HEALTH EDUCATION AND THE CHALLENGES IN TRAINING CRITICAL, HUMANIZED, AND SOCIALLY COMMITTED PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the challenges of health education in the training of critical, humanized, and socially committed professionals, considering the pedagogical, ethical, and social dimensions that permeate this process. It is a narrative literature review, with a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, conducted between January and October 2025, based on publications in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Searches were conducted in the SciELO, PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Original articles, theoretical reviews, case studies, and experience reports related to critical training, humanization of care, ethics, and the integration of teaching, service, and community were included. The analysis was structured around five thematic axes addressing pedagogical methodologies, continuing education, student mental health, interprofessionalism, and ethical-political challenges. The results demonstrated that, although policies to reorient health education have advanced, structural and pedagogical gaps persist, hindering the consolidation of transformative teaching. The importance of interdisciplinarity and Freirean pedagogy as strategies for developing critical, reflective, and ethical competencies, fundamental to humanized practice, was highlighted. Continuing education in health emerged as an indispensable tool for continuous professional improvement and strengthening social commitment. It was also found that student protagonism, dialogue, and the integration of teaching and service are essential for consolidating meaningful and ethical learning. It is concluded that the training of health professionals must go beyond technical aspects and incorporate human, social, and political dimensions of care, promoting emancipatory education aligned with the principles of the Unified Health System (SUS) and social transformation.