The article analyzes the role of biographies in constructing a professional identity in the field of nursing and their use as a teaching tool in the history of the field at both undergraduate and graduate nursing courses. It surveys some biographies of women who contributed to the development of the field and who left a legacy that has inspired its providers. The conclusion is that biographies can play a role in nursing education, contributing to the construction of a professional identity by conveying the field's values.
biographies; professional identity; historiography of nursing; professional education; nursing