The objective of this study was to identify the acknowledgement of welcoming as a form of nursing care in the experience of primary care nurses. This is a qualitative research, guided by Alfred Schutz' social phenomenology. The participants were nine nurses working in health centers in the city of Campinas-SP, Brazil. The fieldwork took place through interviews in 2013 and data were analyzed according to the steps of social phenomenology researchers. It was identified in the research that the nurses were capable of recognizing the translation of welcoming into qualified listening, humanization, accountability and commitment to the needs of the other. In practice, however, welcoming was not acknowledged as nursing care and was characterized by occasional, fragmented and complaint-oriented visits. For this action to be acknowledged as nursing care, the nurses need to focus on relational care.
User embracement; Family health strategy; Nursing