Professional insertion of registered nurses: a study with alumni.

Objective: To analyze the professional insertion of registered nurses, taking into account the current structure of work in the health area and in the training of technical workers, from the perspective of training of professionals who will develop their activities in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Method: Quantitative, cross-sectional, and exploratory study, with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test, carried out with 105 alumni of a nursing undergraduate course. An electronic questionnaire was applied.

Results: The alumni worked as nurses (n = 59, 56.2%) or teachers (n = 18, 17.1%). The areas with the greatest absorption of alumni were hospitals (n = 37, 62.7%), the public sector (n = 35, 59.3%), and high-school level technical professional education (n = 16, 88.9%). Most participants were dissatisfied with their income (n = 56, 72.7%) and pointed out that the received values were incompatible with the work (n = 59, 76.6%).

Conclusion: The alumni faced problems in developing their professional activities, especially because of the current policies, which establish limits on the recognition of healthcare workers and education as a public asset. Progress in the recognition of the profession of registered nurse is necessary, given the relevance of these professionals in the health and education systems and the nature of the profession's practice of providing education and care, which have a transformative potential.