Strengths and weaknesses of the nursing certificate program at the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina)

ABSTRACT

Objective

To analyze the strengths and weaknesses found in the implementation process of the Nursing Certificate Program at the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina), in the 2000s.

Method

Socio-historical research with a qualitative approach. Oral history as a method source for data collection between June/September 2015, with thematic analysis. Seven professionals participated in the study, resulting in three categories: Recognition of the Nursing Certificate Program in the community and work market; Weaknesses faced by the course; Strengths during the implementation of the course.

Results

The course was accepted by the labor market, resulting in an increased demand. As weaknesses: insufficient materials and structure, few teachers, course is offered every two years and no understanding of the stages by the institution. As strengths: commitment of teachers, management support and incentives to perform research.

Final considerations

Despite the weaknesses, the strengths contributed to the implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program overcoming challenges, ensuring improvement in vocational training.

History of nursing; Elementary and High School; Nursing schools; Education

RESUMO

Objetivo

Analisar as fortalezas e as fragilidades encontradas no processo de implantação do curso Técnico de Enfermagem no Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis/SC, na década de 2000.

Método

Pesquisa sócio-histórica com abordagem qualitativa. História oral como método-fonte para coleta dos dados, entre junho/setembro de 2015, com análise temática. Sete profissionais participaram do estudo, resultando em três categorias: Reconhecimento do curso Técnico de Enfermagem pela comunidade e pelo mercado de Trabalho; Fragilidades enfrentadas pelo curso; Fortalezas no período de implantação do curso.

Resultados

O curso foi aceito pelo mercado de trabalho, o que se reflete na procura ampliada pelo curso. Como fragilidades destacaram-se: materiais e estrutura insuficientes, poucos professores, oferta bianual e não compreensão dos estágios pela instituição. Como fortalezas destacaram-se: o comprometimento dos professores, o apoio da direção e o incentivo à pesquisa.

Considerações finais

Apesar das fragilidades, as fortalezas contribuíram para que a implantação do curso Técnico de Enfermagem superasse os desafios, garantindo melhoria na formação profissional.

História da enfermagem; Ensino fundamental e médio; Escolas de enfermagem; Educação

RESUMEN

Objetivo

Analizar las fortalezas y debilidades encontradas en el transcurso proceso de implementación del curso Tecnico de Enfermería en el Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, en Florianópolis / SC, Brasil, en la década de 2000.

Método

Investigación sociohistórica con el enfoque cualitativo que utiliza la historia oral como un método de origen para la recolección de datos, de siete profesionales de salud entre junio/septiembre de 2015.

Resultados

Como fragilidad se destacaron: materiales y la estructura insuficiente y pocos profesores para llevar a cabo el curso, oferta del curso cada dos años de la oferta y no entender el funcionamiento de la formación práctica en la institución de enfermería. Como una fortaleza se destacó el compromiso de los profesores que participan en el curso, el apoyo a la gestión y el conocimiento de incentivos a la investigación dadas por las enfermeras.

Consideraciones finales

A pesar de las deficiencias existentes, los puntos fuertes contribuyeron para que la implantación del curso Técnico de Enfermería superase los desafíos garantizando mejora en la formación profesional.

Historia de la enfermería; Educación primaria y secundaria; Escuelas de enfermaría; Educación

INTRODUCTION

Professional nursing training began in Santa Catarina in 1959, in Florianópolis city, the state capital, with the course Auxiliar de Engfermagem Madre Benvenutta (Nursing Assistant Course Mother Benvenutta). This course was created by Divina Providência (Divine Providence) congregation, under the coordination of Sister Cacilda Hammes (Ottilie Hammes), recognized as the first nursing school in Santa Catarina state¹.

Ten years later in 1969, the first Undergraduate Nursing Course in the state was also created in Florianópolis, at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), under the coordination and articulation of nurse Professor Doctor Eloita Pereira Neves. The creation of this course resulted in significant improvements in health care to the population of Santa Catarina, through the insertion of nurses, with college training, in the labor market. Until the creation of this course, the nurses who worked in Santa Catarina were from the states of São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, where there was already such training².

