ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To make a dialog about the nursing professionals' perception regarding how they cope with COVID-19 and the repercussions on their practice and personal life. METHODS: This is a qualitative study, typified as participatory action research, which was carried out using Paulo Freire's Research Itinerary linked to the steps of the Nursing Process. To that end, the following guiding question was launched: How is it for you to act as a nursing professional in the hospital area during the COVID-19 pandemic? RESULTS: Three syntheses emerged, which guided the discussion: The challenges of being a nursing professional in the pandemic. The learning and growth that the challenges of the pandemic have generated and Nursing as the protagonist of care. The Virtual Culture Circle was a space where, despite the limitations, provided a social interaction among the participants, with mutual exchange of experiences, with many reflections, besides expressions of feelings, experiences and learning obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses perceived that, although this moment highlights and appreciates the profession, nursing is overloaded and exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with repercussions on professional and personal life. The care for those who care needs to be planned and implemented in different scenarios, and the Nursing Process built based on theoretical and scientific knowledge guide the effective improvement of the quality of health care.