Different factors affect nurses' work relations with consequences on their professional freedom/autonomy. This can be understood in different ways, according to philosophical works and also lead to competing conclusions. Considering some of these concepts, this essay was carried out aiming to reflect on nurses' professional freedom/autonomy focusing on some philosophical currents regarding freedom. From the considerations, it can be inferred that nursing freedom/autonomy, protected by Nursing Professionals' Code of Ethics, is correlated to an objective possibility where the professional has action power within an array of faculties (or possibilities) and facing the diversities in his/her work relations still needs to overcome hindrances to achieve his/her ideal of freedom.
Nursing; Professional autonomy; Professional practice