This descriptive, qualitative research aimed to describe how Nursing Administration professors perceive the development of nursing managerial competencies. The participants were seven Registered Nurses who are nursing professors from six universities from Curitiba-PR, Brasil. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews carried out from April to June of 2008 and then submitted to content analysis. Seven predetermined categories were analyzed: definition of professional competence; nurses' difficulties in managerial practice; managerial competencies required in nursing; contributions of undergraduate course and professional practice in developing these competencies; alternatives for developing or improving these competencies; subjects that should be outlined in managerial development programs and the role of the organizations which hire nurses. The participants unveiled the relevance of the role of the undergraduate courses, the nurses themselves, and the health organizations in developing and improving nursing professional managerial competencies.
Nursing; Professional competence; Health administration