An early clinical exposure program was developed with the aim of avoiding fragmentation and stereotyped behaviors during medical training. Second-year medical students received an introductory course on Integrated Basic Clinical Skills (BCS), which included hospital rounds followed by case discussions led jointly by faculty members from medical psychology and various clinical areas (internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and geriatrics). Special care was taken to provide a model in which medical students could learn about biological, psychological, and social aspects of illness within the same format. The article discusses the objectives, logistics, and staff of the course, based on the experience at the Federal University in São Paulo. The model offers an integrated model for both students and faculty. Further studies are necessary to evaluate these preliminary findings.
Education, medical; Psychology, medical; Medical history taking; Curriculum