In the context of current discussions on the division of labor in health, it is pertinent to reflect on the autonomy of nursing care to the elderly. This study aims to analyze the autonomy construction of professionals involved in gerontological nursing in Brazil from 1970 to 1996. The study is descriptive and qualitative, with a socio-historical approach, that uses oral history and is performed with 14 nurses, pioneers in the area. The categories found after the analysis are: 1. Constituents of autonomy in the gerontological nursing, and 2. Evaluation of autonomy in gerontological nursing. The results bring the constituents of azautonomy as self knowledge, professional attitude, application of the care system and role of nursing delimitation in the multidisciplinary team. There is the recognition of room for autonomous performance in the area, however, consolidation is in construction process, intrinsically linked to the expertise and professional training that enables autonomous performance.
Aged; Geriatric nursing; History of nursing; Professional autonomy