CONTINUING EDUCATION IN HEALTH: Reflections and challenges

Abstract

This work is the result of a reflection on the process of continuing education in health and nursing. It has the objective of presenting some perspectives and tendencies on education in health and nursing, with emphasis in continuing education. It analyzes the importance of technology and its use in the process of teaching and learning. The text is divided into three parts. At first it approaches organizational and educational changes due to the use of technology. It also gives emphasis to the need of the application of new pedagogical approaches with the intention of (re)building knowledge. After that, it highlights education in nursing by giving a description of the current situation and it points out some perspectives related to professional qualification in service taken as an institutional and political decision in the search of new ways to teach, to learn, to attend and to take care. It is concluded with considerations on continuing education in health and nursing pointing out some new challenges. This reflection reaffirms the need of updating the professional workers in the use of technology that can respond to the demand of access and the given conditions to the continuing education at the working environment.