[Hospital nursing service--introducing this silent giant]

This article shows the importance of the nursing service in the health organizations. The metaphor "giant" will be used to describe the extent of this service, and the term "silent" will be used to refer to the little acknowledgment the nursing service receives from the community. The extent and complexity of the nursing assistance is vital for the effectiveness of the processes of health care, however its structure and organization is unknown by the community. The nursing service congregates a great number of personnel with different levels of education. The planning, organization, structure and operation of this service follow the principles of the General Theory of Administration. Knowledge from this area has also been used to help health institutions to achieve its goals and objectives. This study also approaches the client and the quality of health assistance, pointing out the need of reexamining the administrative model adopted and looking forward to systemic alternatives.