Integrated Nursing Curriculum in Brazil: A 13-Year Experience

Abstract

This article aims to describe the guiding principles and the operationalization of the integrated curriculum\rof the undergraduate course in Nursing of a public university in southern Brazil. This is an experience report\rby 3 curriculum managing professors and 2 graduate students in Nursing, who experience the pedagogical\rproposal. The analysis comprised official documents and 2 books on this integrated Nursing curriculum,\rwhich has been developed for 13 years; it is presented in 4 topics: guiding principles; curricular\rstructure; role of the professor and student; and collegiate management. We present reflections on the\rcurriculum, expressing the framework supporting the proposal and the developmental strategies adopted.\rThis experience points out the dialogical movement of participants in this education action, i.e. professors\rand students, from a critical and innovative perspective of nurse’s training. We conclude that the pathway\rreported highlights key themes of the pedagogical proposal, such as inseparability of theory and practice;\rthe diversification of teaching strategies; the successive close approaches between contents in interdisciplinary\rmodules; learning evaluation from a two-dimensional perspective; early introduction of the student\rto different settings of professional practice; and the democratic and participatory management process\rin a collective construction. We hope to contribute to other institutions trying to develop an innovative\rmethodology for nurse’s training.