Learning in pediatrics primary care internship: Medical undergraduates’ point of view

Abstract

Introduction:

Much is discussed about the training of health professionals prepared to meet the real needs of the population in the context of the Health Care System as recommended by the National Curriculum Guidelines, aiming at comprehensive care. Primary Care stands out as an important practice scenario in this context, including the internship, considering the autonomy of this phase.

Objective:

To analyze the perceptions of graduates of a medical course in relation to the pediatric internship in Primary Care.

Method:

Descriptive, exploratory research with a qualitative approach, developed through online interviews with medical graduates, graduated from a public higher education institution in the interior of São Paulo in 2018 and 2019. The data was analyzed using content analysis.

Results and discussion:

Eleven 2018 graduates and 15 2019 graduates were interviewed, with different professional activities since the end of the course. The category explored in this article will be “Learning opportunity during Primary Care in Pediatrics.” Experiencing Primary Care in Pediatrics provided different learning opportunities regarding the comprehensive care of the child, understanding the importance of its context and repercussions.

Final Considerations:

Knowing about the Health Care Network since the beginning of the course allowed students to understand the difficulties experienced in this network and the impact on care. The most prevalent and low-complexity situations are the reality of graduates in professional practice and need to be addressed during the teaching-learning process of the internship, favoring their performance.

Keywords:
Education, Medical; Internship and Residency; Pediatrics; Primary Health Care; Integral Healthcare Practice