[Characteristics of the nursing instructor which facilitate the process of becoming a nurse. Preliminary note]

Our experience as nursing educator allows us to affirm that, as a general rule, there is a constant concern on that part of nursing teachers from the various schools and universities for the formation of the future professionals. Thus, with the purpose of improving the quality of teaching, these educations continually analyze and evaluate their programs, planning and implementing new or different theoretical and practical activities. However, notwithstanding that concern, we have observed that the professional behaviour of most of staff RN's, especially those recent graduated, does not reflect much of what was taught to them in nursing school. Often staff, nurses manifest dissatisfaction with their professional practice, although little or nothing seems to be done by them in order to change their professional reality and obtain self-achievement. Without any doubt, there are countless number of factors intervening and determining the above outlined situation, but, certainly one of them is the quality that these nurses attribute to the different learning situations experienced by them while students in their nursing programs. The person of the nursing instructor is always a relevant component in these situations. It is inquestionable that the nursing teacher, as any teacher, exerts a great influence upon the quality of the learning experiences of his students, as well as upon their lifes. By way of his attitude towards the educational process, particularly with respect to the subject of this process - the student - the teacher may, or may not, contribute in a consistent and significant way to the emotional maturation and to the personal and professional growth of this students, facilitating, therefore, the process by which these students become professionals. The lack of studies done in our midst on these fundamentals aspects of the nursing teaching - learning process, seems to indicate that, in general, nursing teacher confer a greater importance to the quality of teaching thin to the quality of learning. Concerned with these observations in a time which we consider critical for professional nursing in Brazil, we have been intensely motivated to identify the characteristics of the nursing teacher that enriches the student's learning experiences, and, consequently, facilitate to him the process of becoming a nurse.