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doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v95ispe3p3-4
Medical Education at the University of São Paulo Medical School
José Otávio Costa Auler Jr.1, Edmund Chada Baracat2, Joaquim Edson Vieira3
1. Professor of Anesthesiology, Department of Surgery, Dean – University of São Paulo Medical School.
2. Professor of Gynecology, Department of Gynecology and Obstetric, University of São Paulo Medical School.
3. Professor of of Anesthesiology, Department of Surgery, University of São Paulo Medical School.
Mailing address: Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455 – Cerqueira César. São Paulo, SP, Brasil. CEP: 01246-903.
The University of São Paulo Medical School
(FMUSP) started in 2015 a new undergraduate medical
curriculum. This model reduces the time allotted to lectures
and increases the time devoted to tutored discussions
and to clinical reasoning, without neglecting the need to
acquire information and scientic foundations that guide
the practice of medicine, always grounded by the best
evidence. The proposal is anchored in principles resulting
from Medical Education research, and as a result of large
and numerous meetings with teachers and students, besides
international experts support.
In practice, its background considers the need for
systematic education during the six undergraduate years,
focusing on information and fundamental skills of medical
knowledge and centralizing the process on the student, who
must know how to keep his/her continuing learning skills
(learning to learn). The FMUSP curriculum also addresses
the theme “Social Determinants of Health” [http://www.
ssrn.com/en/] that have become more frequent in the
medical literature and point signicantly to the need of
studying and researching this topic by new generations of
health professionals1.
The FMUSP curriculum is the result of an
institutional design that involves the Medical School
and three University Institutes, the Biomedicine (ICB),
Chemistry (IQ), and Biosciences (IB). The main objectives
that underpin this curriculum aims that professionals whose
medical education has been from University of São Paulo
must:
1. Develop a critical analysis and be ready to an
active pursuit of knowledge;
2. Communicate effectively with patients,
community and health teams;
3. Be able to recognize their social role as a
medical professional in the health system;
4. Conduct and properly implement strategies for
prevention, diagnosis and treatment;
5. Work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams;
6. Be able to integrate and analyze the basic
principles of medical knowledge into the context
of health care;
7. Generate and produce valuable knowledge;
8. Have a critical view of his medical practice;
9. Act as leaders and educators in their elds;
10. Demonstrate professionalism, ethics and
decision awareness.
In order to achieve these goals, teachers and
administrative staff, along with students, have launched
complementary educational strategies:
1. Integration of areas of knowledge by means of,
at least, sharing the programs2,3;
2. A structure of a “Z” curriculum, where areas
4
Auler Jr JO, et al. Medical education at the University of Sao Paulo. Rev Med (São Paulo). 2016 July-Aug.;95(Special Issue 3):3-4.
considered basic, or hard sciences, constitutes
the most part of the beginning years, while the
clinical years constitute the most part of the nal
years, within a transition framework, mimicking
a “Z” letter4;
3. Continuing assessments, which goal is to
integrate the knowledge reached so far and show
the clinical applications of those.
In this new curriculum we want to be even closer
to the society to offer the highest levels of health care,
a relevant scientic production as well as to participate
in the social development with ethics, humanism and
transparency. University of São Paulo Medical School
wants to keep its leadership and ensure to provide the best
doctors, the best scientists and the best citizens to serve
our society.
REFERENCES
1. Vieira JE, Silva LF, Baracat EC. Medical education at the
University of São Paulo Medical School. Clinics (Sao Paulo).
2015;70(4):229-30. doi: 10.6061/clinics/2015(04)01.
2. Harden RM. The integration ladder: a tool for curriculum
planning and evaluation. Med Educ. 2000;34(7):551-7. doi:
10.1046/j.1365-2923.2000.00697.x.
3. Wilkerson L, Stevens CM, Krasne S. No content without
context: integrating basic, clinical, and social sciences in a
pre-clerkship curriculum. Med Teach. 2009;31(9):812-21.
doi: 10.1080/01421590903049806.
4. Ten Cate O. Medical education in The Netherlands. Med
Teach. 2007;29(8):752-7. doi: 10.1080/01421590701724741.
