Residencies in health: analysis of a state policy for training professionals for the SUS

Abstract

Health residencies constitute an important State strategy in regulating the training of professionals for the Unified Health System (SUS) within the scope of work management and health education policy. An investigation was carried out to analyze how the residency policy in the professional health area has been implemented in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, from 2010 to 2021, in terms of management, characteristics of residency programs, and resources invested. The work is a social research, of the case study type and mixed methods approach, with documental research and government data, which used the Policy Cycle Approach as a theoretical-analytical framework. We developed thematic content analysis based on what was collected, on theory and on the researchers’ perspective, identifying the categories: policy actors and governance; expansion of training and funding; priority thematic areas; training in multiprofessional health residencies. We identified management experiences with the participation of different local actors, incremental investment in residency grants, and expansion of multiprofessional residencies in health. The challenge of implementing a health training policy remains, which, based on in-service education, acts as a driving force to advance the SUS.