A qualitative, exploratory study carried out from March to December 2002 in a university hospital based in the far south of the country, which aimed at identifying the nurses' perception on the administrative actions exercised in their daily work. Thematic categories emerged from data survey and content analysis in the interviews carried out with 10 nurses. We emphasize Category I: Administrative Actions as a Management Instrument; and Category II: Administrative Actions as Direct/Indirect Care. In the first one, administrative actions are perceived as planning, coordination, leadership, control, information retention, and organization; the second one depicts administrative actions as an integral part of nursing care. It has been observed that many administrative actions exercised by nurses are inherent to their role, in keeping with the Nurse's Professional Exercise Code, and they are critical for care.
nursing; administration; nursing work; administrative actions