THE EFFECTS OF A PART-ATTENDANCE PROGRAM IN THE PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE OF NURSES IN THE PRIMARY CARE AREA

Abstract

The Pontificia Universidad Católica School of Nursing in Chile has been developing since 1990, the “Primary Care Nursing” program, in which a part-attendance methodology is employed. What is sought is an answer to the difficulties by nurses to attend advancement studies under the traditional system. One of the program goals is to motívate nurses participating at the human resource formation in Primary Care Nursing to implement at their workplaces those programs capable of strengthening this nursing area. The basic interest in this study is one born from the need to measure progress of students regarding those goals listed, using a descriptive, retrospective and evaluative study. Results allows us to come to the following conclusions: the implementation of the program was effective, offering the participant professionals a markedly high chance to fulfill their goals; it is advised for adoption by other professionals; and the program presents advantages which make feasible its extensions to other areas of the discipline.