Objective: Reflect on the role of advanced practice nursing (APN) in the context of Brazilian primary health care.
Method: analysis of the main scientific productions and of the discussion on the implementation of APN.
Results: there are favorable areas for the work of APN in primary health care, especially in the family health strategy. Professional master's degree and nurse residency programs constitute powerful training spaces. As a challenge, standardized definition of the roles of advanced practice nurses and of minimum training for work are necessary.
Final considerations: researches that contribute to understanding the perspectives, facilitators, and barriers for APN are necessary, as well as determining the population's health needs and expectations concerning the role of these professionals.