Introduction:

Society demands that nursing graduates meet health-related needs, ensuring their social relevance, which justifies understanding their social contribution.

Objective:

To delimit the social contribution of nursing in disciplinary advancement.

Methods:

A qualitative methodology was applied using a systematic review method of indexed articles from high-impact databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, and others. A total of 10 articles from the past five years were selected, with data organized in a matrix for systematizing findings. A document analysis technique was employed to extract data on the social contribution of nursing in disciplinary advancement, presented in codes, categories, and central themes.

Results:

The results revealed four categories: 1) scientific and theoretical advancement evidencing nursing's social contribution, 2) academic transformation for disciplinary innovation in nursing, 3) practice innovation for nursing’s social relevance, and 4) technological empowerment for nursing’s social relevance. The discussion focused on these four categories.

Conclusions:

Nursing has evolved into a discipline with a social and humanistic approach, recognized as a science transforming academia for a deeper understanding of oneself and others. It highlights nursing’s role in holistic and technological care.