Interprofessional health education: the experience of the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Baixada Santista campus, Santos, Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to critically describe and analyse the interprofessional education experience in health undergraduate courses on an expanding campus of a public federal university. Assuming interprofessional education guides health education implies the development of a proposal that disrupts centrality in specific disciplines and professional profiles. The description and critical analysis of this experience shows ways of implementing health courses, highlighting potentialities, weaknesses and challenges in the development of an innovative proposal. Interprofessional actions are present in different academic activities and structure the campus’ daily routine and the resistance to interprofessionality and the complex network of public services. Implementing new logics to educate health professionals also means defending public universities in the country and the Brazilian National Health System (SUS).

Keywords:
Health education; Curriculum; Interprofessional education