Impact and purpose of the completion of a university thesis in health sciences programs

Introduction: The thesis constitutes a legal requirement to qualify for a professional degree or title; however, it also serves other formative functions. Objective: To synthesize original sources on the impact and purpose of a university thesis in health sciences programs. Methods: A systematized review of original sources from the last 10 years in the Scopus, MEDLINE and SciELO databases was designed. We included articles whose methodology involved the evaluation of students who completed a university thesis, and used surveys or interviews to assess the perspectives/impact on students. Results: Twelve articles were selected, most of them related to the nursing program. All sources focused on undergraduate theses. Regarding the impact and purpose of developing a university thesis, four categories were found in common: attitudes toward research, research competencies learned, applications for professional clinical practice, and scientific initiation. Conclusions: The impact of a thesis is reflected in improved attitudes towards research, a better understanding of science and its applications to professional clinical practice. The purpose of the thesis is to train and improve research skills; it is also a first step towards scientific initiation.