FORMAÇÃO DE PESSOAL PARA-MÉDICO

Abstract

The paper emphasizes the lakc of a common understanding of the functions of para-medical personnel. It suggests as a way uf definition that para-medical personnel are those persons who make possible a more complete assistance to the patient (sick or otherwise). These personnel: a) perform activitics inherent to the medicai profession and related to health and disease; b) they perform activities by delegation o f lhe physicians; and c) the work porformed by such a personnel is an extension of the work of the physician. Paramedicai personnel were classified into three groups: I. professional personnel ( University level): medical assistant, nurse, midwife, nutritionist, physiotherapist and occupational-therapist, public health educator, phono-audiometrist and orthotic technician; 2. auxiliary personnel (high school level): nurse-aid, auxiliary midwife, health visitor; 3. non-technical personnel (elementary school level): in-service trained: hospital and public health aid . The paper also forms attention on the training of para-medicai personnel to meet the requirements of the Brazilian law as well as the socio-economic-sanitary conditions of the Country.