Abstract:

Based on the Theory of Social Identity, this paper presents a theoretical review and discusses the process of physicians' professional training in a specific social and historical context. Departing from the post-Flexnerian context, the authors present an evaluation of this process and its interface with new demands on medical practice, particularly with respect to curricular reform and the Brazilian Family Health Program. The paper also identifies the dichotomous and exclusionary perspectives in the discussion of the multiple factors related to the health-disease process, suggesting a critical reevaluation of the premises of curricular reform and the Family Health Program, namely the need to overcome the critical and epistemological obstacles to the accomplishment of an effectively renewed medical practice.

Key-words:
Professional Role; Education, Medical; Curriculum