Background: The relevance of the role of residents as teachers is increasing, not only because of the importance in teaching students, interns or other members of the healthcare team but also, because of the role in instructing patients and their families. However, the role of the resident as teacher is not completely defined in our professional and pedagogical culture.Objective: To characterize the role as teachers of internal medicine resident´s in University of Rosario at the Cardioinfantil Foundation.Methods: Qualitative study based on teaching scenario observations and semistructured interviews to 44 participants distributed in focal groups Results: Residents assume a teaching role in different educational scenarios with students, interns, other residents and professors. However, they recognize that they neither have the preparation to assume that role, nor the functions established for that purpose. Despite these drawbacks, residents use different empirically-informed strategies to teach and are motivated to do it. Conclusions: The role of the resident as teacher in the internal medicine department at the Cardioinfantil Foundation is essential for the training of future physicians and specialists according to the perceptions of the focal groups. Pedagogical encounters are framed by time availability and depend on personal traits of the resident, knowledge related to the specialty, and teaching skills. It is consider that the resident´s preparation to teach requires more support, while requiring advances in formalizing residents as teachers functions and establishing assessment systems of this process of teaching and learning.
