The objective of this work is to report the profile of medical students at UERN by means of a cross-sectional study conducted in 2013. The study involved a self-administered and anonymous questionnaire applied to 72 students. Socioeconomic information, about the course and the teaching-learning process was gathered. The findings showed a predominance of male (58.0%), white (48.6%), single (90.3%) students, with a family income of up to R$ 2,565.00 (20.5%), and primary and secondary education at only state schools (58.3% and 61.1% respectively). The students’ choice of profession was due to alignment with the personal and vocational skill sets (37.5%) or opportunity for personal achievement (31.9%) and they report being satisfied with the course (98.6%). Many students report excessive activities and anxiety as the stressors most likely to interfere with their academic performance. The vast majority (88.9%) point to the internet as their main source of information. The results demonstrate the positive impact the quota system has had on state school-educated student admissions in the UERN medical course, the effects of the class time-heavy curriculum on students’ quality of life and the influence of the Flexner education model, currently implemented in Brazil.
Medical Education; Quality of Life; Social Conditions