The Professional Ideal in Medical Formation

Abstract Introduction: In medical school, students receive not only technical knowledge and skills in the classroom and fields of practice, but also learn values, attitudes, and professional behaviors. In this process, the social construction of the physician takes place, in which the professional ideal will be developed. The aim of this research was to understand the process of professional identity formation based on: the identification of the ideals of the profession and professionals on the personal and professional qualities of the medical course teachers; professional image; and the factors contributing to the entry into the profession. Methods: For this purpose, a qualitative exploratory methodology was used through a semi-structured interview with 20 students from the first to the seventh semesters of the medical course of a medical school in João Pessoa. The collected information was studied from the discourse analysis. The categories used for analysis were: the “good doctor”; the “good teacher”; and the idealization of the “successful” professional. Results: The subjects were 22.2 years of age; 13 were females and 7 were males. More than half of the students self-declared their ethnicity as white and 45% reported a family income greater than twenty minimum wages. Exploring the categories, it was observed that the professional image merges the idea of status, through the recognition of society and financial stability, and the intention to take care of people. Conclusion: It was observed that the “good doctor” must be a “humane” professional; “studious,” “updated,” and “resolutive”; “committed professional” and “responsible”. In addition, the students expect to develop these aspects during their undergraduate education, but often encounter what they “do not want to be.” Another important element was the perception of the conflict between the ideas of a “competent technician” and a “humane doctor”. These characteristics are transferred to the “good teacher”, thus recognizing the educator that holds the most characteristics of the professional ideal.