This qualitative study analyzed the perceptions of incoming medical students at the Federal University in Sergipe, Brazil, specifically their motivations, current and future expectations, psychological and course support, and personal feelings in general. Based on a pool of students enrolled from 2000 to 2006, the sample included 90 newly enrolled students that answered questionnaires with both open-ended and closed questions, the answers to which were submitted to categorical content analysis. The most frequent motivations were humanism, affinity, social status, cultural image, usefulness, transcendence, acquisition of knowledge, and financial independence. Expectations featured idealism/altruism, personal and interpersonal relations, achieving objectives, insecurity, competitiveness, and quality teaching. The students hoped to encounter faculty-student integration, freedom of expression, integration between teaching and reality, solid didactics, faculty commitment, and adequate infrastructure. In conclusion, although they were only two months into the course, the respondents already identified some limitations in the teaching approach and difficulties in teacher-student relations. Several critical points were detected that suggest the need for greater attention to the teaching process and faculty selection.
Medical students; Career choice; Motivation; Medical education
