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Describe nursing theory
Nursing theorists and theories essay
Describe nursing theory
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Descriptive Reflection Throughout my nursing career I have never truly understood or accepted nursing theory as anything of great importance. Truthfully through previous courses I found myself wondering how nursing theorists even considered themselves a part of nursing at all. Nursing theorists’ views in my eyes were so drastically removed from what was actually occurring medically within my patients that I felt that the entire subject was worthless. However, knowing that I was once again required to take a course in nursing theory, I sat out to achieve a goal; not simply to pass this course with an “A,” but to have a firm grasp and understanding of what a nursing theorists’ work was accomplishing for the field of nursing.
What I Found
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This is because nursing theory should be the grounding within each nurse’s care, giving reason and justification to each motion or interaction in the patient care arena. Evidence-based practice I believe drives the medical field into new and great places always advancing the field of medicine and the complexity of care that may be offered to the extremely ill patient population; however, that is where evidence-based practice stops. One who only embraces evidence-based practice will never truly have the greatest patient outcomes compared to one who embraces theory as well as evidence-based practices. To me this concept is like attempting to look through a window that has been fogged over on a cold winter day. You can vaguely make out large images on the other side, but it’s not until you wipe the fog away that you can truly appreciate the great details that are on the other side. Evidence-based practices afford individuals with the ability to treat the “large images” whereas theory removes the fog allowing for each nurse to see greater details. With all this being said, it is important to note that a nurse must do more than simply research different theories; each nurse must be understand their patients’ needs as well as their own goals for each patient (Kenney, 2013). It is this inward reflection that is key to proper nursing theory
The nursing profession is considered both an art and a science. An example of the science of nursing is the theory and evidence based practice guidelines (EBP), which influence a nurses practice. The art of nursing is fluid of bringing science and patient care into nursing practice. Nurses in all levels of nursing educational programs should study nursing theory. According to Eun-Ok (2015) theory evaluation has declined and it is essential to developing nursing knowledge; which, leads to the development of nursing discipline. Nursing theory should be continually evolving as current health care trends evolve. The best way to accomplish this is through incorporating theory in academia and nursing
Levin, R. F. (2010). Integrating evidence-based practice with educational theory in clinical practice for nurse practitioners: bridging the theory practice gap. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 24, 213-216. doi: 10.1891/1541-6577.24.4.213
Parker M. E., & Smith M. C. (2010). Nursing theories and nursing practice (3rd ed.).
Theory’s responsibility is to provide nurses with standards that reinforce practice, as well as, for future nursing understanding and delivery. Basically, it provides nursing professionals with a tested way of thought on how to handle certain situations with proven results. The importance of nursing theories to nursing research is the knowledge offered gives nurses the foundation for communicating with others and best practice. Middle range theory according to McEwen & Wills (2011, p 35) are theories that have concrete concepts, that are specific, incorporate a measured number of concepts and characteristics of the real world and are tested for accuracy.
Meleis, A. I. (2012). Theoretical nursing: Development & progress (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins. [CourseSmart version]. Retrieved from http://www.coursesmart.com
Nursing is a complex profession full of challenges and rewards. To grow as professionals, it is important that nurses know and understand the many theory’s that exists in nursing and respect their impact on the profession. It is essential for nurses to learn from past theorist for nursing to move forward. This paper will correlate the philosophy and values of two nursing theorist with a unique perspective of each concept and define the nursing metaparadigm.
Applying theory into today’s nursing practice takes place when the nurse can understand and appreciate the theory's value (Health Compliance Passport, 2014). The nurse is educated and precise in their ability to apply the skills and knowledge into practice. The nurse’s ability to organize principles, evaluate the patient, develop a plan of care and implement the theory into the healing process (Health Compliance Passport, 2014). All theories are different, but very similar in their own way once broken down. The nurse must critically think and apply her knowledge base of nursing practice and nursing theory.
To make good nursing decisions, nurses require an internal roadmap with knowledge of nursing theories. Nursing theories, models, and frameworks play a significant role in nursing, and they are created to focus on meeting the client’s needs for nursing care. According to McEwen and Wills (2014), conceptual models and theories could create mechanisms, guide nurses to communicate better, and provide a “systematic means of collecting data to describe, explain, and predict” about nursing and its practice (p. 25). Most of the theories have some common concepts; others may differ from one theory to other. This paper will evaluate two nursing theorists’ main theories include Sister Callista Roy’s
Because these theory are known to have direct linkages to research and practice Most of these theory are developed from research, observation and experiences I do believe that Most nurses will agree with me if I say that the evidence based practice is a main engine for health well-being .Middle range theory signifies a growth of knowledge development in Nursing. Middle range theories offer valuable organizing frameworks for phenomena being researched by interdisciplinary terms. These theories are useful to nurses and persons from other discipline in framing phenomena of shared concern. (Archive, 2015).Middle-range theories are useful in addressing the problems of nursing, especially among vulnerable populations. Although middle-range theories address specific phenomena within nursing practice, the theories are broad enough to be applied to a variety of patient populations, and across many practice settings (Mareno, 2015). The language of middle –range theories is that used in nursing practice to deal with patient care phenomena such as pain ,unpleasant symptoms, empathy, uncertainty, comfort, change, lifestyle health promotion, relationships ,and deliberative planning for
Nursing is the balance between art and science. Caring is an important aspect that patients expect but also is knowledge in current practices. Integrating current practices into care improves quality outcomes. Evidence-based practice is the best approach in planning care for patients, it is the basis for proven, factual outcomes that we expect. Experience and personal opinions are great assets but are not sound ideals to provide safe and effective care. Evidence-based practice uses clinical judgment with selective research to deliver the most effective, cost-efficient outcomes (Wilkinson et al., 2014). Standards are held to the highest of quality, helping to reduce or eliminate errors. Standardizing healthcare to science and evidence-based practice helps to reduce variations among facilities (Stevens, 2013). All healthcare professionals need to adopt this practice in order for its success. With more participation, quality of care increases, the patient is the core
The best way to look at nursing theories is like the foundational block. Nursing theories are important set the tone of how a nurse will practice. A nurse will use intuition, practice, past expertise and events, and couple with learned theories to work every day in order to give the best patient care. it is all the more important to appreciate what first advanced nursing beyond mechanisms of practice to becoming a knowledge-based force in healthcare: That force is nursing theory and the theoretical thinking and research that generate theory. The complexity and depth of nursing are reflected in its structure of knowledge, which includes discipline-specific components such as philosophies, theories, and research and practice methodologies”( Reed, 2006). Patient care is a wide topic, but a key role in a patient’s care is the patient themselves, an educated patient is vital to their well being and higher level of care.
Marriner-Tomey, A., & Alligood, M. R. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby/Elsevier.
Nursing theory can be applied to resolve nursing problems or issues, irrespective of the field of practice. A nursing theory benefits nurses and the patients that are in his or her charge. . Depending on the issue or problem that is needed to be solved determines what theory needs to be used. Nursing theory started with Florence Nightingale. She believed that a clean environment would promote better health. Virginia Henderson’s need theory emphasizes the need to ensure that the patient’s independence is being increased while in a health care facility. Ensuring that a patient can increase his or her independence allows for them to experience better outcomes upon discharge home. This is just two examples of nursing theories that were used
Tomey, A.M., & Alligood, M.R. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.
Alligood, M. R., & Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing Theorists and their work (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.