[A proposal of the essential elements for teaching the process of nursing care and its application to the surgical patient].

Greater dynamism is advocated in the teaching-learning process of Nursing Care by proposing essential skills which are both logical and specific, necessary and sufficient, to provide people (healthy or diseased), the family and the community with more efficient and quicker nursing cares. The theoretical foundations of the invariants proposed are stated and a description is given of the operational method for evaluating students' case discussions by using a measuring scale in a surgical patient with hydric, electrolytical and acid-basic unbalance. The results reached are satisfactory since 50% of the students were evaluated as "very high". Continuation of the study with other groups of students is recommended.