When I first came to Spain, I always felt that while the healthcare system is free, it’s a bit slow. But after living here for a while and seeing some specialists, I’ve been genuinely impressed by their high level of professionalism. Recently, while chatting with friends about top doctors, a question popped into my head: Does Spain have what we would call “academicians”? How many are there? And in which hospitals do they work?
I did some research and found that Spain does have a similar top-tier honorary title. One of the most authoritative institutions is the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain (Real Academia Nacional de Medicina de España, RANM). The academy dates back to the 18th century, so it has a very long history. Becoming a member is undoubtedly the highest honor in the Spanish medical community.
However, the Spanish academician system is a bit different from what we might be familiar with. The RANM has several levels of members, but the core group is the “Full Academicians” (Académicos de Número). Their positions, or seats, are fixed—there are only 50 seats in total! Each seat is numbered and held for life. A new election process only begins when an academician passes away or retires, creating a vacancy. Therefore, to become one of these 50 [Academicians of the Spanish Royal Academy of Medicine] is to be one of the absolute top experts in the field.
In Which Fields Are the Academicians Found?
I looked at the information on the RANM’s official website, and these 50 seats aren’t distributed evenly among medical specialties. Instead, they are divided based on the significance of different fields of medicine. They categorize all medical and related sciences into six major sections, each with a different number of seats. I’ve put together a rough table, and you can learn more about the [Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain]:
| Section | Major Disciplinary Areas Included |
|---|
| Section I | Basic Sciences |
| Section II | Internal Medicine and its Specialties |
| Section III | Surgery and its Specialties |
| Section IV | Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and other specific population medicine |
| Section V | Public Health, Forensic Medicine, Medical History, Pharmacy, etc. |
| Section VI | Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, and other related health sciences |
It’s worth noting that these academicians don’t necessarily hold clinic hours in hospitals all day. Many are professors at renowned universities or directors of top research institutions. They might also hold senior positions at some of the best public or private hospitals in Madrid or Barcelona, such as Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Hospital La Paz, and Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. So, if you’re hoping to be treated by one of these [academicians in Spanish hospitals], your case would likely have to be the most complex of complex cases. I found this discovery quite interesting and wanted to share it for discussion. Does anyone else have insights into Spain’s top medical experts?
