EDITORIAL
Student scientific groups and their contribution to the graduate profile
Los Grupos científicos estudiantiles y su contribución al perfil del egresado
Arístides Lázaro García Herrera 1*, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8146-3239
Miriam Moliner Cartaya 1, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1012-3931
* Corresponding author: aristides.mtz@infomed.sld.cu
1 Matanzas University of Medical Sciences. Matanzas, Cuba.
Received: 01/12/2024
Accepted: 01/01/2025
How to cite this article: García-Herrera AL, Moliner-Cartaya M. Student scientific groups and their contribution to the graduate profile. MedEst. [Internet]. 2025 [cited access date]; 5(1):e317. Available in: https://revmedest.sld.cu/index.php/medest/article/view/317
Dear readers:
Student scientific research is one of the processes that has been promoted in recent years as part of the training of professionals in Cuban universities. These teaching structures must fulfill three substantive functions: teaching, university extension and research, with the latter process being the one that must occupy a preponderant place for the faculty and the curricular training of its future graduates.
The participation of students in scientific activities, while they study, contributes to the formation of an academic position and lays the foundations of technical and ethical knowledge based on evidence for its subsequent application in professional activities. Many benefits are derived from scientific research and the possibility of expanding the creative and critical capacity of the university student, as well as his growth and autonomy. It is then understood through these motivations that students, from their training, are an important part of the impact that universities must have on the scientific solution of the problems of the territory. Contributing to the training of a professional with a comprehensive general culture, capable of research and with extensive knowledge of science and technology. (1)
University education in its fundamental essence constitutes the main engine of the productive, economic and social processes of a country, therefore scientific research is important as a tool to strengthen the skills of its students and teachers in key aspects such as innovation, scientific rigor and the practical application of that knowledge, aligned with a national strategy.
For this reason, a legal framework is created in our country that recognizes, among other elements, Article 148 of Resolution 2/2018 of the Ministry of Higher Education (MES), which is aimed at the creation of student scientific groups (GCE), and in its article 239 it mentions the person of the student assistant for research. In turn, Resolution 116/2018 of the MES promotes a system of stimulation for students who stand out in research work and establishes the "Student Scientific Merit Award. (2)
That is why in Cuba, the transformation and progressive growth that the scientific student movement of medical sciences has achieved is indisputable, fundamentally determined by the creation of GCE in all Higher Health Education Institutions, as well as the continuous participation in scientific events, congresses, publication workshops, research grants, the emergence of various journals managed by students; but above all thanks to a firm will and commitment to science on the part of the students.
The University Student Federation (FEU) is the organization of university students in Cuba, which has in its structure several movements that contribute to the correct functioning of the organization, the student scientific movement plays a significant role, keeping in mind that science constitutes a priority of the country's senior management; therefore, the student movement strengthens, with the training ministries, the scientific activity of university students through a unique movement, which pursues among its objectives.
1. Stimulate scientific activity and research culture in young university students, with emphasis on Faculties, Campuses and Municipal University Branches.
2. Develop the intersectoriality of sciences, deepening the study of History and the problems of young people and society.
3. Achieve a social impact.
The GCE is a working group of the FEU management, which aims to systematically promote the analysis of topics of interest for scientific, technological and teaching development, stimulating the development of research activity among university students.
Its functions are:
1. Research development in accordance with the needs of each center, territory or country.
2. Stimulate social research and debate on problems of Cuban youth, the community and/or the university.
3. Organize and direct, together with the Training Ministries, the realization at each level of scientific events of an internal nature, with other organizations or institutions.
4. Stimulate the publication, presentation and debate of the results of student research.
5. Coordinate courses and workshops on research methodology, and subjects related to the specialty.
6. Establish working relationships with organizations or institutions dedicated to research.
7. Endorse and process proposals from students called to receive awards.
In its conceptual bases, the Plan E of the Medicine Degree has “…The training of the professional is necessarily an interaction of the educational teaching process of the degree with the professional and social life with a scientific approach, which requires creating the bases in the design to foresee spaces where the social use of knowledge is materialized through work practice as part of their training, thus contributing to the solution of social, cultural, economic and environmental problems; as well as, having the flexibilities that allow adapting the content of these practices to the needs of the territories…”. (3) The use of the GCE then represents a true option for the fulfillment of this element.
The development of research in the health system is transcendental to use the results of Science and technological innovation in the solution of health challenges, in low and middle-income countries, it is transcendental to train future professionals in the conception of the need for scientific research.
When this process takes place from the undergraduate level, its results cannot be underestimated, since it has an enormous potential that must be exploited. Although there is a legal framework for strengthening Student Scientific Groups, it is recognized that there is no unique recipe, so each institution needs its own strategy according to its situational analysis.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
1. Aveiro-Róbalo TR, Escobar-Salinas JS, Ayala-Servín JN, Rotela-Fisch V. Importancia de las sociedades científicas de estudiantes de medicina en Latinoamérica. Inv Ed Med. [Internet]. 2019 [cited 01/12/2024]; 8(29):23-29. Available in: https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-50572019000100023
2. Rabade Martínez A, Martínez Guerra A. A propósito de las investigaciones estudiantiles. Inmedsur [Internet]. 2019 [cited 01/12/2024]; 2(2):1-2. Available in: http://www.inmedsur.cfg.sld.cu/index.php/inmedsur/article/view/37/46
3. Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana. Plan de Estudio E. Carrera de Medicina. 2019
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
ALGH: Conceptualization, investigation, methodology, project administration, validation, writing of the original draft, review, editing.
MMC: Conceptualization, investigation, methodology, validation, writing of the original draft, review.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
FUNDING SOURCES
The authors declare that they did not receive funding for the development of this research.