ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a historical and political economic look at Argentinean nursing within the national health and educational systems. It introduces Argentina’s history from a political economic and social perspective. The chapter outlines the structure and function of the health care system and explains the socio-historical conditions at the national and international “macro” level as well as at the local “micro” level. It describes the problems of the labor market for nursing education. Bridge programs were designed specifically for “nursing auxiliaries” to complete the requirements for the title of “Nurse”. Gender issues in Argentinean nursing are a rarely studied topic and the data that do exist are not always easy to interpret. The prediction for the future involves increasing globalization and neoliberal reforms in Argentina specifically and in Latin America in general. The production of a qualified nursing workforce through advanced education is an essential element for the advancement of the nursing profession.
