Entrepreneurial tendency of Nursing students: a comparison between graduating beginners and undergraduate students*

Objective: to compare the entrepreneurial tendency between beginner and graduating students from undergraduate Nursing courses. Method: this is a cross-sectional and quantitative research study. Data was collected from 377 Nursing students from four undergraduate Nursing courses in different Brazilian regions, 162 of them in first year and 215 in last year. Data was collected by means of a social and academic characterization form and the General Entrepreneurial Tendency Test. Data analysis was conducted by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: the scores of the beginner students were below the mean in all dimensions of the instrument. The senior year students were above the test mean in the Impulse and determination dimension. A statistically significant difference was identified in relation to the course period and to the entrepreneurial tendency in the following dimensions: Need for achievement (p=0.001) and Impulse and determination (p=0.000). Conclusion: the results indicate the importance of investment by universities in the development of an entrepreneurial culture in higher education in Nursing.