Social conditions in which medical students from the faculty of medicine of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) perform their Social Service in rural areas

• Published in: Gaceta médica de México Vol. 148; no. 3; pp. 277 - 280
• Main Author: Hamui-Sutton, Alicia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Mexico 01-05-2012
• Subjects: Humans; Mexico; Rural Health Services - standards; Social Conditions; Social Work; Students, Medical; Surveys and Questionnaires; Mexico
• ISSN: 0016-3813

The aim of this work is to describe the conditions in which medical students perform their Social Service, highlighting their experiences in areas such as: information before they move and the motivation to leave home; the perception of personal and environmental lack of safety; the institutional support that they receive during their work in the community and the financial support provided. The methodological design of the study included an exploratory phase, in which collective interviews were performed, using the focal group technique, with students who had been in rural areas. Three hundred sixty cases were considered, 72.8% corresponded to rural areas, and 27.7% to Mexico City. According to the findings, the following actions are proposed: give better information and improve the process of vacancy selection; increase the scholarship received by students in Social Service; establish legal, police, and community support mechanisms to guarantee the student's personal safety; pay attention to aspects such as the student's emotional and social situation, and design programs with gender perspective to enhance certainty and safety.