Perception of the teaching profession at a university in Northern Brazil

Abstract

An attempt was made to get to know the views professors have on the experience of teaching in health courses at a federal university located in northern Brazil. Using a qualitative approach, six professors working at the university's health courses were interviewed, and their data were subjected to content analysis. Most professors were female, and the role was valued as it represents a stable employment status, a source ofincome, and a social function. In the teaching activity, most focus on developing the students' technical and scientific skills, expressing the need for ongoing training and insufficient institutional support. Personal relationships among these professors and students and with other professors and technical administrators are known to mediate the quality of the teaching/learning and work processes. Insofar as health is concerned, most feel vulnerable and worn, particularly in psycho-emotional aspects, a fact that influences their social relations within and outside of the workplace. Although the professional practice has been identified as a source of stability and of personal and financial realization, the precariousness and work overload stand out and tend to induce suffering and illness. This reflection among professors, labor union movements, and educational institutions may support institutional, legal, curriculum and social adjustments in order to improve the process of teaching and learning and the professors' quality of life.