Enhancing the student learning experience: Co-teaching biochemistry and clinical sciences within the dental curriculum.

Basic knowledge of biochemistry underpins oral and dental care. Undergraduate dental students do not always engage well with basic science teaching due to not appreciating its clinical relevance. Co-teaching provides one approach to overcome students' disengagement and involves two lecturers, with complementary expertise, presenting the curriculum together. This study investigated student experiences and engagement using co-teaching to integrate biochemistry with clinical sciences in the students' second-year dental curriculum. Two successive second year dental student cohorts were co-taught. Content was delivered by a biochemist and an oral biologist, either online (during the 2020 COVID lockdown) or in-person (2021). Each cohort was surveyed at the end of the teaching module using an online questionnaire containing both interval scale and free-text questions. Responses were received from 39 (42%) and 64 (85%) of students in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Students from both cohorts preferred the co-teaching approach with a mean of 8.74 on a 10-point interval scale. In 2020 and 2021, 77% and 76% of participants, respectively, preferred a combined biochemistry and clinical dentistry delivery, either in-person (37%), via Zoom (19%) or via video recording (14%). Thematic analysis of responses revealed students experienced enhanced engagement when co-taught and they attributed this to integration of the curriculum making the content more relevant and stimulating. Students preferred co-teaching to individual subjects being taught by a single teacher. Co-teaching established the relevance of theoretical biochemistry to clinical dental sciences and enhanced the students' learning experience.

Health Professionals' Perceptions on the Integration of Medical Students' Training in Family Health Care Units / Percepção dos Profissionais de Saúde em relação à Integração do Ensino de Estudantes de Medicina nas Unidades de Saúde da Família

ABSTRACT Introduction The Centro Universitário de Votuporanga (UNIFEV) medicine course was implemented in 2012 according to the 2001 National Curricular Guidelines for Undergraduate Medical Courses. The practical module of Community Service Education Integration is the curricular unit that places students into Primary Health Care (PHC) scenarios from the first period of the course until the internship period, breaking with the traditional model of hospital-centered training, which is segmented into specialties. The module of medical skills and attitudes training also leads the student, in some cases, to PHC services, but with focus on the basic clinical procedures in controlled scenarios, which may be those from typical clinical practice, simulations or even those performed in laboratories. During internship, the student continues in PHC as an intern in general, family and community medicine. In this context, the integration of community-education-service plays a major role in the transformations undergone in undergraduate training in health, which are also aimed at modifying the current healthcare model. Objectives To understand the perception of professionals from the Family Health Care Units regarding medical student work placement and to interpret the results of this integration as far as the service, the community and the medical training are concerned. Methodology Qualitative research carried out with health professionals who work in three Family Health Care Units of Votuporanga, São Paulo, Brazil. They were invited to participate in focus groups to express their opinions about thought-provoking questions. The recorded material was transcribed, organized and analyzed according to Bardin's content analysis, which allowed categories of analysis to emerge based on what the participants said. Results and discussion: The opinions that have emerged allow to identify the following aspects: teaching-service-community integration contributes to medical education; student presence promotes team integration and self-learning and promotes the work process; student integration has impact on the community. Among the student's contributions, participants highlighted the academic and health care reflective practices, health education actions and complementary activities that support the health team in solving local problems. Participants also identified some situations of difficulty, such as: students in the early periods of the course need to acquire affective domains for an adequate professional posture at PHC units; the embarrassment of patients in the medical consultation with the presence of students; and the short length of stay of the students for the necessary bond building. Conclusion For PHC professionals, the inclusion of students in these scenarios contributes to the development of the service, medical training and community support. Due to the solidary relations existing between the educational institution and the PHC management, this research may contribute to promote the necessary adaptations and prepare the community and professionals for the presence of students in PHC.

RESUMO Introdução O curso de Medicina do Centro Universitário de Votuporanga (UNIFEV), implantado em 2012 em acordo com as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para os Cursos de Graduação em Medicina (DCN) de 2001, insere os discentes nos cenários da atenção primária à saúde (APS) desde o primeiro período do curso até o final do internato, rompendo com o modelo tradicional de formação, centrado no hospital e segmentado em especialidades. Nesse contexto, a integração ensino-serviço-comunidade exerce um papel importante na transformação dos cursos de graduação em saúde, visando também à modificação do modelo assistencial vigente. Objetivos Compreender a percepção dos profissionais das Unidades de Saúde da Família (USF) quanto à inserção dos estudantes de Medicina nesses serviços e interpretar os reflexos desta integração para o serviço, a comunidade e a formação médica. Métodos Pesquisa qualitativa, realizada com profissionais de saúde de três USF de Votuporanga (SP), frequentadas pelos discentes da UNIFEV. Eles foram convidados a participar de grupos focais em que expressaram suas opiniões de acordo com perguntas disparadoras de discussão. O material gravado foi transcrito, organizado e submetido à análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Resultados e discussão Emergiram opiniões que permitem identificar o que segue: a integração ensino-serviço-comunidade contribui com a formação médica; a presença do aluno promove a integração e o autoaprendizado da equipe e promove o processo de trabalho; a integração do aluno tem impacto na comunidade. Entre as contribuições do aluno, os participantes destacaram as práticas reflexivas assistenciais e acadêmicas, as ações de educação em saúde e as atividades complementares que apoiam a equipe na resolução de problemas locais. Os participantes identificaram algumas situações de dificuldade, tais como: os estudantes dos períodos iniciais do curso necessitam adquirir domínios afetivos para uma adequada postura profissional na USF; o constrangimento de pacientes na consulta médica com a presença dos estudantes; e o curto tempo de permanência dos discentes para a necessária construção de vínculo. Conclusão Para os profissionais das USF, a inserção dos estudantes nestes cenários contribui para o desenvolvimento do serviço, a formação médica e o apoio à comunidade. Devido às relações solidárias existentes entre a instituição de ensino e a gestão do SUS, esta pesquisa pode contribuir para promover as adaptações necessárias e preparar a comunidade e os profissionais para a presença dos estudantes na APS.