As a result of the Federal Government (Law No. 5.692 /71) policy that called for the creation of professional schools across the country in 1976, the first Professional/Nursing Certificate Program of Santa Catarina was also founded in Florianópolis, at the Colégio Coração de Jesus (Heart of Jesus School)³. Compliance with this policy contributed to the development of nursing in the state of Santa Catarina, and with the quality of services rendered to the population, for it increased the supply of professionals with specific training, able to work in the health services.

Currently, in Santa Catarina, a survey determined the existence of 76 educational institutions involved in training certificate level nursing professionals, and 27 higher education institutions. Florianópolis, the state capital, is home to seven of these certificate nursing programs and one higher education program⁴-⁵. Among the schools that offer the Nursing Certificate Program in Florianopolis, the course offered at the (Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina) Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, as the Certificate Nursing Program is created in a century-old institution, where the teaching tradition was directed to the industry field for many years.

Based on the above, this study aimed to: analyze the strengths and weaknesses found in the implementation process of the Nursing Certificate Program at the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC) in Florianópolis/SC, in the 2000s. The historical approach is justified by the decade of creation and implementation of Nursing Certificate Program at the IFSC, Florianópolis campus, the state capital of Santa Catarina, 14 years after the first Nursing Certificate Program in the State, administered at Colégio Coração de Jesus (Heart of Jesus School.

The rationale of this study is to contribute to the construction of the history of nursing in Santa Catarina, cooperating with the construction of the profession’s identity, promoting a new perspective over nursing.

METHODOLOGY

This article comes from the Master’s thesis entitled “The creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program at the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina in the 2000s”⁶. It is a socio-historical research with a qualitative approach that used thematic oral history as a method source for collecting data through semi-structured interviews, between the months of June to September 2015. Data collection was completed when the data were saturated, meaning, the information provided by the interviews began to repeat itself from the fifth person interviewed.

The study universe was the Certificate Nursing Program at the Florianópolis campus, of the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina), which belongs to the country’s Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica (Federal Network of Certificate Program Education, Science and Technology). The Florianópolis campus is the first and oldest campus in the Santa Catarina network^c.

The creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program took place in the Florianópolis campus in 2002, with a biannual offer, through the teaching nurses Rita de Cassia Flôr, Elisabete Furtado Maia, Laurete Medeiros Borges and teaching nurse Fabiano Antonini.

Between 2002 and 2008, the nursing certificate program trained 52 students. In 2008, the course began to be offered through the Programa Nacional de Integração da Educação Profissional (National Professional Education Integration Program) with Educação Básica na Modalidade de Educação de Jovens e Adultos (Basic Education in Adult and Youth Education Modality) – PROEJA. In this modality, the course trained three classes, with a total of 65 students. In 2014, a new reformulation takes place and the course is now offered annually in the continuous modality. No classes have yet graduated in this modality because the course is in progress⁶.

The study participants were five teaching nurses, one general director of the campus, and a pedagogue. Inclusion criteria were: performance in the IFSC during the creation/implementation of the nursing certificate program (early 2000s); being related to the process of creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program; having a good memory for the period of creation and implementation of the course. Study participants signed the Free and Informed Consent Form (FICF) and allowed the use of their names. After collecting the data, interviews were transcribed and transcreated by the researcher, and returned to participants for validation, through the signing of the interview Assignment Agreement. This term ensures the legality of the interview’s use. The interview transcreation allows the original intent of the study participant’s speech to be transmitted without interference of communication vices such as repeating words.

Documentary sources were also used in this study, such as: course design, newspaper of the Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica – CEFET, memos, letters, guidance manual, resolutions, reports and laws.

