The purpose of this study is to characterize the demographic configuration of nursing personnel involved with the Family Health Program (FHP) in three municipalities of the state of Sao Paulo and analyse their perception about the expected professional profile in order to work in the FHP. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and the software ETHNOGRAPH was used for initial data analysis, followed by thematic analysis. The themes identified by the subjects in their narratives point to the following "expected profile": there is a perception that workers must be communicative, dedicated, involved, sympathetic and tender. They should be easy to get along with, available and helpful to the population. Although, the results points to a professional profile which contemplates a "condescending" type of assistance, at the same time they point to a new type of health assistance based on humanization and integrality, as well as the construction of citizenship.
family health; public health nursing; nursing human resources