A multidisciplinary health education program experience to adequate newly graduated health workers to work in primary health care services in Brazil

It is recognized that there is a lack of adequacy of the newly graduated health professionals (especially doctors, nurses and dentists) from the University (undergraduation studies) to answer to the needs of the Brazilian primary health care services, the health system, and the communities. This fact has resulted in outcomes that are less than ideal in relation to the reach of an integral health care.
 In order to overcome this problem, a multidisciplinary residence program has been developed since 2004 and totally funded by de Ministry of Health. The aims of the program are to provide education for health professionals as a team in an integrated way, able to approach the needs of the communities by the provision of universal, comprehensive, and equitable care. All the learning and research activities are developed in the services and together with the health staffs. 
The course is two-year long and requires a full dedication on part of the resident, since the program comprises an extensive program along with the activities on site.  Besides, a research project must be developed and completed until the end of the course.
The teaching methodology used in this residence is based on integrated education among all the involved professions (i.e. dentistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology, and social work) in the family and community health field, a tool for development of competences and skills to work as a team. All the educational activities are based on socio-epidemiological reality of the community living in the area of the 12 health centers and Nossa Senhora Conceição Hospital in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
In this program, simultaneous health assistance, research, and education have been shown as potent facilitators to the whole development of health providers.