This historical-documental study, interpreted under the light of Pierre Bourdieu's theory, was performed with the following objectives: to identify and describe the agreements and disagreements between movements that promote the creation and implementation of secondary-level nursing schools/courses in seven private model-reference hospitals located in São Paulo, from 1945 to 1989; and to explain the intentions of the studied institutions in creating and implementing these schools/courses. The results provided evidence of the agreements and disagreements synthetized in the items: opening and closing of courses, maintenance and direction by religious institutions, sources of funding, objectives and purposes, number of graduates and impact on the workforce. It was concluded that the hospitals created their schools at different times, but their objectives were in agreement, which included: preparing their workforce, use of student services, obtaining tax exemption and support and aggregating cultural, social and economical assets, and, consequently, symbolic power in the battle for reputation.
Education; Education; Schools; History of nursing