Escutar com o coração: uma reflexão sobre minha trajetória na Medicina UFSCar

Abstract

This Final Course Assignment Thesis is part of the requirements set forth in the Pedagogical Program of the Medical graduation at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). It takes the form of a critical and reflective narrative about my personal journey - especially the academic one - throughout the past six years, primarily about my dedication to medical training. Although this is an academic assignment, reflecting on my experience as a medical student cannot be separated from the broader context of my life. After all, medicine is a profession rooted in caring for others, and both the person I am and the professional I am becoming are inseparable from the experiences and learning that have shaped me. This narrative is structured chronologically, starting with my entry into medical school, and is contextualized within the reality I lived at that time. It follows the academic progression through the three curricular cycles of the UFSCar Medical Program, with emphasis on the specificities of the course and how they resonated with my own way of learning, seeing and engaging with the world. Throughout, I critically reflect on each personal stage of this six-year journey, from 2020 to 2025, drawing connections between personal growth and professional development. The final section of this work addresses my current perspective on Medicine and the way I hope to practice it. It also touches on my expectations for life beyond the University and how I still believe there is space for emotion within professional life. I view as outdated the notion that Medicine must be purely rational, devoid of feeling. I’ve come to understand that empathy - an essential component of care - cannot exist without personal emotions. At the same time, I recognize the importance of practicing evidence-based Medicine, while striving to balance it with what I describe as “listening with the heart”. I am fully aware that this balance is not easily achieved; it is a continuous, intentional effort that requires continuous commitment. Caring for others also depends on caring for myself. Both are essential for providing meaningful, compassionate care. In the end, the very title of this work itself offers a fair summary of everything it represents.