The aim of this work was to learn how educators and students perceive the current situation of medical internship and its perspectives. It was carried out using the qualitative method, type case study, with semi-structured interviews. The subjects of the study were 6 students, 8 professors and one medical resident engaged in the discussion on medical education. According to the interviewees, the medical internship model is still the traditional one, based on turns in the main medical areas. The limitations of this system are: the emphasis given to specialization, the predominance of training periods in the hospital and the discontinuity and lack of integrated knowledge. Experiences mentioned as capable of helping to overcome some of the limitations of the model were the Rural Internship and community-based practices. As to the ideal model one identified the need of more time spent in practical activities, use of active teaching-learning methodologies and insertion of the students since the beginning of the course in the health system, in the different levels of attention and with increasing responsibility, until extinction of the name Internship. It is concluded that there is still a long way to go for reaching the ideal model, including the need for more dialogue between the higher education and health systems.
Internship and Residency; Education, Medical; Curriculum