Narrative of a Teaching Practice. An Autoethnography about Being a Geriatrics Professor

This study was developed to show a professor's perspective to comprehend his difficulties and challenges, within a different scenario and culture of teaching geriatric dentistry in a nursing home. It was a self-analysis theoretically supported by the Social Constructionism and the Interpretative Autoethnography perspective. Data were constructed by means of participant observation and interaction descriptions. They were analysed by means of a matrix of association. As a result, a culture of adaptation and negotiation was described. Teaching geriatrics is associated with a constant adaptation to technical difficulties. It needs a well-developed interpersonal and professional relation among professors, students, and elderly. It results in constant adjustments and negotiation with feelings and emotions. Teaching geriatrics, in this context, was perceived as a multi-emotional scenario, which enriches the health educational practices.