Teaching Psychology in Medicine: The Context, Methodologies and Doctor’s Professional Identity

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching Psychology in medical curriculum has been the subject of numerous dissertations that focus on the relevance of this knowledge for doctors, at a general level.
Methods: A non-systematic review of the relevant literature, particularly from the last decade, as well as national and international recommendations addressing the need for integration of behavioural and social sciences in medical training, was performed.
Results: The literature supports the existence of preconceptions and negative attitudes towards the role of psychology in medical education, demonstrated by research in various european and american universities. The socio-cultural context, the different methodologies and barriers experienced by teachers in medical education are listed and provide the matrix for a more comprehensive discussion of the development of the doctor’s identity.
Conclusion: Revisiting the experience of many years of teaching Medical Psychology, it is considered that the process of integration of this curricular area should occur horizontally and vertically throughout the course, stressing the need for the pedagogical training of teachers. Concepts that arise from personal reflection, adjusted to the reality of our education and the basic principles that guide it, are elaborated in order to integrate the teaching of Psychology in Medicine, emphasizing its importance and utility in the competencies and abilities of future doctors.