Introduction:

In the university academic context, concrete risks can be evidenced regarding the consumption of licit or illicit drugs, due to various factors that must be studied to establish future prevention actions.

Objective:

To identify the individual responsibility of nursing students in the prevention of drug use, according to Orem's perspective.

Methods:

The phenomenological method was used. The experiences of university nursing students about their self-care when faced with drug use were described and interpreted. The subjects studied were chosen by non-probabilistic intentional sampling. Thirty key informants studying nursing at the University of Guayaquil were studied. The information of interest was collected through in-depth interviews with the prior consent of the participants.

Results:

The following categories of analysis were obtained: self-care according to the person concept, self-care according to the environment concept, self-care according to the health concept and self-care according to the nursing concept. Nursing students were shown to have the theoretical and scientific competencies for their self-care in relation to drug use. The person concept was highlighted, since the students felt vulnerable in terms of managing their self-esteem and controlling themselves.

Conclusions:

The university environment studied has negative influence on the disposition of drug-free consumption, which shows that bioethical behavior does meet the principles of the discipline.

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