The objective of this study was to analyze nursing impressions about their experiences as health care managers within the perspective of recognizing empowering elements of the Brazilian Sanitary Reform project. The study is exploratory, qualitative, and anchored in the oral history thematic. Seven nurses who worked as managers in municipalities of Paraíba, Brazil participated. The information was analyzed according to the content analysis technique. Based on their experiences, the collaborators recognized the Family Health Strategy as a reorganizer for basic care and a locus for management learning. The unpreparedness of workers for health care management and lack of financial autonomy were cited as challenges and seen as problems that negatively impacted the goals established in the Management Pact and retard the Health Reform process. The nurses, although they had received knowledge concerning the Taylorist line in their formal training, showed themselves to be sensitive to planning actions under concepts such as health surveillance, revealing the potential for change.
Health management; Unique Health System; Nursing; Gestión en salud; Sistema Único de Salud; Enfermería