Vivência integrada na comunidade: uma análise de seu papel político formativo para a educação médica

Abstract

Medical education in Brazil undergoes socio-political changes from the 1960s onwards, with a focus on pedagogical restructuring emphasizing Primary Health Care and teaching models based on meaningful learning through problem-based teaching methods. The initiation of the implementation process of the Multicampi School of Medical Sciences of Rio Grande do Norte (EMCM-UFRN) in 2012, the launch of the Programa Mais Médicos in 2013, and the publication of the National Curriculum Guidelines for Medical Courses in 2014 brought crucial changes for analyzing medical education today. These transformations aim to produce socially and politically engaged, humanistic physicians capable of meeting the community's needs and the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS).In the undergraduate medical program at EMCM-UFRN, an innovative example of this shift is the curriculum component called "Vivência Integrada na Comunidade" (VIC), which stands out as a longitudinal internship anchored in Social Accountability as a theoretical-methodological reference. Thus, this study aims to analyze the pedagogical process of VIC modules in the training of medical students at EMCM-UFRN. Through qualitative research characterized by an exploratory and descriptive approach, strengths and weaknesses of these modules were identified through document analysis and the creation of categories for reflection, namely: i) "Will we be able to handle all of this?": Educational principles of EMCM; ii) "A sea of possibilities": Formative Itinerary in VIC modules; and iii) "Experiencing in practice the medicine that awaited us outside the university": Pedagogical intentionality in VIC modules.We conclude that VIC modules have an intentional and counter-hegemonic formative character, bringing the reality of SUS and its political organization as a learning scenario through work, providing students with contact with the daily lives of people, workers, and users during their medical education. A result of the research was the creation of a Guide for VIC Students at EMCM-UFRN, containing essential information, logistical procedures, rights, duties, and previous experiences, filling logistical and pedagogical gaps in the modules.