Residency is a form of postgraduate education for graduates who have passed the bachelor's degree exam in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. It provides the necessary training to obtain one of the medical, dental, and pharmaceutical specialties for the healthcare network, according to Art. 75, paragraph (8) of the Higher Education Law No. 199/2023. The training program is organized by the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANCA), in accordance with the provisions of Art. 10, paragraph (1) of Law No. 199/2023.

Every year, admission to the residency program is organized by the Ministry of Health in the form of a national competition for the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. The exam topics and bibliography are unique, based on a methodology approved by joint order of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education and Research. Following the passing of the residency exam, the training of resident doctors is managed by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Research, respectively, through accredited higher education institutions in medicine and pharmacy.

At each university center, residency training is coordinated and supervised by:

a) the vice-rector coordinating the residency training department (DPR)

b) the residency program coordinator/director

c) the residency training manager

d) the residency training supervisor.

At each university center, a DPR was established in accordance with the provisions of Article 75, paragraph (11) of Law No. 199/2023 on higher education. At the George Emil Palade University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Târgu Mureș, this structure operates in the municipality of Târgu Mureș, at Casa Universitarilor, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, building C8. The DPR comprises two departments, namely: the Department for the Approval of Residency Training Units and the Department for Residency Training.

The Residency Training Unit Approval Department is responsible for evaluating and initiating the approval procedure for training units assigned to the George Emil Palade University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Târgu Mureș.

The residency training department is responsible for managing residency training activities. It also keeps records of residency coordinators, program directors and residency supervisors. Its responsibilities include:

-registering each resident physician confirmed by order of the Ministry of Health in a single national registry platform, called the National Resident Registry

-distributing residents

-registering documents submitted in the event of interruption of the residency program

-recognizing internships completed by residents outside of Romania

-resumption of the resident's activity

-secondment of residents

-transfer of residents

-conducting training modules in other designated units, outside of the clinical ones

The DPR operates on the basis of the "Regulations on the organization and functioning of the residency training department," which also apply to coordinators, residency supervisors, and resident physicians.