This article presents the empirical results of research on the concepts and practices of the Technical Schools of the National Health System (SUS-ET), influenced by the policies of professional education in health from the 1980's to the 2000's by the Ministry of Health, namely: large scale project, Program of training of Nursing Assistants (Profae) and long-term educational policy. Based on the current teaching that is in dispute under such policies, an analysis is presented of qualitative empirical material, consisting of academic texts collected through a literature review. Other empirical sources were interviews done with educational coordinators, in which we tried to identify dimensions of our object revealed in the interaction with the research subjects. The written material was submitted to a content analysis, followed by historical and dialectical analysis, based on the category 'theory-practice relationship'. We seek to capture the main contradictions that hinder or enable the education of health professionals towards the emancipation of the working class. The contrast between pragmatism and the philosophy of praxis was the basis of this analysis. The conclusions of this article deal with these contradictions, in terms of the understanding of polytechnic education which sees work as an educational principle, oriented towards transforming social customs.
professional education in health; pragmatism; pedagogical praxis; social praxis