This study aimed to evaluate the Education through Work for Health Program (“PET-Saúde”) that had been instituted at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The subjects were dentistry preceptors and students who took part in the proposal between the years 2009 and 2012. A qualitative approach was used, in which data were gathered through focus groups and evaluated through thematic content analysis. The results show that education through work is capable of assisting in the education process, through expanding students’ perceptions of the health/disease process and raising awareness regarding future actions within the sphere of the Brazilian Health System. One of the advantages is the establishment of interdisciplinarity in the education process. The results indicate that the program is a powerful instrument for inducing changes in the concepts among healthcare professionals.
Dentistry; Health education; Human resources; Qualitative research; Higher education