Introduction:

The increasing need for continuous nursing interventions in child daycare settings is an understudied topic. In addition, the presence of a nurse in these facilities is still far from being a reality. In the Nursing School of Coimbra, students’ clinical training in the area of Child Health and Pediatric Nursing takes place in nurseries/kindergartens.

Objectives:

To identify nursing teachers’ perceptions of the most important aspects of nurses’ role in nurseries/kindergartens.

Methods:

A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with seven teachers between December 2016 and February 2017. Each interview lasted 30 to 45 minutes. Data were analyzed though the content analysis technique using categorical data analysis. The study was accepted by the President of the Nursing School and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing.

Results:

Some teachers believe that nurseries/kindergartens should have full-time nurses. Most teachers believe that nurses play a key role in these settings by working with children, families, and other professionals in collaboration with health structures, the school, and the family systems. Nurses’ presence provides parents with a sense of security regarding their children's well-being and allows reducing work absenteeism.

Conclusion:

Not all teachers share the same opinion about nurses’ presence and role in nurseries/kindergartens. Nurses play a key role in the intervention with children, families, and other professionals, as well as in areas such as management, research, and teaching.

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