The objective of this qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study was to describe nursing students' conceptions of the physical examination practice, highlighting its subjective dimensions and discussing the teaching of this practice baesd on clinical nursing care. Techniques for data collection included semi-structured interviews of fourth semester Nursing students and peer observation, performed with the aid of teachers, monitors, and nurses. The students' reports were analyzed according to hermeneutic-dialectics and grouped into the following categories: interpersonal communication; ethics and aesthetics of the body; and technologies involved in teaching. The activity of physical examination must consider its relational and technical-scientific complexity, promoting the humanization of nursing care.
Physical examination; Teaching; Nursing; Psychology; Interpersonal relations