The second meeting of the International Multicenter Study coordinated by the International Network of Health Technicians Education (RETS) takes place on October 20 at the Joaquim Venâncio Health Polytechnic School (EPSJV/Fiocruz). This stage will gather EPSJV researchers and include study evaluation and design in Brazil. The research aims to identify and analyze quantitative and qualitative provision of health technical education in different countries. The proposed action has similar methodology to the Mercosur Project and is one of the items that make up the RETS Work Plan approved in November 2013, during the 3rd General Meeting of the Network.

The first workshop was held on July 21-23 at the EPSJV. The meeting gathered the coordinating team with representatives from Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico, countries that attended the open invitation made by the RETS in April 2015 to educational, research and governmental institutions who wished to participate. Besides institutions from these countries, several Brazilian institutions, as well as from Uruguay and Argentina, countries that had participated in the Mercosur Project* also expressed their interest.

At the meeting, current EPSJV International Cooperation Coordinator Geandro Pinheiro presented the EPSJV to other participants and then the School’s Research and Technological Development Deputy Director Marcela Pronko presented the study, explaining its objectives, the proposed methodology and the type of expected results. Soon after, each participant provided an overview of health technical education in their country and, finally, work continuity-related actions were discussed.

RETS expects to build a technical report on the state of the art of health technical education of each participating country, considering the different National Education Maps on Health Technical Education and its theoretical and methodological foundations in each country. Moreover, an International Seminar on Health Technical Education within the RETS is being planned for next year.

According to the Workshop’s Minutes, the joint building strategy will provide a collective decision-making and greater discussion and further development of theoretical and analytical references that were used by researchers in the work process; the development of research tools; the presentation of the preliminary results of each stage of the research; the construction of a matrix analyzing interviews aimed at preparing specific country reports and defining a reports script enabling the consolidation of results for presentation at the International Seminar.

Mercosur Project

The “Mercosur Project” was a two-stage survey conducted jointly by institutions from Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina (2007-2009 and 2011-2013). The project has resulted in several products, among which the books “Silhouette of the Invisible: health technical workers training in Mercosur” and “Health technical workers training in Brazil and Mercosur”, both available in Portuguese on EPSJV/Fiocruz website, in “Publications”.

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