Preceptors' perception of their role as educators and professionals in a health system.

BACKGROUND: Preceptorship fulfills the requirements of International Guidelines regarding the training of health care professionals as a method of teaching in clinical settings, during the daily work routine. This study aims to analyze the preceptors' perceptions about preceptorship and their role as educators. METHODS: Data were collected via a questionnaire with 35 five-point Likert-type scale statements and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The qualitative analysis consisted of two open-ended questions: (1) What is Preceptorship? And (2) What is your perception of the preceptor's role as an educator? RESULTS: Out of 619 invited Brazilian preceptors from different health care professions, 327 (52.8%) participated in the study. Among them, 80.7% were females, 35.2% were nurses and 8.9% were physicians. Factor analysis revealed five factors: Pedagogical Competence (F1), Support and educational resources (F2), Educational program planning (F3), Teaching-service integration (F4), and Student presence in the clinical setting (F5). About F1, F3, and F5, professionals from the northeast region had a more positive perception than professionals from the southeast. The item analysis revealed that preceptors learn from the students and consider the service network co-responsible for their training. However, they agreed that only a small part of the health care team participates in the program. Participants described preceptorship as an educational task in a clinical setting, in which active learning methods are used for the training of health care professionals. Preceptorship was considered a bridge between the Unified Health System and the Academic Practice. They envisioned their educator role as a model, tutor, leader, supervisor, and mentor. CONCLUSION: Preceptors expressed a critical view about the nature of preceptorship and their role as educators, recognizing its challenges as well as its potential in clinical settings.

Medical Students' Perception of Their Educational Environment and Quality of Life: Is There a Positive Association?

PURPOSE: To assess perceptions of educational environment of students from 22 Brazilian medical schools and to study the association between these perceptions and quality of life (QoL) measures. METHOD: The authors performed a multicenter study (August 2011 to August 2012), examining students' views both of (1) educational environment using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and (2) QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF). They also examined students' self-assessment of their overall QoL and medical-school-related QoL (MSQoL). The authors classified participants' perceptions into four quartiles according to DREEM total score, overall QoL, and MSQoL. RESULTS: Of 1,650 randomly selected students, 1,350 (81.8%) completed the study. The mean total DREEM score was 119.4 (standard deviation = 27.1). Higher total DREEM scores were associated with higher overall QoL and MSQoL scores (P < .001 for all comparisons) and younger ages (P < .001). Mean overall QoL scores were higher than MSQoL scores (mean difference, 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-1.43; P < .001). Multinomial regression models showed significant dose-response patterns: Higher DREEM quartile scores were associated with better QoL. The psychological health domain of WHOQOL-BREF was most closely associated with DREEM scores (odds ratio 4.70; 95% CI = 3.80-5.81). CONCLUSIONS: The authors observed a positive association between QoL measures and DREEM scores. This association had a dose-response effect, independent of age, sex, and year of medical training, showing that educational environment appears to be an important moderator of medical student QoL.

Avaliação da percepção do ambiente de ensino e sua relação com a qualidade de vida em estudantes de medicina / Assessment of learning environment perception and its relationship to quality of life in medical students

INTRODUÇÃO: O ambiente de ensino da faculdade de medicina influencia a aprendizagem e o bem-estar dos estudantes. O objetivo do nosso estudo foi avaliar a percepção do ambiente de ensino e sua associação com a qualidade de vida de estudantes de 22 escolas médicas brasileiras. MÉTODOS: Este é um estudo multicêntrico, com coleta de dados em uma plataforma eletrônica (plataforma VERAS), no qual foram utilizados os questionários: DREEM (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure) para avaliação da percepção do ambiente de ensino e VERAS-Q, WHOQOL-BREF e a autoavaliação para a avaliação da percepção da qualidade de vida. Foram comparadas as diferenças de percepção do ambiente de ensino e qualidade de vida entre os sexos e os diferentes anos do curso. RESULTADOS: De 1.650 estudantes randomizados, 1.350 (81,8%) completaram todos os questionários da plataforma VERAS. A média do escore total do DREEM (119,4 ± 27,1) revelou que a percepção do ambiente de ensino é mais positiva que negativa. Houve uma pequena diferença significativa entre a média dos escores dos estudantes do sexo masculino (121,0 ± 27,2) e feminino (118,0 ± 27,0) (p=0,048). Estudantes do sexo feminino apresentaram médias dos escores significativamente menores nos domínios Acadêmico e Social do DREEM (p < 0,001). As médias dos escores dos estudantes do último ano do curso foram significativamente menores em relação aos estudantes do ciclo básico no escore total e em todos os domínios do DREEM (p < 0,05), exceto no Acadêmico. Os itens que tiveram média abaixo de 2,0 (n=11), sinalizando áreas problemáticas do curso, estiveram presentes em todos os domínios do DREEM. Estudantes do sexo feminino apresentaram menores médias dos escores de qualidade de vida no escore total e nos domínios Físico, Psicológico e Uso do Tempo do VERAS-Q (p < 0,001). Estudantes dos últimos anos do curso tiveram escores menores no escore total e no domínio Ambiente de Ensino do VERAS-Q (p < 0,05). Entre os respondentes, 40%...

INTRODUCTION: The educational environment of medical school influences students' learning and well-being. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of the educational environment among students from 22 Brazilian medical schools and to determine the association between these perceptions and quality of life measures. METHODS: This is a multi-centre study with a random sample of medical students from different years in medical school. We used educational environment (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure - DREEM questionnaire) and quality of life (VERAS-Q, WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires and self-assessment) perception measures in an electronic survey. Differences in educational environment perceptions and quality of life were evaluated across genders and years in medical school. RESULTS: From 1,650 invited students, 1,350 (81.8%) completed all questionnaires. Total DREEM scores (119.4 ± 27.1) revealed that the perceptions of the educational environment were positive. There was a small significant difference between male (121.0 ± 27.2) and female (118.0 ± 27.0) students (p=0.048). Female students had significantly lower mean scores on the Academic and Social DREEM domains (p < 0,001). The mean scores of students in final years were significantly lower than of those in the basic cycle in the total DREEM score and in all domains of DREEM (p < 0.05), except in the Academic domain. Items that had a mean score below 2.0 (n = 11), indicating problem areas of the program, were present in all domains of the DREEM. Female students had lower scores on physical, psychological and time management domains and the total score of the VERAS-Q compared to male students (p < 0.001). Students in the final years of medical school had lower total scores and in the learning environment domain of the VERAS-Q (p < 0.05). Among the respondents, 40% declared that their quality of life in medical school is good, but 59% affirmed that they cannot manage their...