Basic care nursing internship: Challenges for it to be effective

Abstract

Objective: To examine the challenges for nursing education in Basic Care to be effective, based on the collective discourses of the actors involved. Method: This exploratory, descriptive study of Basic Care nursing internships took place between March, 2013, and January, 2015, at two universities in northeast Brazil. Participants were seven students, three teachers and six preceptors, selected on pre-established criteria. Collective Subject Discourse was used with the support of Quantiqualisoft© software. Results: The main challenges for an internship to be effective were identified as being the interconnection between theory and practice, and integration between education and work. These were understood as challenges of an education and structural order, denoting necessary participation by the public health system. Conclusion: There was shown to be a need to restructure internships, particularly to construct an agenda of commitment and duties between university and municipal administration.