Competencies of the Physical Education professional in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Primary Health Care (PHC) is the user’s gateway to the Unified Health System (UHS). With a wide range of actions from disease prevention to health promotion, the PHC was developed to serve the user in its entirety, offering body practices and physical activities among its activities. However, the inclusion of Physical Education (PE) professionals in multidisciplinary teams in PHC remains limited, and some studies show limitations in preparing these professionals to work in this context. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate the paths taken from initial studies to the perception of the development of competencies in the PE professionals working in PHC. This is a qualitative study, performed through semi-structured interviews, remotely (Google Meet). The sample analyzed included six PE professionals who worked in PHC in cities from different regions across the country. Content analysis was performed to organize the results of the interviews, and the units of analysis were coded into thematic and then organized into categories: Undergraduate and Collective Health, Graduate Studies, Professional Practice, and Professional Competencies. It is concluded from this study that PE professionals identify a series of gaps in PE specific studies for work in PHC, with the studies after finishing the undergraduate program, being very important to meet demands and expectations for work. It was also observed a great knowledge about the competencies, linked to the theoretical and practical universe, from a humanized look, for effective and efficient professional conduct.