Necessary skills for the Family Health Units manager: a clipping of the nurse’s practice

ABSTRACT Exploratory descriptive qualitative study with the objective of analyzing and discussing the necessary competencies for the Primary Health Care (PHC) manager. The scenario was the Family Health Units of Angra dos Reis and as participants of the research there were 10 statutory nurses who had been working as managers for over a year. Data were produced through focus group and weighted based on Bardin content analysis. Three categories emerged from the study: Leadership management skills; Managerial skills relating to resource management and care; Managerial skills related to the mobilization of cognitive and affective resources. The findings indicate that the competences described by the participants are in line with the narratives in other studies and highlight the need to invest in a training that allows reflecting and seeking development of managerial skills for PHC managers, as the category is under construction, requiring improvement and formal recognition beyond ministerial ordinances. These findings are related to Paulo Freire’s thought as a basis for Permanent Education, a strategy for changing the reality found.