Vertical Internship in Intensive Medicine and Emergencies: ten years of’ experience in Matanzas

Abstract

The current challenges of higher education raise the need for a new educational process grounded in the principles of excellence, quality, and relevance. Medical education has focused on ensuring that its professionals are comprehensively trained to fulfill their social mission. The vertical internship was reintroduced in 2015 to achieve a more relevant transition for medical school graduates into a specific specialty. The authors aim to critically reflect on the implementation of this modality in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine at the University Clinical Surgical Hospital Faustino Pérez Hernandez, in Matanzas, during the period 2015-2025. Through direct observation and surveys to members of the teaching staff, strengths such as accelerated training and responsiveness to staff shortages were identified, as well as weaknesses like the abrupt transition from the Student Assistants Movement, lack of basic knowledge in Internal Medicine, and inadequate application of the clinical method. In conclusion, the researchers propose the need to review the curricular design of the vertical internship in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine to ensure comprehensive and competent training.