Data analysis was performed according to the precepts of Minayo (2014), using the thematic content analysis technique. Data was grouped by categories through this technique to group the possible topics, but also identify the centers of comprehension contained in the text. Three categories were used in this study: Category 1: recognition of the Nursing Technical Course by the community and the labor market. Category 2: weaknesses faced by the course. Category 3: strengths in the creation and implementation period of the Nursing Certificate Program at the IFSC.

The study was approved (CAAE number – 45500615. 4.0000.0121) by the Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa com Seres Humanos (CEPSH – Ethics Committee on Human Research) of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal University of Santa Catarina).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Recognition of the Nursing Certificate Program by the community and labor market

The creation of the Nursing Certificate Program at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC), Florianópolis campus, took place in the early 2000s, when the school was still called Escola Técnica Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Technical School of Santa Catarina). With over eighty years of experience in industrial education in the state capital of Santa Catarina, the school was recognized by the community and the labor market as a consolidated and qualified institution in professional training and qualification in the state.

One of the issues identified in the study participants’ reports was regarding the recognition of the Nursing Certificate Program before the community and the labor market.

Our students were very awaited by the [work] market, even by private institutions. They [entrepreneurs] would call and ask about when the class was graduating. Our students have had a 100% level of acceptance. Elisabete (teacher)

Through this speech, it was possible to verify that the courses offered by the IFSC are recognized by the community, proved by the search and absorption of graduates of its various courses by the labor market. This recognition is due to the quality and seriousness deposited in vocational training, adopted by this institution, and that contribute to local and regional development of its insertion.

The Pesquisa Nacional de Egressos dos Cursos Técnicos da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional e Tecnológica (National Graduates Survey of the Federal Professional and Technological Education Network), held in 2009, with the graduates of years 2003 to 2007, revealed that 72% of the network graduates are employed. Of these, 44% work in the same area of certificate program from which they graduated and 21% and in related areas. However, in the South, this percentage changes to 59% and 18% respectively⁷. Through these data, the acceptance by the labor market of the vocational training offered by the institutions of the Federal Network in our country is apparent.

Study participants also highlighted the recognition of the course by the community, relating it to the fact that it is public and appreciated for the quality of its education.

Here in Florianópolis there was already a nursing school, except that it was private. After the public school came along, everyone ran to the public. And the certificate programs have always had a very strong concept in the Florianópolis community. So, when the nursing program was created “[...]”, candidates poured. Anésio (Director of Certificate Programs)

We believe that the free offer of Nursing Certificate Programs was one of the crucial factors for the high demand of the course, as was the cost of education in private schools becomes an exclusionary element for much of the population. It is also understood that the demand for vocational training in a prestigious public institution is the result of the competitive nature of the present world, where the best placements in the labor market are determined by the prestige, quality and recognition of training institutions.

In Brazil, nursing professionals are in greater numbers among health professionals⁸, with nursing certificate program graduates being the category that holds the largest number of professional vacancies in health institutions, but also offers the largest number of courses in the country. The public-school system contributes with a small portion of this training, as the private network concentrates the largest number of Certificate Programs ⁹. This disparity between the public and private offer can be justified by the return of attractive investments that this level of training offers the private sector, but also the expansion of jobs in this area and level of training.

The Institutos Federais de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia (Federal Institutes of Education Science and Technology), came along with the purpose of promoting the offer of certificate programs and professional education in all levels and modalities, training and qualifying citizens aimed at professional activities in various sectors of the economy. With the creation of the Institutos Federais (IF – Federal Institutes) this disparity between public and private offers has reduced in the country.

Another aspect addressed by the study participants was related to high competition in the selection of candidates for admission to the Nursing Certificate Program. This entry is granted through the Classification Exam (EC), which is a general knowledge multiple choice test, carried out by candidates for the course. The examination has since occurred at intervals determined by the political pedagogical project of each course in question, which also determines the number of vacancies offered. This examination does not fail the candidate, it guarantees admission to the course according to their classification, in accordance to the number of vacancies. To create the Nursing Certificate Program, 8 seats to the EC were offered, on a bi-annual basis.

