“WE EVEN FORGET THAT WE’RE NURSES”: IDENTITY PERSPECTIVES OF NURSES IN PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE CENTERS^*

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Mental health nurses experience identity conflicts at work.

2. The homogenization of professional roles pressures nurses.

3. A fragile understanding of the know-how of the psychosocial clinic.

4. A nursing process based on theories strengthens professional identity.

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To analyze the interface between the nurse’s professional identity and her work process in mental health.

Method:

An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted in six Psychosocial Care Centers in Salvador - Brazil. The data was collected between June and August 2022 through interviews with ten nurses and was subjected to thematic analysis.

Results:

the thematic analysis resulted in one category: Identity conflicts and ambiguities, with the themes “Core know-how and the identity of the ‘traditional nurse’” and “Field know-how and the vagueness of identity contours”.

Conclusion:

The results point to the need for more in-depth research into the nurse’s know-how, which includes the fulfillment of her private activities that are congruent with the production of care in the field of psychosocial care.

KEYWORDS:
Mental Health Care; Nurses; Role of the Nursing Professional; Mental Health Services; Work.