Peer mentoring program in an interprofessional and interdisciplinary curriculum in Brazil.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Federal University of São Paulo established health science programs in 2006.
• Programs emphasize interdisciplinary teams and holistic patient care.
• Peer-mentoring was identified as crucial for knowledge integration and learning strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss strategies and activities of a peer-mentoring program.
• Focus on histophysiology and gross anatomy within an interdisciplinary curriculum.
• Evaluate the program's impact on student academic performance.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a peer-mentoring program in histophysiology and gross anatomy.
• Collected evaluations from students, mentors, and professors.
• Performed statistical analysis (ANOVA) on module assessment performance based on participation.

Main Results:

• Students participating in peer-mentoring showed higher academic success rates.
• Student and mentor evaluations of the program were overwhelmingly positive.
• Mentors reported deeper subject knowledge and developed teaching skills.

Conclusions:

• The peer-mentoring program is effective in enhancing student academic performance.
• The program successfully integrates knowledge and improves learning strategies.
• Peer-mentoring is a validated strategy for health science education.