The Institute’s admission process wasn’t easy, the competition was very intense. Our first class had a competition ratio of 22 to 1 [candidates per seat] and it has never dropped below 22 per 1, 17 per 1 “[...]”. Managers came to understand that it was the highest rates. I always said, “what’s interesting is that the course has the highest rate within the institution and the one with the lowest number of admissions” “[...]” Rita (teacher)

The high number of candidates registered for the EC for the first admission process of the IFSC Nursing Certificate Problem course in Florianópolis, can be seen as a demand that the region faced for public and free training in nursing, as well as for the high prestige that the institution had before society and the labor market.

In Brazil, we can find a wide range of public education, traditionally well respected by the inspectors. This positive assessment makes the course recognized by society, resulting in an increasingly high demand for admission to these institutions¹⁰. This justifies the selection process for the IFSC Nursing Certificate Programs in Florianopolis, being very competitive, but also the fact that the number of vacancies offered are not sufficient to meet local demand.

Weaknesses faced by the course

The professionals who have created and implemented the IFSC Nursing Certificate Program, faced many difficulties to its consolidation in the institution. Such difficulties were related to the fact that the course is created in an educational institution already that has already established itself in the industry field. This fact can be seen in the following report.

Certificate programs were born in the industry field, so the focus of technical schools was the industry. Placing a nursing certificate program where you over 60% of the faculty is made up of engineers “[...]”. That was difficult. Nowadays you can say we’ve gained some space, but it’s still not enough. So, everything is very confusing, because the nursing courses have its needs. But we have good laboratories. Although we can improve more. Rita (teacher)

Through this report, we can understand the difficulties faced by teaching nurses to conquer space for the Nursing Certificate Program at the institution, it is the result of the feature found in the supply of industrial education.

The Federal Institutes arose throughout Brazil in 2008, through Law No. 11,892, dated December 29, establishing the Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica (Federal Network of Professional, Scientific and Technological Education). These originate in the Escolas de Aprendizes Artífices (Apprentice Craftsmen Schools), created in 1909 by the President of Brazil at the time, Nilo Peçanha. These schools were established in the capitals of states, through Decree No. 7566 of September 23, 1909, pursuant to law No. 1,606, of December 29, 1906, which aimed to provide professional and free education, allowing the working classes the means to overcome the ever – increasing difficulties of the struggle for existence¹¹.

The policy of the Apprentice Craftsmen Schools was to meet the educational needs of the people “devoid of fortune”, as of the Brazilian industry in favor of the country’s development. In Florianópolis, the first courses offered to the community were the elementary, design, typography, binding and lining, the riverside carpentry, sculpting and mechanics (blacksmithing and metalwork)¹². Since its inception in 1909, the school has undergone numerous transformations. It changed its name to Liceu Industrial de Santa Catarina (1937-1942); Escola Industrial de Florianópolis (1942); Escola Industrial Federal de Santa Catarina (1942-1965); Escola Industrial Federal de Santa Catarina (1965-1968); Escola Técnica Federal de Santa Catarina (1968-2002); Centros Federais de Educação Tecnológica (2002-2008) and Instituto Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (2008), to the present.

Courses in health arise in the Escola Técnica Federal de Santa Catarina in the 1990s, after 80 years of the institution’s creation. The Nursing Certificate Program opened admissions in the city of Joinville, in partnership with the Hospital e Maternidade Dona Helena (Hospital and Maternity Dona Helena), in 1994. In this period, the course functioned as an extension of the Escola Técnica Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Technical School of Santa Catarina), Florianópolis unit, until 2006, when it was transformed into a campus¹².

Only in 2002, through the teaching nurses from the nursing certificate program offered in the city of Joinville, was the course then offered in Florianopolis. This being the main unit of the Escola Técnica Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Technical School of Santa Catarina), where the industrial education was already consolidated. The process of creation and implementation of the course found difficulties, because the specificities of vocational training in nursing are distinct from those already practiced in the institution.

