The objective of this study is the description of those historical legislative acts which made possible the initiation in 1974, and further development of the undergraduate Course of Teaching in Schools of Nurses at the University of São Paulo.
The legislative acts and legal dispositions are presented in chronological order ano are related to those reasons that caused them to be, as well as to those consequences which resulted from them. Data utilized in this study were drawn from the legal acts themselves as well as from unpublished documents from those schools which are cited, statements from persons directly involved and from the personal files of the author.
In addition, the personal experiences of the author as a professor in the field of Nursing Teacher Practice are also described and include activities of both professors and students involved in this course of study.
In Brazil today, because of further legislation and other forms of change, courses in Teaching Practical Nurses are essential in preparing the nurse to be instructors of courses preparing Auxiliary Nursing Personnel, as well as in the Health Programs at Junior and Senior High School, and mainly for participation in those educational activities involved in health and training of human resources for nursing.
This course makes possible the effective personal and professional development of its graduates and leads them to think more deeply about the Brazilian reality so as to improve it.