Students’ experience with literature in medical education

Introduction: The National Curricular Guidelines (NCG) for medical school bring the teaching of Humanities, among them Literature, as a way to overcome the biomedical model. Literature can strengthen compassion directed to the ‘other’. It starts with a curriculum organized by active teaching-learning methodologies. Objective: This study aims to understand the experiences of students from a Medical School in the interior of São Paulo who had contact with literary texts in the beginning of medical school, creating a representative model based on the experience. Method: This is a qualitative research guided by the Grounded Theory. The data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students who were randomly chosen from all years of the Medical School. The only inclusion criteria was the participation in groups coordinated by a teacher who had used literature as a teaching strategy. Twelve interviews were carried out, transcribed and codified. The sampling was performed by theoretical saturation. Results: The created categories were: 1. “Identifying the importance of the literature and Arts in Medical School, seeking a rupture from the biomedical model, while improving empathy and the humanization of care”; 2. “Reflecting on the use of artistic tools to learn practical contents in Medicine and to provide psychosocial knowledge”; 3. “Proposing a possible curricular systematization, considering active methodologies and other artistic forms”; 4. “Recalling the tales that are more often associated to the student’s personal interest, which can promote the integration with all the acquired knowledge”. Based on these categories, it was possible to create the representative model of the experience that relays the students’ satisfaction with literature in medical education, enhancing the humanization of care; however, there is a need for curriculum homogenization, aiming at organizing the activity and the learning opportunity for others students. Conclusion: The model comprises the idea that literature enhances the humanization of care and is able to establish a rupture from the biomedical model. The study potential lies in proposing strategies to the community and academic management, aiming to strengthen humanization in curricular perspective of medical training. Resumo: Introdução: As Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais (DCN) de 2014 para o curso de Medicina trazem o ensino das humanidades, entre elas a literatura, como forma de