Creative and inclusive pedagogical practices in undergraduate medical education

Abstract

Medical programs, due to their historical context, have traditionally offered an eminently biomedical and organicist education, focused exclusively on diseases. However, Brazilian medical education has been transforming in response to emerging social demands. Currently, in addition to technical competence, physicians are expected to be ethical, reflective, and humanistic professionals. This article aims to investigate how active learning methodologies used in an undergraduate medical program in Northeastern Brazil enable the development of creative and inclusive pedagogical practices. To conduct this investigation, a case study method was applied (Yin, 2015), using data collection instruments such as document review, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. Data analysis was conducted through content analysis. The results indicate that the program has a creative faculty and that the active methodologies employed constitute powerful learning spaces, fostering the recognition of each student’s uniqueness within shared experiences. This aspect is fundamental when considering the importance of future physicians acknowledging the subjective dimension in their future patients and in themselves as a guiding element of the clinical encounter. The data also reveal the challenges faced by faculty members in adopting and adapting active methodologies for certain subjects. Therefore, it is essential that educators have access to discussions addressing didactics in uncertain contexts, enabling them to observe, analyze, and understand learning processes.