A vivência no último ano de um curso de enfermagem

Objective: To understand the stressful experience of nursing students during their final training year. Method: Application and analysis of semi structured interviews with the target group based on grounded theory analysis. Results: Three substantial categories emerged: intellectual helplessness, disorganization of time and toxic emotions, besides fourcontextual categories, two of which describe sources of stress: Unattended Needs and Interpersonal Challenges and two others describing interactions: Signs of Stress (symptoms) and Coping (trying to deal with situations through voluntary sacrifice and deprivation and by perspective taking). From these, a central category emerged that describes a form of Complex Tightrope Walking representing cohabitation with a diversity of situations that challenge the student’s capacities and customary life style. Conclusion: Mitigating activities can beproposed, including early preparatory practices during the course, that provide more advanced capacities to face the final year’s internship and scientific activities. Also, the role of advisors and supervisors as mentors should be explicitly consolidated.