Abstract
<jats:p>Brazilian medical education still faces the challenge of moving beyond hospital-centered and biologicist models toward training processes consistent with the principles and needs of the Unified Health System (SUS). In this context, Primary Health Care (PHC) represents a privileged setting for early, longitudinal, and socially accountable medical education. This study describes and analyzes the longitudinal insertion of undergraduate medical students during the initial semesters of a medical course in a municipality in Northeastern Brazil. The pedagogical proposal articulated Public Health, Epidemiology, Family and Community Medicine, and Humanism in Medicine, combining active learning methodologies with supervised practice in community and primary care settings. Students participated in territorial mapping, home visits, health education activities, team discussions, and reflective seminars designed to connect theoretical concepts with concrete health needs identified in the territory. The experience favored contextualized learning, strengthened understanding of the social determinants of health, and stimulated critical reflection on access, vulnerability, equity, and comprehensive care. Progressive development of clinical, communicational, epidemiological, and community-oriented competencies was observed, alongside changes in students’ perceptions of SUS, PHC, and the role of physicians in community-based care. The findings suggest that longitudinal exposure to PHC in the early stages of medical training can contribute to the formation of professionals better prepared to work in complex social realities and to assume ethical and technical responsibilities within public health systems. Although limited by its local and descriptive nature, the experience reinforces the relevance of PHC-based curricula for socially responsive medical education in Brazil and other similar educational contexts.</jats:p>