[Popular knowledge and health education in nursing training]

From the point of view of including the health reform in the pedagogical projects of nursing courses, in accordance with curriculum guidelines, it contextualises the formation of a nurse for health education and the importance of bringing practice and care together, as well as includes the results of research with nurses in seven towns in rural communities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is a qualitative survey with data collection by means of participatory observation, interviews, and document-based content analysis. These data were obtained in activities observed in the work of nurses in health education. It concludes that the work of nurses was full of educational actions, both collective and individual ones. On the other hand, undergraduate courses do not sufficiently prepare students to perform this role.