Nutritional care from the nursing teacher's point of view

OBJECTIVE: To identify the perceptions and practices of teachers from an undergraduate nursing course with respect to the teaching of nutrition, as a subsidy to pedagogical proposals. METHODS: The survey was carried out in a private university in the state of Sao Paulo with the participation of thirteen teachers, employing qualitative methodology by means of a questionnaire in the first stage. In the second stage, the focus group technique was employed with the participation of five teachers. RESULTS: The teaching of nutrition in the undergraduate courses of the nursing teachers did not contemplate the demands of professional practice. They consider there has been a decline in the quality of nutritional care in recent years and have difficulty with respect to such care both in the hospital and in the public health area. They also have difficulty with teamwork. CONCLUSION: The group discussion created a propitious atmosphere for discussing the problem of the professional practice of nursing as related to nutritional care, propitiating self-criticism concerning their partnership with other health professionals. The teaching of nutrition should contemplate topics such as care/caring and interdisciplinarity so as to better prepare the student for practice