O estágio extracurricular na forma？？o profissional: a opini？o dos estudantes de fisioterapia

this study aimed to investigate the opinion of the physiotherapy students on the extracurricular internship and the influence of this practice on their professional formation. a cross-sectional study was performed with physical therapy students from a higher education institution in ceará, brazil. the sample consisted of 157 students, 29 men (18.5%) and 128 women (81.5%), with mean age of 22.6±4.02 years, from second to last semester of graduation. a questionnaire was applied with 20 objective questions covering the experiences and repercussions of this practice. a total of 61 (38.9%) surveyed students affirmed to have participated of extracurricular internship. out of these, 55 (90.2%) were motivated by the necessity of acquiring experience; 53 (86.9%) were performing therapeutic interventions in patients; and 13 (21.3%) had 15 to 20 working hours. however, 36 academics (59.0%) did work in disagreement with the rules of the federal council of physical therapy and occupational therapy. the students considered the extracurricular internship as a tool of improvement of their professional formation, because it allowed the practice of common physical therapist daily life activities procedures and techniques. there is a necessity for competent organizations to inspect these kind of activities, so that the students can practice tasks accordingly their qualification level.