Abstract

TORRES, Alejandra Rodríguez; PATINO, Donovan Casas; MONTES, Ana Lizeth Martínez  and  ESTRADA, Humberto Amezcua. Medical specialty in México: ‘here character is forged’. Acta Educ. [online]. 2023, vol.45, e64171.  Epub Aug 01, 2023. ISSN 2178-5201.  https://doi.org/10.4025/actascieduc.v45i1.64171.

The training of resident doctors in Mexico has been the subject of multiple studies that explore educational and learning aspects, as well as sociodemographic characteristics of these residents. However, the experiential reality of this training has not been explored. This qualitative study aims to analyze the discourses regarding medical specialization in Mexico through interviews with resident doctors, using Social Representations as a methodology. A semi-structured interview based on 6 analytical categories was conducted with 70 resident doctors from various medical specialties. The discourses obtained were analyzed using Atlas Ti V7 software. The common perception of being a resident doctor is characterized by being a slave and captive of a hospital, experiencing job precariousness, unequal treatment, physical and verbal violence, inadequate areas for rest and food consumption, and an uncertain future. The prevailing common perception among this group in training is that it involves domination, job precariousness, flexibility, and labor slavery… ‘this is how character is forged here’… forming part of a hidden curriculum and an institutionalized and institutionalizing habitus of violence within the medical profession.

Keywords : Social representations; specialists; practicing physician; study program; profession.

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