This paper studied the political process of the nurses of Rio de Janeiro. The period of the study, from 1978 to 1984, attended the desire to cover the management periods of the first two elected executive teams for the Nurses' Union of Rio de Janeiro (Sindicato dos Enfermeiros do Rio de Janeiro SERJ). Detailed objectives were to analyze the trajectory of the Nurses' Union of Rio de Janeiro movement, the salience of the Brazilian union movement between 1978 and 1984, as well as relate the union actions developed by the Nurses' Union Rio de Janeiro with the initiatives of the second elected executive team of the SERJ, and discuss the implications of these actions towards the advancement of nursing as a profession in the health area. Primary sources were written documents and oral testaments from nurses who participated in management of both executive team of the SERJ from 1978-1984. The data evidenced that the SERJ, throughout its history, has fulfilled an important position in the construction of the professional/union identity of nurses.
History of nursing; Nursing research; Association