Expansion of undergraduate nursing courses in Mato Grosso: implications and challenges

Abstract

The objective of this document-based study was to analyze the expansion of undergraduate nursing courses in Mato Grosso (MT), based on the National Education Guidelines and Bases Law/1996 and its implications. The number of these courses increased mainly between 2000 and 2010, from two to 21, and number of vacancies from 170 to 2137. During this same period, the percentage of such courses offered by private institutions rose from 50% to 71.4%. As occurred in Brazil, in MT, nursing studies expanded primarily through private universities, with geographic distribution linked to more economically developed regions. Despite the interest to democratize university access through expanding the number of vacancies, one must consider the imbalance and the need for trained and competent professors to guide the educational process of new nurses.

doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i4.22581.