Monitoring of distance-learning courses found problems in 15 of 17 states
Over 3,500 nurses are working or will join hospitals and health services in the country in the coming years without the necessary experience to practice. Supervision of the Federal Council of Nursing (COFEN) in all states of Brazil shows the distance courses have problems with ghost poles, lack of laboratories and libraries at the poles, and the absence of agreements for the realization of internships. Internships are offered by educational institutions not authorized by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
The audit, conducted in collaboration with the Regional Councils of Nursing was held this year at the request of the Federal Public Ministry of the Federal District, which leads a public civil investigation into the need for regulation and supervision of the training of health professionals through the system of distance education. According to the MPF, the investigation was initiated based on the representation of the National Confederation of Health Workers, which argues that theory and practice cannot be separated. The Office received the report in September and also analyzes the document.
According to COFEN, about 3,200 people are enrolled in Distance Nursing courses and other 286 have completed the course in this mode. The audit pointed out problems in courses of 15 of the 17 states that maintain active courses. In the other units of the federation, the course is not offered owing to lack of interest. In Sao Paulo, the universities Claretian and Anhanguera offer undergraduate courses.
According to the report, of the 82 poles registered on the website of the Ministry of Education of the first institution, only 40 were located. In some informed addresses, tax offices verified the presence of other services. Once in the existing poles prosecutors considered «physical infrastructure, technology and human resources offered poor performance for nursing education courses». In Minas Gerais, the Claretian presence Polo does not have laboratories for practical classes. Em Goiás, Anhanguera poles are in primary schools, religious institutions or social care. «Imagine how far from a course that deals with people who need practice. We are against. And there is no supervision of MEC to check that the poles are able or not to offer graduation,» says Fabiola Campos Mattozinho Braga , President of The Coren-SP.
The Northern Region is the one with the most worrying situation. Two universities offer the course clandestinely. In Rondônia, 109 students study the degree offered by the School of Santo André, which is unprecedented in the MEC. In Amazonas, 18 classes were found with 526 enrolled, who had the pre-face classes in schools. Responsible for offering the course, the Amazon Institute of Education and Technology (INET) is not enrolled in MEC. In this situation, COFEN´s report notes that the MEC surveillance has not ensured the quality of nursing, it occupies the distance and places in front of EAD courses in health, claiming that under the conditions found in the-pole «, the health care of the population is at risk. » They also proposed the suspension of the professional credentials of those trained in troubled institutions until the outbreak of the Office of Public Prosecutor and the cancellation of the records of these companies.
Sources:
http://saude.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,cursos-de-enfermagem-tem-ate-salas-fantasmas,1779088
http://www.coren-ro.org.br/cursos-de-enfermagem-tem-ate-salas-fantasmas_4292.html
