A espiral do cuidado: reflexões sobre o autocuidado na minha formação médica

Abstract

This work presents a critical-reflective memoir of the author's trajectory through medical school at the Federal University of São Carlos, from 2021 to 2026, through the lens of self-care. Drawing on the ethical commitment, incorporated into the Declaration of Geneva, that physicians must attend to their own health and well-being, and on the high prevalence of psychological distress among medical students in Brazil, the text revisits experiences from the basic cycle, the clinical cycle and the internship, in dialogue with the literature on mental health in medical education and physician well-being. The narrative follows moments of overload and emotional distress, as well as the bonds and achievements that marked each stage. Using as a metaphor the constructivist spiral that structures the program's curriculum, the reflection shows that self-care, like medical learning, is built in layers, lost and regained throughout training, and sustained by a support network. It concludes that caring for oneself is a precondition for caring for others and an inseparable part of medical identity, and that promoting self-care should also be a responsibility of medical education.