Objective to analyze the main challenges of nursing in facing Coronavirus Disease-19 under the perspective of nurse managers in the west macro-region of Santa Catarina. Method it consists of a qualitative study, whose data collection was done through interviews with nurses who represent the management of health care network in the region. The analysis technique used was the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS). Results the legacy of Florence Nightingale to contemporary nursing practice; the weaknesses and the technical operational capacity with which nursing faces in the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS); the strategies for strengthening the Unified Health System and qualification of nursing practices; and the potentialities identified in the pandemic scenario were the main ideas that emerged. In the bicentennial year of Florence Nightingale, nurses recognize her legacy to public health practice and management. Several variables interfere in professional practice, such as epidemiological aspects, working conditions, and care management in a pandemic. Conclusion the pandemic scenario has taken nursing to a position of practical and scientific protagonism as a result of its proactivity and leadership in the search for knowledge based on scientific evidence.