[Prejudice in nursing: perception of nurses educated in different decades]

The objective of this qualitative study, of a historical-social nature, was to learn and understand the perceptions of a group of nurses, who graduated in different decades, regarding the prejudice and forms of coping involved in choosing the profession, during their university studies, or in professional practice. Oral Life History and content analysis were used. The EEUSP Research Ethics Committee approved this study. The following categories were obtained from the subjects' statements: prejudicial attitudes when choosing nursing as a career; prejudice noticed during the course of nursing education; and prejudice experienced within professional practice. Regarding the forms of coping, collaborators reported that dissemination of information about nursing is important, as is skillful practice and teamwork. This study contributed to a better understanding regarding ways of confronting situations concerning prejudice, thus making it possible to seek strategies for social recognition and appreciation of the profession.