RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the knowledge growth of the members of the Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency League in comparison with a nonparticipating group, with similar characteristics, at the Fluminense Federal University. METHODS: we evaluated 50 league members and 50 non-members (control group) through questionnaires applied at the beginning and end of a school year. We used a generalized linear model, with interaction effect between groups and tests (multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction). We included the following control variables: gender, period, age, and attendance to some other course on a similar topic. RESULTS: there was an increase of 22 percentage points (p<0.001) for the group with more than 75% presence in the League compared with the eight points in the control group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant growth for the group with less than 75% presence. CONCLUSION: the growth of knowledge was significantly higher in the group that assiduously participated in the League, which reinforces its importance in complementing the traditional content of medical courses.