Dilemmas and frustrations of medical students

a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The graduation period in the medical school is fundamental to the future scientific, psychological and ethical formation. The student goes through many changes that can have catastrophic consequences if no proper conduction of the student is performed by the professors Therefore, we sought to identify the dilemmas and frustrations of the medical students. Method: It was performed a cross-sectional study. We interviewed 100 students enrolled in the course of Medicine from the Pará State University, at the Belem Unit, distributed equally between the first 4 years of graduation, using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the dillemas and frustration of the medical students. Results: 95% had some level of frustration with the medical school. The most common complaints were discouragement with course, disappointment (76%), lack of orientation by professors (97%) and overload (97%). In relation to drug consumption, we found an increasing consumption of alcohol and tobacco throughout the course. Discussion: The frustration with the medical course was evident in this research, independently of factors such as gender, age, drug use or disease, starting early in the course periods. Discouragement with the college has been associated with the development of cynicism, pessimism and professional burnout. Conclusion: The students demonstrated frustration with the course mainly because of the lack of orientation by the professors and overwhelming academic activities.