Objective:

Through their own description and interpretation to understand the experiences of unregistered nursing graduates while solving clinical problems.

Methods:

This is a qualitative, descriptive and interpretative study. With a phenomenological tradition and method, this study uses in-depth structured interviews on eight unregistered nursing graduates assigned to a hospital in Sinaloa, Mexico. The main instrument is the interview guide. The selection of participants was intentional until theoretical saturation was reached. Based on the Nurses Ethics Code of Mexico, and also on the Helsinki Declaration, participants were given informed consent documentation as well as protection of their intimacy and confidentiality. From a thematic type content analysis which was aligned with Souza Minayo guidelines, four categories emerged.

Results:

From the category "Problem solving, a professional art" four sub-categories were proposed: (a) uncertainty and ambiguity while identifying and solving a problem; (b) perception of the problem as a unique case; (c) presence of conflict of values during the resolution of the problem; and (d) practical knowledge-learning while watching, realizing and doing.

Conclusions:

At the beginning of their social service, unregistered nursing graduates show difficulties, not only to identify and solve clinical problems, but also to understand the meaning of solving the problems based on their own conceptualization. However, as they near the end of their social services, the art of nursing gradually emerges from them as they manifest better performances at identifying and solving the diverse care situations of their patients.