Professional Master's degree in Nursing: knowledge production and challenges

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the production of knowledge resulting from the professional master's degree programs in Nursing and to reflect about their perspectives for the area.METHOD: descriptive and analytical study. Data collected from the dissertations of three educational institutions that graduated students in programs of professional master's degree in Nursing between 2006 and 2012 were included.RESULTS: most of the 127 course completion studies analyzed were developed within hospital contexts; there was a focus on the organizational and healthcare areas, in the research fields care process and management, and predominance of qualitative studies. There are various products resulting from the course completion studies: evaluation of services/healthcare programs and development of processes, care or educational protocols.CONCLUSION: the programs of professional master's degree in Nursing, which are undergoing a consolidation stage, have recent production under development and there is a gap in the creation of hard technologies and innovation. They are essential for the development of innovative professional practices that articulate the healthcare and educational areas.