As in any community, stressing factors are present in the day-to-day of medicine students, impacting on their quality of life. As a development of the teaching experience in the discipline "Health and Society", at the medical school of the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, a group of students decided to investigate the subject in order to undestand their own perceptions of the issue. A focus group was organised, based on the parameters adopted by the WHO Quality of Life Group, and factors used to determine medical students’ quality of life were analysed. The main elements considered relevant to the quality of life of UFOP medical students are related to long curricular class hours, often associated to an excessive load of extracurricular activities, which limit the practice of sport, leisure and quality of sleep. Another significant point is the precarious relationship between students and the city’s facilities. The great challenge lies in adjusting the course program to national curriculum guidelines without affecting the necessary conditions for the students’ physical and mental health.
Medical Education; Quality of Life; Health Education; Stress
