ministry guards had known Adventists for a long time and were with us. It seemed that they had always had good experiences with Adventist candidates from previous years.
At that moment, when we were about to start the exam, we asked to be able to say a prayer and it was very nice because we were able to pray together in that Ministry room, asking God to help us in that exam.
I believe that our difference [from] any other candidate is that, for us, any knowledge, anything we can acquire, any result, will be for the service of God. That what comes out from now on, we can use for His work wherever we are.
Throughout the process since March of the previous year, while I have been preparing for the exam, I have had many conversations with God in different ways. Sometimes, I tell Him that I trust Him but I don't trust myself that much. And that is a difference from what they told us at the EIR training academy: “Trust in yourself.”
The truth is that I couldn't trust only myself, because I have learned to trust God - more in all this time - and to know that, no matter what happens, the Lord is guiding us and will put us in the right place ‘to be able to serve Him and carry out the work that we [can] while waiting for the return of Jesus’."
Testimony of Andreea Adnana Radomir. Pharmacist of the Madrid-Emaús church
“At first, I didn't know exactly how to make the request to change the schedule on Sabbath. It sounded to me like there were people who could have changed it, but I didn't know what the procedure was.
Talking to different people in the church, a sister who also works in the healthcare field referred me to another Adventist pharmacist who had previously submitted to the FIR and who had requested the change of exam. I contacted her and she gave me all her information.
I knew that, by law, we have this possibility since, at the university, I had already had similar experiences of changing exams on Sabbath. But in this official nationwide exam, I wasn't sure if I could get it. But this pharmacist explained to me what she did and what documentation she had to present. I also asked our pastor for a certificate of membership in the Adventist Church.
When I applied for it, I was very [blessed] because, when registration opened, I still didn't know all this and I simply signed up. But because I was Romanian, it was not enough to just provide the NIE, but I had to attach the passport and I didn't do it. So I was on the ‘not admitted’ list. And, precisely, [when I was] able to add the passport that I was missing, I [also] had the opportunity to add this time change request document. Otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to request it later, once admitted. So, in part, I'm really glad that the first time it was listed as ‘not supported’.
Once it got to the day of the exam, we had to go at the same time as everyone else, since it was important that we did not have any advantage over the rest.
We entered at 3:00 p.m. like everyone else and then we were in a room [at the Ministry] all together until sunset.
It was super gratifying to meet Adventists from all over Spain, since, in this type of exams, anyone with this same situation, regardless of the community, has to come to do it at the Ministry of Health in Madrid.
I feel very [blessed] - and we talked about it while we were waiting for the sun to set - that we have a law that allows us to take an exam at a time that is acceptable to us. And it's not that inconvenient either because we practically start it only two hours and twenty minutes later than the rest.
Maybe there are people who say that we are more tired, because it is true that, by starting later, we finish at 10:50 p.m., which is quite late to take the four-and-a-half-hour exam, which in itself is already very tiring... But honestly, I don't consider that I felt that exhaustion. In fact, quite the opposite, it was good for me because I am a person who needs to study until the last moment and if it were not for the fact that I had to finish studying on Friday at sunset, I would have continued studying until minutes before the exam.
So, for me, it is even a blessing that the exam was at the end of Sabbath because then my mind could rest and be a little more relaxed. So, as far as us starting later, I haven't felt like it was anything against me, or that if I didn't pass the exam, it was because of that.
Being there, waiting, has been very cool because there were people from all over Spain. Some I didn't know directly but we did have acquaintances in common. I was very excited to see that more Adventists were in the same situation as me and, when we met there, I felt what a great family we have. It was super nice: before starting the exam, we prayed with everyone.
The person in charge of us was very respectful. He told us that he has been doing this work for 31 years and accompanying Adventists who have to present themselves and, sometimes, also with Jews or Muslims. I thought he wouldn't know anything about us, but I discovered that he knows Adventists quite a bit from all the years he has been there.
It has been a beautiful experience and, above all, gratifying to know that we have the opportunity to take the exam according to the belief and faith that we have.
I think it is very helpful that, in the church, there are health professionals who have already gone through these situations and make themselves known, so that interested people have access to this information and know that they have the opportunity to request this type of exam changes. That is to say, [just] because we are Adventists, [does not mean] we have to stop doing certain things or stop opting for certain jobs that involve exams on Saturday, since there is opportunity for us, too, and God provides the paths.
It would be a good idea for each church to have at least one person who knows these options, to communicate them to the rest.
The church is very enriching in this sense because there are very good professionals in all fields. [What] helps a lot, for those who are younger or who do not know what career to choose, [is] the fact that there are older people who can share what their experience has been. Because, apart from being the place where you can find God and find that family of faith, I feel that the church is a place where you can also find professional advice that can be used as a great benefit for everyone.”
Testimony of the couple, Julen Torrontegui Santin and Jacqueline Martins Torrontegui. Doctors, graduated from the Adventist University of Plata, Argentina.
“We, first of all, are grateful because, although we understand that it is a right to be able to take the exam outside of Sabbath rest hours, the good disposition of the administration that has been facilitating this for years generates gratitude in some way.
Even at one point, when we were locked up there, waiting for the sunset to arrive, the Minister of Health, Dr. Mónica López, came to visit us with other personalities, to give us support, saying that she had been in the same MIR process and that we had courage.
We were speaking with Mr. Juan, the controller of the Ministry of Health, who was telling us that, over the years, the maximum number of candidates had been around twenty. Generally, they were all Adventists and, sometimes, Jews and Muslims.
We also appreciate having the opportunity to share that moment with other colleagues, meet old friends and colleagues from the university, strengthen one's faith a bit, and meet other people.
We ended the gathering, just before the exam, with a prayer thanking God for everything and for His guidance.
The truth is that it was a different, beautiful experience and we finished the exam with gratitude.
Professional future. And what next, after the exam?
The weeks that follow these access tests to specialized health training are decisive for the future of the professionals who have presented themselves.
The official publication of the provisional results begins one month after the tests, towards the end of February. At the end of March, the official final notes will be released. And finally, another month later, towards the end of April, the awarding of the places obtained will take place according to the order of the exam results. It will already be May 2024 when our Adventist health professionals, who have obtained a position for their chosen specialty, will join their respective new jobs as MIR, EIR, or FIR.
Throughout this formative “adventure,” it is our desire that God accompany and guide each of the Adventist health professionals, so that their health work may be a blessing to others; and that, through their professional testimony, they can serve God and their neighbors, following the mission that Jesus, our Great Physician, taught us.
To read the original article, please go here.
