This study examines the self-care practices carried out by nursing staff working in Basic Health Units, in light of the Orem self-care theory. This is a descriptive exploratory qualitative study, which has interviewed 30 nursing workers by means of a semi-structured script drafted from Dorothea Elizabeth Orem’s self-care requirements. Most participants have been working in nursing for 16 to 25 years, stressing that time on the job grants authority to those who talk about their daily activities. For the discussion of the results, the following categories emerged: Self-care is not a priority: “what can wait is left till later”; The work wears down the worker: “because it is exhausting!”; Life perception: “My work is my work and my life is my life”; This is how I (un) care for myself. The conclusion is that nursing workers are not prioritizing self-care, and have little time to carry it out.