[Perceptions about continuous training of Chilean health care teachers].

BACKGROUND Continuous training of teachers, in discipline and pedagogical topics, is a key step to improve the quality of educational processes. AIM To report the perception of Chilean teachers of undergraduate health care programs, about continuous training activities. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty teachers working at different undergraduate health care programs in Chile were interviewed. Maximum variation and theoretical sampling methods were used to select the sample. Data was analyzed by open coding, according to the Grounded Theory guidelines. RESULTS Nine categories emerged from data analysis: Access to continuous training, meaning of training in discipline, activities of continuous training in discipline, meaning of continuous training in pedagogy, kinds of continuous training in pedagogy, quality of continuous training in pedagogy, ideal of continuous training in pedagogy, outcomes of continuous training in pedagogy and needs for continuous training in pedagogy. CONCLUSIONS Teachers of health care programs prefer to participate in contextualized training activities. Also, they emphasize their need of training in evaluation and teaching strategies.