To understand the current concept of health and to critically evaluate the pertinence of the existing definitions concerning health is not easy for the students in their first year of Nursing. These students are forced to study in detail such an abstract concept for the first time. However, an educational approach to this topic is essential, as along with treatment of other concepts, it will form the basis of the professional design of nursing care that the students will develop in the future. Therefore, it is desirable to provide access in their education to a concept of health that is not authoritative in any way, but rather a broad authentic concept formed from a realistic perspective of life, of people and of collectives. For such intentions, active and group methodologies should be followed that induce the student to reflect, integrate knowledge and experience, and grasp and critically analyse reality.

In view of the convictions presented above, the following experience is presented, gained during five consecutive academic courses with first-year students of Nursing, in the University Nursing School "La Paz" in Madrid.