The extinction process of Preventive and Social Medicine Residency Programs (PSMR) have experienced constitutes a paradox in the face of the need for physicists with Collective Health Specialization in the Unified Health System. The present paper investigated which are the practice sceneries and how the practical and theoretical activities are developed into PSMR programs. It was observed that most programs include actions in health assistance, as well as activities in the three main fields of Collective Health. However, significant differences were evidenced among the programs. It was possible construct a typology, identifying the type 'Generalist in Collective Health', who approaches the three main fields of Collective Health; the type 'Epidemiology', which focuses exclusively on this field; and the type 'Community Health', which is centered in Health Basic Care. From the crossing among historical construction process and present reality, it was possibly infer that the inexistent of State Politics to graduate health professionals in this area, and not compromise of involved social subjects with this residence are the most important factors, resulting in the existence of an anachronism in the guidelines
Health Education; Internship and Residency; Public Health; Health politics
