Reproducción de valores médicos a tráves de la formación de estudiantes en medicina

Abstract

Background: Most medical profession studies are built upon conceptions that are not sufficiently investigated. Those conceptions represent the profession as imbued with values socially recognised as possitive. This work explores medical profession values from observations about its reproduction processes through medical student's trainning in a public university in Mexico. Methods: This is a qualitative, testimonial and interpretative study where five medical students in their last medical course were deeply interviewed. The interviews transcriptions were validated by the interviewees. The analysis was based in selected utterances significative for the topics under study. Results: Evidence is presented about three analysis focus: a) medical profession characteristics, attributes, values, knowledge; b) perception of doctor and patient within public and private institutional contexts; c) student's perception systems related with the medical profession. Conclusions: Aspects showing duality in medical training are revealed through student's practice. The hidden curriculum reveals fundamental for the reproduction of medical values. There is a contradiction between tought medical values in the medical and social discourses and the actual professional practice. Despite ideal/practical values contradictions, un important component of the medical profession identity is mantained assuming real the medical practice sustained in classic values assigned to the medical profession.