[Building up nursing knowledge by means of reflexive practice]

After analyzing the prior questions which determine the nursing field contents, the authors propose "reflective practice" as the methodological and pedagogical philosophy of choice in the formation of nurses. According to the authors, the professor is responsible for developing the curriculum. As such, the professor makes decisions regarding course design, methodology, content development, and student evaluation in terms of aptitute, attitude and knowledge acquisition. Research studies seem to demonstrate that the knowledge which, in the end, aids in comprehending the context taught and which determines the decisions a professor takes, is that knowledge based on a reflective practice, a product of the professor's experiences, background, knowledge and active relationship with nursing practice. The contents in this article were presented as a conference in the Third Seminar of Professors of Nursing for General Practice and Surgery.