SELF-CARE IN MEDICAL EDUCATION: AN ESSENTIAL COMPETENCE FOR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Abstract

Self-care plays a central role in medical education, contributing to the preservation of students' physical and mental health and reducing the risk of illness related to stress, anxiety, and burnout. This study, conducted as an integrative review, sought evidence on self-care in medical school, aiming to improve students' quality of life and academic satisfaction. The search was conducted in the PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and BVS databases, yielding 148 records, of which 11 studies were included in the final synthesis. The selected studies addressed theoretical models of well-being, mindfulness interventions, institutional programs, and sociocultural contextualization, demonstrating consistent effects, such as a 25–30% reduction in stress, burnout, and anxiety levels, as well as gains in academic satisfaction and perceived institutional support. However, structural gaps persist, indicating that only 18% of Brazilian students report feeling prepared to manage their own stress. It is observed that most interventions only address immediate indicators, failing to address core self-care competencies such as self-compassion, time management, and ethical boundaries. Recurring barriers include overloaded curricula, a culture of sacrifice, limited resources, and stigma surrounding mental health, highlighting the need for explicit institutional policies, teacher training, and cross-curricular integration of the topic. It is believed that self-care should be a cross-cutting pillar of medical training, supported by academic governance, educational technologies, and robust metrics, to develop resilient and empathetic professionals.