Extracurricular internship at SAMU and its importance for academic and professional training: an experience report

Abstract

The Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS), number 192, serves to meet a vast demand for urgent and emergency cases, preventing deaths, and its function should not be confused with resolving routine non-emergency or low-complexity situations. This is a descriptive, qualitative study in the form of an experience report. The experience was carried out by medical students during an extracurricular internship at MECS, with active participation in the routine of the multidisciplinary team under supervision. The practice involved integration into the team, participation in clinical and trauma care, transportation of critical patients and support in events with multiple victims. The internship provided direct contact with essential procedures in emergencies, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, orotracheal intubation, intravenous access, administration of medications and use of defibrillators. Repetition in various clinical scenarios improved technical skills and safety in execution. Furthermore, the experience developed the ability to make quick decisions under pressure, clinical reasoning and confidence in critical situations, and a broad view of the importance of pre-hospital care. Therefore, the experience described helped to integrate and raise awareness among medical students about emergency care, offering unique perspectives that complement traditional teaching. The experience provided significant learning about the dynamics of the service, the working conditions of professionals, the importance of teamwork and the development of essential skills for medical practice, in addition to highlighting the challenges faced in the daily life of MECS.