The teachers further reported that they were bothered by the bi-annual offer of Nursing Certificate Program, a fact observed in the following statement.

The Nursing Certificate Program began with classes every two years. When one class graduated, another began. And that was how it went because we didn’t have the number of teachers needed to expand the offer. We took the proposal to professor Anésio Macari at the time, who was a manager, director at the school. And so, he said, “look, if you’re only in the condition to offer the course every two years, offer it that way”. Laurete (teacher)

It is possible to see that the bi-annual admission process bothered the teachers, because it reduces the number of admissions offered to the population, and consequently, the number of trained graduates for the labor market. Another negative aspect regarding the bi-annual admission, was that the student needs to wait for another course class to be opened to make up any lost classes in case they fail a discipline.

The creation of the Institutos Federais (Federal Institutes) in 2008 changed the scenario that existed until then. The federal government has significantly increased investments in expanding the offer of vocational education, especially in certificate programs in the various areas of economic activity. This expansion aimed to increase the offer of vacancies for vocational education, making access democratic and understanding the demands of the labor market¹³. The personal and professional development of citizens through the expansion of vocational education in the country, enabling their integration into the labor market. As a result of this investment is the social and economic growth of the Brazilian population.

Still, on the weaknesses found in the period of creation of the Nursing Certificate Program, the lack of physical infrastructure and materials for the operation of the course at the IFSC in Florianopolis was also emphasized. The course started in the state capital with difficulties in structure and acquisition of material needed for practical classes, such as gloves, needles, syringes and distilled water. Thus, for the first class of the course, it was necessary for students and teachers to acquire these materials through their own resources instead of resources from the institution. The collection of books and materials were insufficient, and much has been donated or designed by the very teachers of the course. Anatomy classes took place in the same laboratory used by the technical course in existing radiology. However, practical nursing classes took place in the regular classrooms where lectures were held. Such difficulties can be observed in the following report.

Everything was deficient. We were able to slowly gather material. To give you an idea, not just me, but my friends at the time, to start [the course] we donated our books. I brought all the books I didn’t use at home. Bete also brought hers [books]. It was something to start with. So, we studied with our own books. Rita (teacher)

Faced with the lack of structure and materials that is essential to training nursing professionals, it was necessary for the teachers to improvise and adapt on a daily basis to ensure their educational goals for vocational training were met.

In the training of nursing professionals, lab use becomes a key resource for learning basic nursing techniques. It allows the student to develop skills and competencies, such as manual dexterity, sequence memorization of the technique, and performing procedures to which access is often not granted during supervised internships¹⁴.

Inadequate or insufficient structure to meet the needs of education may cause inconvenience to teachers and students, compromising the process of teaching and learning. These disorders often raise the teachers’ workload in an attempt to address the structural weaknesses, as well as favor the motivation of those involved in this process. Another weakness that is relevant was the concern of nurses in relation to the faculty available to act in the course.

We were three people to administer all disciplines, and to supervise all internships. Then came our colleague Rosane, and we began to slowly conquer space and hire substitute teachers. But at the beginning I was every two years, because that’s what we could do. Laurete (teacher)

The Nursing Certificate Program happened biannually, due to the lack of teaching nurses faced by the institution. This distressed teaching nurses because it prevented the expansion of the course, but also provided spaced training.

Law No. 9,649, of May 27, 1998, in article 47, § 5, stated that “the expansion of vocational education provision through the creation of new teaching units by the Union may only take place in partnership with states, municipalities, Federal District, productive sector or non-governmental organizations, which will be responsible for maintenance and management of new schools¹⁵. With no sponsors, this situation continued for a few years until the creation of the Rede Federal (Federal Network) in 2008, when vocational, public and free education was expended in the country, thus expanding the number of teaching vacancies in the network.

The institution’s lack of comprehension regarding the needs of the faculty, directly supervising the student during supervised internships predicted under current legislation was also pointed out by the nurses as a weakness in the course’s creation. This fact can be observed in the speech below.

