Characterization of the educational activities of nursing workers in the view of continuing education

Abstract

This study requires the reciprocity between health and educational practices and aims to characterize the nursing workers and their educational activities in the city of São Paulo area. A quantitative-descriptive exploratory study, conducted in 18 health services between 2005 and 2006, which the data collection was accomplished through interviews and the application of two forms in 18 health services. It was identified that 84.8% of nursing workers work in hospitals and emergency assistance (EA); 22.5% are nurses, 15.2%, nursing technicians (NT) and 62.3%, nursing assistants (NA). There were 245 identified actions, 78.4% are performed in hospitals and EA, predominantly focused on the health recovery, 46.9% are directed to the nurses, 39.6% to the nurses, NT and NA and 13.5%, to NT and NA; 21.2% of the actions use traditional teaching strategies and 15.1%, the participatory; 69% last 01-20h; 55.5% are performed out of the service. Despite of the predominance of educational activities directed to the nurses which are orientated for the health recovery, with the use of teaching traditional strategies, the presence of related actions in the daily work refers to the conception of continuing education and points out the possibility of changing the workers educational practices approach in the view of the health integrality and entire nursing care.