Introduction: nursing has been moving towards the formation of its own body of knowledge through increased research and technological advances. However, the social image of the profession identified in society seems to reflect an invisible professional with an outdated professional image associated with negative stereotypes. Aim: to analyze the presence of negative stereotypes associated with nurses’ social image in the literature. Method: integrative literature review study that included scientific articles published from 2007 to 2013, in the databases: BVS, CINAHL / EBSCO, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science. Results and Discussion: fourteen studies dealing with the image of nursing met inclusion criteria, 57.1% showed low incidence of negative stereotypes, 35.7% showed high incidence of negative stereotypes and 7.2% did not find negative stereotypes. Negative stereotypes such as low status and subordination to the medical field were evidenced. However positive stereotypes such as careerist were also identified. Closing Remarks: the results indicate the possibility of improvement in the social image of nursing. These stereotypes about the profession remain in the social imagination, causing anachronism, making difficult the recognition and appreciation of this profession.