[Higher education in nursing: the faculty work process in different institutional contexts].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the characteristics of faculty work in nursing higher education. METHOD An exploratory qualitative study with a theoretical-methodological framework of dialectical and historical materialism. The faculty work process was adopted as the analytical category, grounded on conceptions of work and professionalism. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 faculty members from three higher education institutions in the city of São Paulo, classified according to the typology of institutional contexts. RESULTS The faculty members at these higher education institutions are a heterogeneous group, under different working conditions. Intensification and precarious conditions of the faculty work is common to all three contexts, although there are important distinctions in the practices related to teaching, research and extension. CONCLUSION Faculty professionalization can be the starting point for analyzing and coping with such a distinct reality of faculty work and practice.