NUR 700 Discussion 7.1: Theory, Practice, and Philosophy of Nursing References

NUR 700 Discussion 7.1: Theory, Practice, and Philosophy of Nursing References

Theory, Practice, and Philosophy of Nursing

My perception to the statement “Theory must be a guide to practice, not an end in itself” is that A theory is starting point, most theories are fairly broad and general in topic. The theorists develops their idea pertaining to the time period in which they live, and they environment they are most comfortable with. Many things change in healthcare daily, evidence-based practice and new studies change how we should do things daily, so not compensating for those changes could be detrimental to a nurse’s skill set (Saleh, 2017). For instance, the basis of Florence Nightingale’s theory of nursing has been a profound building block in how we, as nurses, provide care for our patients, but the nursing environment has changed immensely from the time she was caring for patients (Nibbelink & Brewer, 2018). Her theories and ideas for nursing care are and forever will bet highly regarded in the world of healthcare, but as with many nursing theories, the ideas must be further evaluated to fit into the individual case. Nursing theories must be developed further to fit a more distinct area or timeline (Nibbelink & Brewer, 2018).

A theory may be incredibly helpful to a situation the nurse is handling, but it may be missing vital information related to the situation at hand, the nurse must tweak some of the parts of the theory to make it work for her situation. Theories are simply a starting point for a plan, and must be updated or molded to fit particular situations. Even in the article in the required reading, it states that a theory was started, but all the vital pieces aren’t there yet. That the theory discussed has been added to, has been modified, and updated, but the link between nurse and environment still hasn’t been made (Bender & Feldman, 2015). Anyone who has worked in healthcare knows the link is a vital one, and directly effects the nurses ability to give their best care to their patients. I perceive the statement to be, nursing theories are a starting point or a beginning, they must be modified to fit each specific situation and should be studied further.

After reviewing, studying, and learning so many theories the last several weeks, I believe my tenets have been strengthened. The first week of this class, I was asked to identify three beliefs that are the most important to me regarding my role in nursing. This was a bit of challenge for me to put into three words, or brief statements, because there is so much about nursing that is important to me, but these few weeks have helped me condense so many things into these simple words. My three words that are the biggest tenets for me are empathy, justice, and knowledge. These were so difficult for me at the beginning of class, because I felt these simple words weren’t inclusive enough, at this time I feel like they each carry more weight. Empathy, is not a simple feeling. Feeling bad for someone is not empathy, showing sympathy for someone is not empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in one’s situation to the best of your ability. It is know what is the best way to comfort a person, without making them feel uncomfortable or pitied.

In my opinion, empathy is the single most important tool a nurse can have when caring for any type of patient. This belief has not changed at all, and is probably stronger than ever. Even in the moments of compassion fatigue, or being overworked, a nurse can gain extreme wealths on knowledge about their patient by showing empathy. Justice, may second tenet. I think the word justice in this context has actually expanded exponentially. When I first spoke about justice, in this class, I meant mostly to treat each patient as a person. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of prejudice in this world, and a different set in healthcare. My original statement was simply about the treatment of patients regardless of color, race, cultural beliefs, religion, diagnosis, and/or illness. This is still a huge belief for me, and I will advocate these things for any patient I may encounter, but my feelings have expanded to the treatment and justice for nurses, as well. I have actually been contemplating how I can help fight for the justice of nurses, too. Thirdly, knowledge is something that can never be taken away from a person. The knowledge a nurse gains from books and experiences is a wonderful tool, but the knowledge a nurse can gain from their patient is an asset. There is no greater help for a nurse than the knowledge they can gain from the patient they are caring for. My tenets have not swayed, or changed, they have probably expanded, because of the knowledge I have gained in this class.

Nibbelink, C. W., & Brewer, B. B. (2018). Decision-making in nursing practice: An integrative literature review. Journal of clinical nursing, 27