Medical preceptorship: perceptions and perspectives of new family doctors in Brazil

Abstract: Introduction: Learning in practical environments consists in an essential component of medical education. In recent decades, medical schools have sought to immerse their students in professional settings since the early years of studying. In these scenarios, the preceptors, more experienced physicians, are responsible for supporting their students in the development of professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the perceptions and perspectives of participants of the Preceptorship Training Course (PTC) in Family Medicine - UNA-SUS about preceptorship and medical education. Methods: The quantitative descriptive study was conducted in two phases: ‘Population Outlining’ phase, including participants’ academic data, and ‘Survey Questionnaire’ phase, performed by applying a questionnaire through a digital platform. Results: The ‘Population Outlining’ identified 2,530 participants in the PTC, with the predominance of females and southeastern residents. The ‘Survey Questionnaire’ phase constituted of 232 respondents, of whom 73.4% reported acknowledging their preceptors’ contributions, and more than 90% expressed interest in teaching activities, valuing their curriculum enhancement and academic acknowledge. Conclusion: Our findings evidenced positive perceptions about preceptorship and a propensity to engage in teaching activities among the participants, reinforcing the importance of debates about qualification, recruiting and retention of preceptors.