Medical teaching beyond graduation: undergraduate study groups

Abstract

Continuing with our series of discussion papers on extension activities and their importance for present-day medical training, we will now cover undergraduate study groups within medicine. Although there are different formats for such entities, we can define them as nonprofit student organizations that create opportunities for instructional, scientific, cultural and social activities for their members, always covering a certain field within healthcare, with the aims of achieving learning and development. They are administered by the students themselves, but with guidance from teaching staff. 1There is some debate regarding whether this type of activity helps or hinders undergraduate teaching. This is because many students end up leaving aside activities belonging to the medical course in order to dedicate themselves to activities within undergraduate study groups. Another negative point that has been made is that some students regard such activities as a chance to achieve "early specialization". Thus, they dedicate themselves excessively to one field, for example plastic surgery or rheumatology, without taking sufficient interest in other, equally important areas of general training. However, the positive points that can be made in relation to the activities of undergraduate study groups seem to be preponderant. These groups provide a further opportunity for learning, which end up taking place in a more dynamic manner, given that the activities are developed by the students themselves. Activities relating to theory can be conducted, such as classes, seminars, discussions on texts or presentation of clinical cases. Practical activities can also be conducted: for example, attending patients, developing scientific projects, witnessing surgical procedures, training in techniques (such as orotracheal intubation), application of dressings, and so on. It seems clear that experiencing day-to-day practice in one specific field will end up influencing the choice of specialty.3 Nonetheless, it is important not to allow this to interfere with the basic learning process within the undergraduate course.

Ensino de anestesiologia durante a graduação por meio de uma liga acadêmica: qual o impacto no aprendizado dos alunos?

“…The learning and improved cognitive performance evidenced in this study reinforce the importance of academic leagues in the medical students' education and can mean competence gain in the specialty 3,13 .…”

“…Although there is criticism about the fact that academic leagues may induce early specialization of undergraduate students, distorting the moment of their general education 3,16 , academic leagues are useful instruments to bring medical students closer to the reality of specialties, including anesthesiology. They also stimulate the interest in teaching, research and science outreach fundaments 13,18 .…”

“…Among different teaching techniques in medicine, the leagues have become more important in students' education as extracurricular activity due to its potential to contribute with medical teaching 3 .…”

Ligas Acadêmicas no Processo de Formação dos Estudantes

“…No entanto, percebem-se fortes sinais de flexibilidade em face das necessidades de reformulação, fatos já identificados em outros estudos 13,14,15 . …”

“…Estas considerações são respaldadas pelo Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Superior (Sinaes, Lei 10.861/2004), que refere em suas bases a importância de buscar modelos de avaliação que considerem a diversificação de instrumentos, como escalas subjetivas e objetivas. Estes modelos de instrumentos, embora direcionados para a avaliação das instituições de ensino superior, servem também como base para ações de estruturação de currículos e planos institucionais de planos de cursos, planos de aulas, ações em serviços, redes de apoio à saúde e educação e ações desenvolvidas pelas entidades estudantis 13 . O Projeto Político Pedagógico Institucional (PPPI) da UnB de 2011 também reflete sobre a importância do uso de instrumentos diversificados no processo de avaliação da aprendizagem dos trabalhadores, professores, técnico-administrativos e estudantes, tendo como finalidade o diagnóstico educacional precoce para a formulação de estratégias transformadoras da realidade política, econômica e social 14 .…”