INTRODUCTION: The theoretical quality of medical education is consolidated through adequate affective skills that can be taught and learned. Such learning, however, requires distinctive curricular approaches that help build an effective professional bond. OBJECTIVE: To assess how well students adopt and develop the attitudes of the teachers at the Higher School of Health Sciences (ESCS). METHODOLOGY: The sample group was formed by 120 students (25% from each year). The data collection instrument was a structured and validated questionnaire, with 52 Likert-type items. Evaluation was made of the psychological aspects of organic diseases, death-related situation, primary health care, mental illness, the contribution by the physician to the scientific advance of medicine and aspects of medical practice. RESULTS: Positive attitudes were predominant, with the particular importance of maturity in death-related matters and difficulties in approaching mental illness. Primary health care obtained the highest positive percentage. CONCLUSION: The study reveals indicative evidence that problem based learning (PBL) can support quality medical practice, with the use of active, experience-based and dynamic methodologies.
Attitude Evaluation; Medical Education; Problem-Based Learning; Physician's Practice Patterns; Ethics, Medical
