Iniciação Científica a partir de Estudantes de Enfermagem Scientific Initiation of Nursing Students

Objective: To identify the perception of undergraduate nursing students on scientific initiation in their institutions. Material and Methods: This was a quantitative and qualitative study with data collection conducted in 2010 through a semi-structured questionnaire applied to 81 students of the 9 th semester of nursing school. This study was performed in a private higher education institution located in a city in the interior of Bahia state, Brazil. The data were analyzed by the content analysis technique for production of two empirical categories. Results: A total of 84% of students were women, aged between 18 and 29 years, with enough knowledge about the term “scientific initiation”, relating it to research activities; 59% considered it important that nursing was concerned with research development; 67% would enroll in the discipline “scientific methodology” if it was optional; 99% published some work; 81% had difficulties in publishing; 53% reported having being encouraged by professors to pursue scientific research. All the students reported the lack of research groups open to participation of students in their institutions. Conclusion: Nursing students consider scientific research important for professional training as well as for the advance of nursing, science and society. Furthermore, the students point out that their institutions and professors do not encourage scientific research activities as an incentive strategy for research development.