It is a course that requires theory and practice, and there is an understanding of why the teacher must be present in what we call an internship. There is no understanding of what an internship. The Institute regards the internship as a moment that happens at the end of the course. The student goes to a company and stays with a company supervisor, and the teacher goes there for a visit. They monitor the student from a distance. Unlike these practices, we have in the hospital, the teacher must stay there for at least four hours, four hours and a half, with the student. So, the understanding was: “Why do you have to go to an internship and stay for 20hs a week? It the internship mandatory?” It is mandatory, because the nursing technician’s training requires that direct supervision. Some courses [offered by the institution] don’t even have internships, only the theoretical part of the course. The internship is optional. The student chooses to go through the internship. I think that this shows the lack of understanding surrounding the nursing internship. There’s a lack of knowledge regarding the specificity of this field. Laurete (teacher)

Unlike industrial courses already offered by the institution where the internship happened at the end of the course and the teaching supervision occurred indirectly, the Nursing Certificate Program legally required (and requires), conducting curricular supervised internships with the direct supervision of the teaching nurse, throughout the period of activities. Thus, the Nursing Certificate Program demand a greater number of teachers to cover all practice hours determined by the course.

According to the directives of the Conselho Federal de Enfermagem (Federal Council of Nursing)¹⁶ “curricular supervised internships must be effected under the supervision of nurses”, and should “aim to complement the teaching and learning to be planned, executed, monitored and evaluated by a nurse, in accordance with the pedagogical approach of the course to ensure the development of skills and general and specific skills for professional practice”.

It is at this point in training that the future Nursing Technicians can get in touch with the reality of the profession, and are able to put the knowledge acquired into practice by confronting it with reality, still being under the supervision of teaching nurses able to assess the student.

Teaching nurses faced many difficulties in creating and implementing the Nursing Certificate Program, which were overcome through a lot of commitment and dedication from the professionals who were leading this initiative. Among the weaknesses identified: the insufficient number of teachers to offer the course; bi-annual offer; poor structure, and no understanding of the institution regarding supervised internships in the nursing field, which burdened the workload of teachers.

Strengths in the period of creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program in IFSCs

The creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program at the IFSC in Florianópolis, occurred directly because of the interest and actions of teaching nurses working at the institution: Rita, Beth, Laurete and Fabiano. This category will discuss the strengths found by these teachers in the creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program at the IFSC. The discussion will begin with the statement about the commitment of the teachers involved with the course, according to the following lines.

What made it easy was the interaction among the teacher group that was putting together the course. We had great professional and friendship interaction and a common goal, that it worked. We were concerned about getting it done. I believe this helped the process considerably. Let’s say it made the process lighter. Fabiano (teacher)

According to this account, we conclude that the IFSC Nursing Certificate Program, Florianópolis campus became a reality because of the commitment of the teachers involved in the creation of the course and professional education.

The word commitment means to “take responsibility for something, dedicate yourself to something or someone, be committed.” However, in a semantic view semantic, involvement differs from commitment. The first is defined as the act of fulfilling what was determined, and/or agreed with another person. But commitment is related to the individual’s positive attitude to achieve an objective, in favor of another, or for yourself, being motivated intrinsically and/or extrinsically¹⁷.

Thus, teaching nurses joined, committed to a common goal: the creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program in an institution that kept its teaching axis directed to the industrial area for years, which would result in benefits for the community.

Study participants also highlighted the support received from the director of the campus during the creation process.

I can see the direction supports us. Thank God, we’ve always had that. Admission speak for themselves, but sometimes there are issues that go beyond management. As is the case of infrastructure. We’ve been involved in the health field for 3 or 4 years with a project to expand physical facilities. This is so we can move into better spaces, and we still haven’t been able to secure that remodeling project. The project already exists, it’s already approved. It’s what I see as being the most fragile aspect in terms of support. But I also know that this goes beyond management many times. Rosane (teacher)

One can understand that the creation of the Nursing Certificate Program became a reality due to the joint efforts of professionals, but also the support provided by the school’s director at the time, teacher Anésio José Macari.

