SESARAM Nurse Granted Scholarship Equivalent Status for Master's Degree

The Regional Secretary of Health and Civil Protection has granted scholarship equivalent status to a worker of the Madeira Autonomous Region Health Service (SESARAM, EPERAM). This measure allows the professional to attend a master's degree course with partial exemption from work duties, while maintaining the right to remuneration within certain limits.

The beneficiary is Maria Cristina Gouveia Gonçalves Neto, integrated into the Special Nursing Career, with an indefinite-term employment contract. She is attending the Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Nursing at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, which began on September 15, 2025 and ends on March 31, 2027.

According to Order No. 329/2026, the equivalence is granted under the modality of temporary partial exemption, from the date of publication of the order until March 31, 2027. During this period, the nurse maintains the right to remuneration provided that absences do not exceed 30 days per year. For additional absences related to the course, there will be no right to remuneration, but the service time counts for all legal purposes.

The order also establishes obligations for the beneficiary, including providing information on the progress of the course and completing it successfully within the stipulated period. After completion, the worker is obliged to immediately resume duties at SESARAM and maintain the professional bond with the institution for a period equal to twice the duration of the exemption with remuneration. Failure to complete or withdrawal from the course determines the reimbursement of funds received.