This case study analyzes nurses' political participation in shared management in the Brazilian Public Health Care System (Sistema Único de Saúde). The researchers' initial statement is that the nurse has a relevant political participation in local health system management. From that we identify the nurse's conception about political participation and the space in which participation is exercised. Based on pre-defined categories, we utilize the thematic analysis technique to interpret how this political participation in health care management occurs. We adopted a qualitative, exploratory approach and the data was collected using semi-structured interviews as well as observation of nurses in different positions in a local, consolidated, health care management system in a municipality in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The results indicate the nurses' restricted view about their political role in health care management; their incipient political participation; and the low value placed upon this kind of participation, despite the fact they are occupying different, relevant, and political-technical functions in the local public health care system.
Politics; Single Health System; Nursing