The school’s director is the professional within the institution that is responsible for institutional performance. He is responsible for organizing, managing and coordinating all institutional activities to achieve educational goals and objectives proposed by the institution. Through democratic management, it is possible that all those involved in the teaching process to participate in discussions and decision-making. Thus, the final decision becomes the result of joint efforts, not orders, based on institutional hierarchy¹⁸.

Still speaking of the strengths of the Nursing Certificate Program’s creation process at the IFSC in Florianópolis, the encouragement given to students to be involved in scientific initiation through the discipline entitled Projetos Integradores (IP – Integration Projects) was reported by the study participants, highlighted in the course’s pedagogical political project.

The Integration Project discipline is a teaching strategy, which aims to encourage integration among courses with the knowledge of different areas. It gives the student new knowledge, through interdisciplinary and cross-cutting education. It allows the student to be included in research processes, and contributes to society in solving problems through new knowledge. The students of the IFSC Nursing Certificate Program, in Florianópolis, developed their integration projects according to the topic determined by the supervising teacher, and at the end of the course, the research was presented to the class and teachers. Many of these projects were also presented at nursing and health care conferences, as can be seen in the following report.

Integration projects were included in the course curriculum. We held the projects in institutions, nursing homes, schools, hospitals. It worked like this: a theme was given and each (teacher) one received a group of students and we completed the projects. They were going to the community, they administered lectures, guidance sessions, depending on the topic, each teacher focused on a theme. This project was developed throughout the course, so there wasn’t a fixed schedule, and each supervisor did their part and we presented everything at the end. We held a presentation in the UFSC collective health conference and were awarded with first place and a poster. The integrated projects were very interesting. Laurete (teacher)

The concern to promote education through scientific research and extension projects was evident, thus proving its commitment to quality education. It is through scientific research that nursing will build its own knowledge of the profession, becoming recognized and consolidated as science, technology and innovation¹⁹.

Therefore, it is necessary that teachers encourage the production of knowledge through scientific research. Researchers said that “education through research promotes the (re)construction of knowledge, enabling learning that goes beyond the mere reproduction of information and educational content”. Thus, providing the student with the ability to think, question and seek answers to their questions in the various fields of knowledge²⁰.

It is understood that the strengths encountered by nurses during the process of creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program, contributed to the success of this initiative such as management support; commitment of the teachers involved with the course; recognition of the course by the community and the labor market; encouragement of research, but also the high competition in the admission classification exam, with the Nursing Certificate Program always being among the most sought after within the institution.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Through this study, it became possible to understand the weaknesses and strengths involved in the process of creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis campus in the 2000s.

Revisiting the history of nursing in the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina) in Florianopolis, allowed to reach the understanding that the history of nursing in this institution does not differ from the history of nursing in our country. Many challenges were faced at the expense of the conquest of space and its recognition as a science and profession.

Through the accounts of participants in this research, it was concluded that the implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program in an industrial educational institution, encountered many challenges. However, it was also possible to see that such challenges were overcome through commitment, dedication and professionalism of the professionals who lead this process, in the search for the area’s consolidation in this important educational institution in the country.

The study determined the following issue as a weakness: a gap that needs to be unveiled regarding the history of nursing in the Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina), related to the creation and implementation of the Nursing Certificate Program in the 1990s, in the city of Joinville as an extension of the Florianópolis Campus, former Escola Técnica (Vocational School), Florianópolis unit.

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• ¹
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• ²
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• ¹¹
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• c
  It was created in 1909, with the aim of promoting professional training to the needy population that resided in Santa Catarina. The campus currently offers courses in various education modalities, public and free, ranging from professional training to a professional master’s degree.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  2016

History

• Received
  10 Nov 2016
• Accepted
  04 Apr 2017