The aim of this article was to understand the perception of family health team workers regarding the placement of student doctors in their work setting. This qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Montes Claros State University (24/10/08, # 1.240/08). The study was developed with family health workers from Montes Claros, northern Minas Gerais. Three focus groups were held for the data collection. The methodology used was discourse analysis. Three categories were created: service-learning-community integration, service functioning and medical training. The professionals perceived the need for interdisciplinary, community-focused work, but maintaining physician-centred health services. It was found that greater student integration with the health team and the community led to a more effective and higher quality service, greater job satisfaction and a positive edge in student training. In order to ensure such integration, it is important to build an image of the student doctor as a member of the health team. Inserting students in the service can facilitate that process.
Medical Education; Family Health; Public Health; Qualitative Research