Repercussões do ensino remoto emergencial na formação em saúde coletiva de nutricionistas de uma universidade pública do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) model adopted by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic presented various challenges for health-related degree programs, considering the essential in-person nature of many activities conducted during the educational process. This includes training aligned with the principles of the Unified Health System (SUS), with an emphasis on Public Health, according to the National Curriculum Guidelines (DCNs). The consequences of ERT further exposed the pre-existing challenges in the training of health professionals, particularly nutritionists. Nutrition education in Brazil has long been marked by deficiencies in integrating biological and social knowledge, especially concerning Public Health (PH), which also suffers from the lack of a clear profile of the necessary competencies and skills for nutritionists working in the field. There is a gap in the literature on how nutritionists were trained in the PH field during ERL. This issue becomes even more significant within public universities, institutions with social responsibility to the community, integration of teaching-service-community, and alignment with training for the SUS. In light of this, this qualitative and exploratory case study aimed to investigate PH training within a Nutrition course at an HEI in Rio Grande do Norte during emergency remote teaching, using students, graduates, and faculty members in the field as references. The study sought to gather their perceptions, concerns, challenges, and hopes to contribute to the body of knowledge regarding nutritionists’ training in PH. The research subjects are faculty, graduates, and students from the Nutrition undergraduate program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (central campus) and the Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi (FACISA campus). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews specific to each group, and document analysis of the Pedagogical Projects of the Nutrition course at both HEIs, as well as the syllabi of curricular components related to PH during ERL. The obtained data were analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. ERL had negative impacts on the training of nutritionists at UFRN, with the severity depending on the student's profile, the characteristics of the curricular component, and the faculty's methodology. Regarding PH, the most significant impact was the inability to carry out practical activities and develop the teaching-service-community connection. Weaknesses in PH education were revealed at both campuses, predating the pandemic. Faculty expressed great dissatisfaction with ERL, particularly regarding the use of communication and information technologies (CITs), increased workload, and lack of student interaction. Despite the challenges reported by both groups, the innovations and adaptations made were also considered positive as tools to enhance in-person teaching. Thus, we can observe the impact of remote learning on nutrition professionals' training in PH in the state, contributing to the reflection on the role of PH within the Nutrition degree program, seeking increasingly DCN-oriented health training and SUS-focused practice, with a more assertive use of communication and information technologies to enhance in-person education.