NURSING PERFORMANCE IN THE BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE HEALTH SERVICE

DESEMPEÑO DE LA ENFERMERÍA EN EL SERVICIO DE SALUD DE LA FUERZA AÉREA DE BRASIL

ABSTRACT

Objectives:

to describe the circumstances related to the creation of the Aeronautics Central Hospital and to discuss the alliances formalized between the Brazilian Air Force and the Anna Nery Nursing School, in favor of the Aeronautics Health Service.

Method:

a historical-social study, whose historical sources are documents located at the Aeronautics Historical-Cultural Institute, the Aerospace Museum, the Central Aeronautics Hospital collection and the Anna Nery Nursing School Documentation Center. The analysis considered unity of the context, that is, it considered the “universe” that influenced the production of the discourse contained in the source, and Pierre Boudieu's concepts of power and symbolic capital were applied in the analysis and discussion.

Results:

when taken over by the Brazilian government in 1942, the School Hospital had its name changed to Hospital Central da Aeronáutica (Aeronautics Central Hospital). That same year, the hospital director, with the Minister of Aeronautics acquiescence, invited the Anna Nery Nursing School to organize the hospital's Nursing Service.

Conclusion:

the nurses who graduated from the Anna Nery Nursing School accumulated symbolic capital, as they had their work recognized in the Military field due to their performance in the aforementioned hospital, which served as a reference in their appointment to assume the other health services of the new Armed Force, in addition to highlighting the quality of the training of these nurses, so that they were selected to fight in the war with the rank of 2^nd Lieutenants (Officers), exclusively assisting, the military of the elite Fighter Aviation Group.

DESCRIPTORS:
Nursing; Nursing History; Health services; Military Nursing World War II