General description of the School

The School of Health, which holds a wealth of technical, educational and cultural relevance inherited from the now defunct School of Nursing from where it originated, has now increased its scope of responsibilities -- a result of its expansion into the areas of health technologies. For years, its pedagogic path was limited to the training of nurses towards an Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s, and a Graduate Degree through additional years of training in nursing.

Decree-Law No. 99/2001 passed on the 28th of March incorporates the School into the Polytechnic Institute of Braganca; later, Order No. 475/03 of June 11 converts it into the School of Health Institute, currently offering the following courses: Nursing, Clinical Analysis and Public Health, Pharmacy, Nutrition/Diet, Gerontology, CET in Technical Laboratory, Post-graduate Degree in Specialized Rehabilitation, Graduate degrees in We Care, Post-graduate in Emergencies, Masters in Exercise and Health, Masters in Management (in partnership).

The training of teachers at a level compatible with the demands of a higher education has always been a goal of the IBP and a priority of the School as seen in the high qualifications of the Faculty. Of the 32 teachers exclusive to the ESSa, 9 hold a Doctor’s Degree, 13 are working towards it, 15 hold a Master’s, and 6 are also working towards it. The School also brings in a number of part-time teachers to teach subjects or groups of programmatic disciplines in areas of vocational training that lean towards professional careers with a more diverse range of knowledge and expertise.

To meet the training needs in various scientific areas, more specifically in those such as basic sciences and life and social science and behavior, the Health School has teachers engaged with other organic units of the Polytechnic Institute of Braganca. Furthermore, under protocol, teachers from the School of Health Technology of Lisbon and of the Extremadura university collaborate in planning and training in the areas of Health and Gerontology. The teachers within the school conduct research, as guests, at universities where they develop - or have developed - their exploratory work.

The School has its own building, classified as historic, and is located between the Health Center , a division of the Hospitalar Center of the Northeast , at a few hundred yards from the IPB campus. It consists of two floors and a basement, has 20 classrooms each seating around 45 students, and all the rooms are equipped with an overhead projector with controllable multimedia screens. It also has a room of anatomical models for classes on anatomy, a laboratory of simulated practice assigned to the Department of Nursing and Gerontology, and an auditorium that seats 70. The goal is to simulate the realistic environment of a Health Care Unit. The procedures simulation room is equipped with a wide variety of medical and surgical items designed specifically for the practice of technical procedures, 4 hospital beds, and 6 models for the simulation of general care. In this area also operates a center for the simulation of emergencies, equipped with dummies for basic and advanced life support training (adult and pediatric), as well as simulated childbirth. There is also an area apportioned towards a second laboratory designed for the simulated practice of trauma and rehabilitation. In the basement a laboratory was set up to enable the practical lessons of the various courses that are defined by a more research-based approach, and which is also utilized by teachers and students alike in the development of research projects. The fields of internship and clinical training are guaranteed by protocols and agreements that the School Management Department makes with various health institutions (hospitals, health centers, nursing homes) in the northern part of the country and, recently, with health facilities of our neighboring border city of Zamora. In addition to these protocols for national and international cooperation, the School has also invested on the international exchange of students and teachers through the Erasmus program. Through it, it has sent students to countries like France and Spain, in spite of having bilateral agreements with other countries such as Lithuania, Holland, Italy, Poland, and Hungary. Still through this program, it has received students primarily from Poland and Spain.

At the School of Health in Braganca, the occupancy of classrooms is made through a computer program that drafts schedules (GAL: Management of Class Activity). As far as the tools available for obtaining information, every classroom, office, library and remaining departments have Intranet and Internet access. Two computer rooms are available to the students. Every computer is connect to a central printer. The School is covered by a wireless network under the eU. Since 2005, there has been the availability of a system of managerial content (E - learning at http://virtual.ipb.pt/portal), largely utilized by the majority of teachers as help in managing the curriculum content, because it allows students and teachers restricted access to programmatic objectives, bibliography, notes and data sheets, seminars and tests, among others.

The library, with around 10,000 books and periodicals, and with a schedule of operation from 9:00a.m. to 8:00p.m., is yet another one of the support services that has been gaining strength. It has a reading and study room with internet access, copier, and printing system through an individualized card.

Name and address

Escola Superior de Saúde
Av. D. Afonso V

Telefone: 273 330 950; Fax: 273 327 915; email: http://www.essa.ipb.pt

5300-121 Bragança

Portugal

Academic authorities

Director
Adilia Maria Pires Fernandes

Sub-directors
Andre Filipe Morais Pinto Novo
Olivia Rodrigues Pereira

ECTS school co-ordinators

Josiana Adelaide Vaz (

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