The objective of this qualitative-exploratory was to learn about the process of developing knowledge in nursing care in terms of the experiences of the students who attend the seventh semester of a Nursing Course located in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from April to June/2007. Data collection was performed using the focal group technique and the information was analyzed using the thematic content analysis, which revealed one theme with three categories: Reflecting upon nursing education: the nurse's view: the knowledge of the profession; the process of education: learning about nursing care; and Expectations regarding the end of the course. The results showed that the care theme permeated the students' experiences, both implicitly and explicitly, although without a consistent philosophical and theoretical background.