Physical Therapist Education and the Labor Market in Brazil: Advances and Challenges.

BACKGROUND: In Brazil, the number of physical therapy education programs and, consequently, of professionals has been growing for the past 20 years. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to describe the evolution and distribution of physical therapist education programs in Brazil and to analyze the impact of workforce growth on the labor market for these professionals. DESIGN: This was a descriptive, exploratory, quantitative study. METHODS: Secondary data collected from official sources in Brazil were used. RESULTS: The first physical therapist education program was created in 1958, and, after significant growth, 536 programs were active in 2014. The historical series (1996-2014) shows a corresponding increase in the number of admissions by higher educational institutions. This expansion resulted in an increase in the number of professionals, with an impact on the labor market. The workforce in physical therapy is predominantly female, and women increased their participation in this labor market from 59% in 1996 to 81% in 2014. An increase in nominal monthly salaries was observed over the years from US $797.00 in 1996 to US $1056.00 in 2014. Nevertheless, the real average salaries, that is, salaries adjusted to inflation, have followed a trend of devaluation. LIMITATIONS: Results of this study must be interpreted in terms of overall trends rather than as precise absolute numbers due to the inherent nature of the varied secondary data sources. CONCLUSIONS: These data can support further discussion on training and the labor market in the field of physical therapy.

Impact of the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program in reducing physician shortage in Brazilian Primary Healthcare. / Impacto do Programa Mais Médicos na redução da escassez de médicos em Atenção Primária à Saúde.

The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program (PMM) was put in place in Brazil aiming to reduce inequalities in access to Primary Healthcare. Based on diverse evidence that pointed to a scenario of profound shortage of doctors in the country, one of its central thrusts was emergency provision of these professionals in vulnerable areas, referred to as the Mais Médicos para o Brasil (More Doctors for Brazil) Project. The article analyses the impact of the PMM in reducing shortage of physicians in Brazilian municipalities. To do this, it uses the Primary Healthcare Physicians Shortage Index, which identifies and measures the shortage in the periods of March 2003 and September 2015, before and after implementation of the program. The results show that there was a substantial increase in the supply of physicians in primary healthcare in the period, which helped reduce the number of municipalities with shortage from 1,200 to 777. This impact also helped reduce inequalities between municipalities, but the inequities in distribution persisted. It was also found that there was a reduction in the regular supply of doctors made by municipalities, suggesting that these were being simply substituted by the supply coming from the program. Thus, an overall situation of insecurity in care persists, reflecting the dependence of municipalities on the physician supply from the federal government.

Impacto do Programa Mais Médicos na redução da escassez de médicos em Atenção Primária à Saúde / Impact of the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program in reducing physician shortage in Brazilian Primary Healthcare

Resumo O Programa Mais Médicos (PMM) foi implantado no Brasil com o objetivo de reduzir as desigualdades no acesso à Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Baseado em diversas evidências que apontavam para um cenário de profunda escassez de médicos no país, um dos seus eixos de ação foi a provisão emergencial desses profissionais em áreas vulneráveis, denominado de Projeto Mais Médicos para o Brasil. O artigo analisa o impacto do PMM na redução da escassez de médicos nos municípios brasileiros. Para tanto, lança mão do Índice de Escassez de Médicos em APS, o qual a identifica e a mensura nos períodos março de 2013 e setembro de 2015, antes e depois da implantação do programa. Os resultados mostram que ocorreu um substantivo aumento na oferta de médicos em APS no período, o que contribuiu para reduzir o número de municípios com escassez desses profissionais de 1.200 para 777. Este impacto também contribuiu para reduzir as desigualdades entre os municípios, mas as iniquidades distributivas permaneceram. Foi verificado ainda que ocorreu uma redução na oferta regular de médicos pelos municípios, sugerindo uma substituição da mesma pela do programa. Assim, permaneceu um quadro de insegurança assistencial em função da dependência dos municípios em relação ao provimento federal.

