This qualitative research aimed at identifying the nurses' perception of their professional training starting from the education provided by undergraduate studies, and identifying aspects in education which contribute for facing the conflicts and dilemmas of the work routine. Data was collected between August and December of 2009, from eight nurses of a public federal hospital in the far south of Brazil, through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data treatment, two emerging categories: weaknesses in the formative process, and strengths in the professional education. It has been realized that finding alternatives to better fulfill the needs of the professional practice is a challenge that requires not only knowledge of the gaps left by undergraduate studies, but also ways of consolidating the strengths present in the education process.
Nursing; Nursing Education; Research on Nursing Evaluation; Ethics