Graduation in public health: what the pedagogical projects say

• Autor(a) principal: Mendonça, Paula Beatriz de Souza
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Castro, Janete Lima de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Baiana de Saúde Pública (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://rbsp.sesab.ba.gov.br/index.php/rbsp/article/view/3806
• topic: Saúde pública; Saúde coletiva; Formação profissional em saúde; Recursos humanos em saúde; Salud pública; Salud colectiva; Capacitación de recursos humanos en salud; Recursos humanos en salud; Public health; Collective health; Health human resource training; Health workforce

The object of study of this dissertation is the training of the public health professional at the undergraduate level. It is delimited in the history of undergraduate courses in public health and in the training design carried out for the new profession. The objective is to analyze the undergraduate training in public health of the existing courses in Brazil in the light of the pedagogical projects of the courses. This is a qualitative and exploratory study with a document approach, using the method of content analysis. After analyzing 22 projects, the results showed a gradual opening of courses, with a concentration between 2008 and 2009, with the last one being in 2019, and which were organized in greater numbers in the Northern region, with 27.3%. Most courses follow or fit the National Curriculum Guidelines of the Undergraduate Course in Public Health (DCNCGSC), with a predominance of hours equal to or greater than 3,200 hours, duration of eight to nine semesters, and an average of four years, with night classes in 45.5% of the courses. The average offer is 1,864 places/year, 68% of the courses are offered by federal universities, and 77.3% of them receive the name of bachelor in public health. Of the 18 courses evaluated by the Ministry of Education (MEC), 67% are evaluated with a grade of 5. Training allows a gradual construction of knowledge based on the foundations of public health. The courses are articulated with health services and systems of the Unified Health System (SUS) and with the community with practical classes, internships, research, and extension projects, strengthening students’ practical contact with real health situations in the population. Therefore, although the country is experiencing a crisis in higher education, the undergraduate courses in public health are going against this reality. Although the DCNsCGSC are not in force due to the non-publication by the MEC in the Official Gazette, the courses are in accordance with them. The training follows the basis of collective health so that it fulfills the objective of strengthening the SUS for the training of human resources in health.