The policy of professional health education has been put into operation by the centers of professional health education in a decentralized way. Aiming to identify the needs of the health sector at a regional level, a survey was carried out to investigate the situation of workers in the public health network of 22 cities in the 10th Paraná Health District, Brazil. Questionnaires and document analysis were used in this qualitative and quantitative exploratory study. Results revealed that 35.6% of the workers did not participate in any educational activities between 2004 and 2006. In terms of work contracts, 78.7% had only one job, 50.2% were government employees, and 25.2% had unstable contracts, showing that the sector incorporated the productivity and flexibility rationales. The conclusion is that the centers of professional education, jointly with teaching and management institutions, need to clearly define policies for the health sector at a regional level.
human resources; education, continuing; single health system
