I Developed a Professional Attitude at the University, but Among the Poor Families I Developed Personality

The Brazilian Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Nursing Courses have gradually encouraged home visits in differently realities by advocating the training of reflective and critical professional skills with regard to multiples dimensions of health of the human beings. Based on this justification, the objective of this study was to understand the meaning of the home visits for Brazilian nursing student in poor families. The Grounded Theory approach was used in this study. Data collection was performed between December 2017 and July 2018 through interviews with students and newly graduated nurses who are working in the Primary Health Care and carry out routine home visits. The meaning of home visits to poor families by a nursing student resulted in an intensive personal and professional (re)organization process: “I developed a professional attitude at the university, but among the poor families I developed personality”. Initially the students demonstrated uncertainty, disappointment and frustration, but soon as they take up the challenge, the nursing students rethink concepts, practices, types of personality and social responsibility. It is concluded that regular curricular activities with poor families have the possibility of extending the life expectancy of families and transcending the academic knowledge limits of students'.