Medical Schools need to address the recent changes in the health policies and the challenges posed to the health care system with new recommendations for a curricular reform focused on the student. The viewpoint of the students and their performance however are rarely taken into account in the curricular decision-making. Therefore, in 2004, all third-year students of the graduate course of Medicine of the Federal University of Minas Gerais were invited to answer a questionnaire designed for analyzing their opinion about the importance of the disciplines of the first cycle in the teaching of medical semiology, their clinical skills and the best scenario for initiating the clinical practice. The participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous. According to the results physiology was considered the most important area influencing the clinical examination followed by anatomy. Most of the students considered themselves qualified for performing anamnesis. They also suggested a combination of inpatient and outpatient care as the best scenario for initiating their clinical practice. It is concluded that specific questionnaires, appropriately applied, would be useful both for a better pedagogical planning with active participation of the students and for ensuring horizontal and vertical integration of interdisciplinary components of the medical curriculum.
Medical Education; Physical Examination; Clinical Competence
