Health, sickness and nursing: their social Representations for nursing students

Abstract

The practices of health professionals require constant reflection, which consists of knowing the concepts of health and illness that affect these professionals. From academic training onwards, these conceptions must be unveiled, seeking to train critical, reflective and reality-transforming professionals. Knowing whether students identify the existence of innovative practices becomes important, as these are also responsible for the transformations in the social representations of ideas and objects. In this study, the sample consisted of fifteen Nursing undergraduates from the Federal University of São Carlos, at different moments of their academic training. Semi-structured interviews were carried out, which were transcribed and the content of the speeches worked on in the ALCESTE 4.0 software. The data obtained was analyzed in light of the Theory of Social Representations. Although the concept of health as physical well-being and the concept of nursing practice as being restricted to its biological aspects still persist, it can be seen that, during the course of graduation, there have been changes in students' representations in relation to their conceptions of health and illness and their nursing practice.