Chile: EUNACOM, the exam foreign doctors cannot avoid

Medical and health education in Chile

Medicine in Chile is a long programme of about seven years, with the final year spent as a hospital intern (internado), at some thirty universities. Teaching is in Spanish. The National Accreditation Commission (CNA) accredits programmes, and accreditation of medicine is mandatory. Dentistry usually takes five to six years, pharmacy five to six, and nursing around five.

A Chilean medical graduate is registered as an individual health provider with the Superintendencia de Salud. The licence follows the degree, but EUNACOM, the national medical knowledge exam, matters in practice: it is required of foreign-trained doctors, and Chilean graduates use their score to apply for public-sector posts and specialty training. Nurses can sit the national nursing exam (ENENF). Specialist certification is handled by CONACEM. Check the Superintendencia and the Ministry of Health for current rules on each profession.

The exam that moves doctors across Latin America

EUNACOM is the clearest example in the region of a licensing-style exam that foreign doctors, rather than local graduates, dominate. In 2020 to 2022 combined, 8,364 people sat it: 3,541 Chilean and 4,823 foreign examinees. Press reports counted 9,014 examinees in 2019 alone. Venezuelans are the largest foreign group, followed by Ecuadorians, Colombians, Cubans and Bolivians. A doctor who trained in Caracas, Quito or Havana and wants to work in Santiago will almost certainly meet EUNACOM.

It is run by ASOFAMECH, the Chilean association of medical faculties, not by a government ministry. Registration of providers is then handled by the Superintendencia de Salud.

Who needs a licensing exam in Chile

Doctors: EUNACOM

Format. The theory stage is 180 multiple-choice questions. The practical stage is a clinical evaluation covering Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Paediatrics. You normally sit them in that order, because the practical part is open to those who have passed the theory. We have not verified the current pass mark, fee or exact length from an official page, so take these from the ASOFAMECH notice for the round you plan to enter.

Who must sit. Chilean graduates who want public-sector posts or specialty training, and all foreign-trained doctors. The public system is the largest employer, so the exam is effectively unavoidable if you want a job there.

1. Have your degree recognised or validated as the notice requires; document requirements are strict.
2. Register for the next sitting on the EUNACOM site, within the stated window.
3. Sit the 180-question theory exam.
4. Sit the practical evaluation if you passed the theory.
5. Register in the Superintendencia de Salud's provider register and apply for posts.

Nurses: ENENF

The Examen Nacional de Enfermería (ENENF) is organised by ACHIEEN with DEMRE of the Universidad de Chile. It targets final-year nursing students and is a multiple-choice quality benchmark. It is not a legal licensing requirement, so a nurse can work without it. Employers may nevertheless value a result. Foreign nurses use reválida at the Universidad de Chile or a treaty route rather than an exam.

Midwives, pharmacists, dentists and physiotherapists

These four professions register by qualification in the Registro Nacional de Prestadores Individuales, kept by the Superintendencia de Salud. No national exam applies. Foreign graduates have their degree revalidated at the Universidad de Chile, or recognised through a treaty. We note that the dentists' association has called for a national exam like EUNACOM, so the position could change; check before relying on this section.

Planning a first attempt at EUNACOM

Because roughly half of foreign candidates pass, the exam rewards preparation that is specific to Chile. A common mistake is to treat it as a general medicine test and review only international textbooks. The questions follow Chilean practice, so review the Ministry of Health's national programmes and guidelines alongside your usual sources. Public-health content (GES conditions, national immunisation schedule, maternal and child programmes) carries real weight in a system built around primary care.

The practical stage deserves equal time. Candidates who pass the theory sometimes underestimate the clinical evaluation, which tests history-taking, examination, reasoning and communication in Spanish in front of examiners. Practise speaking through cases aloud, not only reading them. A study group with colleagues who are also preparing for the sitting helps with this.

• Count backwards from the registration deadline and the document-legalisation time; both are slow.
• Take timed blocks of 60 questions or more to build stamina for 180 items.
• Keep a log of wrong answers by specialty and revisit it weekly.
• Book accommodation and travel for the practical stage as soon as your date is confirmed.

Language and what to prepare

EUNACOM is taken in Spanish, and clinical vocabulary is regional. Doctors from Brazil, for example, need Spanish medical terminology, not only conversational Spanish. Candidates from Spanish-speaking countries still need to learn Chilean protocols: the GES guarantees (Garantías Explícitas en Salud), national vaccination schedule and Ministry of Health clinical guidelines appear throughout local training. These local guidelines can differ from those you studied.

Exam comparison

Where to check the rules

ASOFAMECH publishes EUNACOM notices and the Universidad de Chile's DEMRE publishes ENENF information. The Superintendencia de Salud runs the provider register. TriagePass is independent of all three, and nothing here is advice from them.

Last reviewed October 2026