Estudiar medicina: Entre la realidad y la fantasía

A qualitative educational investigation was conducted during a curricular redesign activity of the undergraduate program in Human Medicine during 2010-2011. The purpose of the study was to determine the professional life plans and motivations that guide the training of doctors . The participants were 154 students from six groups: two groups from the first semester, and 4 groups from the tenth semester. They responded to a questionnaire with three questions, and were identified only by their age, gender, and semester they were inscribed. The information that was collected was interpreted based on the analysis of the content, which was then categorized. The motivation expressed by the students, without distinction of gender, were centered on the vocation of service and the interest in the human body with the intention of alleviating pain and suffering caused by disease. The majority intended to continue their specialty training and acquire the social prestige during their professional practice. However, the individual prospective that were mentioned centered almost exclusively on financial success, omitting the humanistic motivators such as alleviating sickness. Therefore, professional development was measured in these terms. The discussion centered on the nuances of those expectations that the future doctor obtain, given the impoverished contexts of medical practitioners.