Repercussões da pandemia pela Covid-19 em um curso de graduação em enfermagem no nordeste brasileiro

Abstract

The object of this research was nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic in an undergraduate course in northeastern Brazil as a result of the governmental and institutional measures published and adopted for this purpose. The objective was to analyze the repercussions of the governmental and institutional measures adopted in the COVID-19 pandemic for the undergraduate nursing course at a university in northeastern Brazil, based on the regulations for nursing education. This is a documentary research, with the research universe consisting of 65 legal documents issued between February 2020 and March 2022. The stages consisted of identifying and locating the sources of information, obtaining the published and adopted measures, cataloging the instruments according to repercussions, systematizing and analyzing the repercussions. The cataloging, systematization and analysis took place after the application of an analysis tool built with the points addressed in the regulations that could have repercussions on the documents. Three categories and two subcategories were identified after cataloging and systematizing the repercussions. The results showed that the application of remote teaching for nursing during the pandemic highlighted inequalities in access to the internet, and raised doubts about the quality of teaching. The suppression of the development of general and specific competencies occurred through the lack of practical activities in the services due to the use of digital information and communication technologies with the use of videoconferences, digital platforms and tools, promoting a separation between theory and practice. There was also the shortening of the duration of the course in order to complete it and make it possible to call up recent graduates early to combat the pandemic. The measures taken and the attempt to update the DCNs showed an effort to weaken nursing education to meet the demands of the health emergency. As well as those of the market, making it seem as if they are making up for the chronic shortage of nursing workers in the health services. Conceptual errors regarding the methodology adopted could also be identified, especially the use of remote teaching as equivalent to distance learning. Face-to-face teaching, which is so necessary for nursing care and in theories, clashed with attempts at purely cognitive teaching, which does not meet the needs of nursing. It is hoped that this study will provide the basis for further research into nursing education during the pandemic. Through knowledge about the period, we can fight for quality teaching.