Entrepreneurship in nursing: perception of academics during graduation

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the perceptions of nursing students about undergraduate entrepreneurship, carried out at the State University of Maranhão, Campus Coroatá. With a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory approach, it used semi-structured interviews and the IRAMUTEQ software for textual analysis, applying Descending Hierarchical Classification and similarity analysis. The results revealed that entrepreneurship is seen as an innovative area, but still little explored in the academic context. The similarity analysis highlighted frequent lexicons linked to innovation and the need to broaden the vision of the profession. The Descending Hierarchical Classification highlighted the importance of the discipline in training and the impacts of the absence of content related to entrepreneurship in the academic curriculum, which tends to focus on the hospital-centric model. Students demonstrated a growing interest in entrepreneurship, but identified limitations in academic training, which prioritize care and entrepreneurial skills education. It is concluded that it is essential to integrate entrepreneurship into the curriculum, in addition to offering extracurricular courses, institutional partnerships and specific programs that encourage entrepreneurial initiatives. These changes can expand opportunities in nursing practice and contribute to a positive impact on public health.