Abstract The Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program (PMM) was put in place in Brazil aiming to reduce inequalities in access to Primary Healthcare. Based on diverse evidence that pointed to a scenario of profound shortage of doctors in the country, one of its central thrusts was emergency provision of these professionals in vulnerable areas, referred to as the Mais Médicos para o Brasil (More Doctors for Brazil) Project. The article analyses the impact of the PMM in reducing shortage of physicians in Brazilian municipalities. To do this, it uses the Primary Healthcare Physicians Shortage Index, which identifies and measures the shortage in the periods of March 2003 and September 2015, before and after implementation of the program. The results show that there was a substantial increase in the supply of physicians in primary healthcare in the period, which helped reduce the number of municipalities with shortage from 1,200 to 777. This impact also helped reduce inequalities between municipalities, but the inequities in distribution persisted. It was also found that there was a reduction in the regular supply of doctors made by municipalities, suggesting that these were being simply substituted by the supply coming from the program. Thus, an overall situation of insecurity in care persists, reflecting the dependence of municipalities on the physician supply from the federal government.

[Expansion of undergraduate nursing and the labor market: reproducing inequalities?]. / Expansão dos cursos de Graduação em Enfermagem e mercado de trabalho: reproduzindo desigualdades?

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the increase in the number of degree courses in nursing and the nursing job market. It is a descriptive exploratory study with a quantitative approach, which used data on Undergraduate Nursing courses, supply of nurses, connection with health facilities, and formal jobs in nursing in the state of Minas Gerais. The evolution of Undergraduate Nursing courses reveals a supply and demand decline in recent years. Such context is determined by the nurse's labor market being influenced by the contradiction of a professional quantitative surplus, particularly in the state's less developed areas, as opposed to a low percentage of nurses to care for the population's health. These characteristics of the nursing labor market reproduce inequalities furthermore aspects such as the regulation of nursing education and the creation of new jobs need to be discussed further.

Expansão dos cursos de Graduação em Enfermagem e mercado de trabalho: reproduzindo desigualdades? / Expansion of Undergraduate Nursing and the labor market: reproducing inequalities? / Expansión de los cursos de Grado en Enfermería y el mercado laboral: ¿se reproducen las desigualdades?

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar a relação entre a expansão dos cursos de graduação de enfermagem e o mercado de trabalho dos enfermeiros em Minas Gerais. Estudo descritivo-exploratório de abordagem quantitativa, que utilizou fontes de dados secundários sobre os cursos de Graduação em Enfermagem, número de profissionais ocupados, vínculos em estabelecimentos de saúde e empregos formais de enfermeiros no Estado. A evolução dos cursos de Graduação em Enfermagem revela sinais de declínio na procura e oferta nos anos recentes, que pode estar relacionado ao mercado de trabalho do enfermeiro. Este, por sua vez, é marcado por contradições expressas pelo quantitativo excedente de profissionais, em especial nas regiões menos desenvolvidas do Estado, bem como pela baixa proporção de enfermeiros para atender as necessidades de saúde da população. Visualiza-se que estes aspectos reproduzem desigualdades e carecem discussões quanto à regulação da formação e à criação de novos postos de trabalho.

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the increase in the number of degree courses in nursing and the nursing job market. It is a descriptive exploratory study with a quantitative approach, which used data on Undergraduate Nursing courses, supply of nurses, connection with health facilities, and formal jobs in nursing in the state of Minas Gerais. The evolution of Undergraduate Nursing courses reveals a supply and demand decline in recent years. Such context is determined by the nurse's labor market being influenced by the contradiction of a professional quantitative surplus, particularly in the state's less developed areas, as opposed to a low percentage of nurses to care for the population's health. These characteristics of the nursing labor market reproduce inequalities furthermore aspects such as the regulation of nursing education and the creation of new jobs need to be discussed further.

El objeto del presente estudio fue analizar la relación entre la expansión de los cursos de grado y el mercado laboral de los enfermeros. Estudio exploratorio descriptivo con enfoque cualitativo cuya fuente de información fueron datos sobre los cursos de grado en enfermería, cantidad de enfermeros, vínculos en establecimientos de salud y puestos de trabajo formales de enfermeros del Estado de Minas Gerais. La evolución de los cursos indica disminución de oferta y demanda en los últimos años, contexto determinado por el mercado laboral del enfermero, infuenciado por la contradicción entre el número excedente de profesionales, especialmente en las regiones menos desarrolladas del Estado, y su baja proporción para atender a la población Se percibe que estos aspectos reproducen desigualdades y que debe debatirse más tanto la regulación de la formación del curso como la creación de nuevos puestos de trabajo.