It is important to understand nursing theory for a couple of reasons. The first is that nursing theory forms the basis for how the nursing role has evolved in health care today. There is a saying that in order to understand where one is going, it is necessary to understand where one has been. For this reason alone, it is important to understand how nursing theory has evolved over time, and how nurses today see their roles, and how those roles fit within the greater context of the health care system. If we look at seminal works like Jacox (1974) we can get a pretty good picture of how nursing was viewed up until the modern age, but then we need to see how the profession has evolved in the information age as well. The sorts of philosophical debates about what nursing is and what it should be form the foundation for the profession today and tomorrow, and it is highly valuable to be familiar with this discourse (Meleis, 1992).Because there are so many different nursing theories, it is important to have grounding in each for a couple of other reasons. The first is that different nurses study in different places, and thus have been influenced by a number...
If one is to lead a team of nurses, then one must understand a little something about the ideas and philosophies that underpin how those nurses approach their roles. It is much easier to speak to someone in a language that they understand than to speak to them in a language they do not. The other thing is that by understanding the different nursing theories, you can pick and choose the ones most applicable to your situation. A good example is the culture care theory – in a geography with a homogenous population this theory might not have a lot of value, but there are definitely markets in which this theory can be quite valuable because of how heterogeneous the population is (Leininger, 2002). As such, having a sound foundation in different theories gives one a much better concept of how to apply different theories to get the best results out of different situations – not knowing the theories could easily leave the leader in a position of lacking proper guidance for specific situations.
Even under the best of circumstances, nurses are regularly exposed to patients experiencing pain and they routinely encounter grief in situations involving disability and death. All of those environmental factors can be the source of emotional stress that can also present significant challenges in terms of maintaining a grounded spirituality. If nurses hope to be able to cope with all of those stresses over the long-term, they must develop
Nursing Theory Caring as an integral nursing concept can be viewed from diverse perspectives. It can be an attribute, a complex set of behaviors, or an attitude. This has made some people believe that it is impossible to improve and measure it although there is evidence that both improvement and measurement are possible. People recognize that caring models of professional practice affect the service users, health outcomes, healthcare staff, and ultimately
Nursing Theory "Discuss several aspects of professional communication as it relates to the use of language in terms of form (e.g., clarity, accuracy) and content (culture and/or ethics)." (Question, 2014, p1). Communication is the reciprocal process where messages are received and sent between two or more individuals. Communication involves exchange of ideas, or opinion, which could be in form oral or written form. On the other hand, communication involves a series of
Nursing theory, as Nolan and Grant (1992, p. 217) correctly state, cannot be separated from the practice of the profession. On the other hand, theories that have become known collectively as "grand theory" have become so fraught with terminology discrepancies and idealistic representation that it has become impossible for practitioners to use. This has created what Nolan and Grant (1992, p. 217) refer to as the "theory-practice gap," where there
Nursing Theory: Hildegard E. Peplau Hildegard E. Peplau was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1909. Peplau attended a diploma program in 1931 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, completed a BA in interpersonal psychology at Bennington College in 1943, and received a MA in psychiatric nursing at Columbia University in New York in 1947. Finally, Peplau earned a Ph.D. In curriculum development in 1953. Hildegard's credentials include professor emeritus at Rutgers University and is
Nursing Theory: A Microscopic Perspective on the Theory-Practice Gap Jerniganm A paradigm in nursing theory exists today that equates nursing theory to a mirror, a microscope or a telescope. Meleis talks about this equation of nursing theory to a mirror, microscope, or telescope (2007). According to Meleis nursing theory that is like a mirror will reflect reality, but give it different shapes. Nursing theory that is like a microscope will focus in
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