[Nursing as a discipline: what scientific knowledge field identifies the profession?].

A critical reflection is proposed on the knowledge that has been produced by Nursing, that identifies it as a discipline, and on whether that knowledge is enough, based on the positive sciences and therefore with a framework of science and scientific discipline in order to build the fundamentals of care, which is the object with which Nursing works. Under a historical perspective, this paper analyzes how Brazilian Nursing, especially since the 1990s, has been dedicating itself to theoretical and practical problems and to concrete experiences on care anchored to various knowledge dimensions, signalizing the need for continuity of knowledge production that is linked to practical and routine experiences of Nursing, including other knowledge approaches that are focused on ontological, existential, dialogical and other dimensions, because the health-disease process is always complex and filled with ethical values which express the singularity of men.