In the race against time and in the struggle for life: the meaning of work and its implications for the health of Nursing Technicians at SAMU/ Porto Velho – RO

This study aims to analyze the meaning of work and its implications for the health of nursing technicians who work at SAMU, in the city of Porto Velho/ Rondônia, presenting the Psychodynamics of Work and its categories as a theoretical contribution. The methodology used to carry out the research is qualitative, with semi-structured individual interviews and for data analysis, thematic content analysis is adopted. The study sample has the initial participation of 29 nursing technicians to survey the socio-occupational profile and to deepen the thematic issues related to work and its implications for health. Among the initial participants, 19 professionals with longer experience in the SAMU and working in the USB (ambulance) were selected. The analysis categories are: the professionals' context and work process; the experiences and the relationship between satisfaction, suffering/illness of professionals and the training process for work. The results indicate that SAMU's prescribed work organization is governed by a set of norms, resolutions and protocols that, although they establish forms of conduct regarding the functioning of the agency and health care, present a significant gap in the practical aspect, since the The activity developed is marked by unpredictable situations, which sometimes refer to the fleeting line between life and death, the difficulties regarding the organization of the service (lack of recognition, communication barriers, lack of acceptance of demands related to the worker's health) and working conditions (lack of vehicle maintenance, low wages, shortage of materials and human resources, work overload, among other situations). As positive experiences in the institution, the satisfaction in saving lives, the team's social relationships and constant knowledge and learning in relation to work stand out. The workers were, at the time of the research, unmotivated due to the limited working conditions, but they perceived the importance and social utility of the work performed. The results indicate the intertwining of experiences of pleasure and suffering at work, as well as identifying signs of mental and physical illness in some workers. Carrying out this research helps to understand the meaning of work for SAMU professionals and to reflect on what strategies can be used to accommodate the physical and psychological health demands of these workers, in order to minimize issues related to suffering and the installation of a process of illness.