Defining Concepts From A Nursing Perspective

In order to explore my philosophy it is important that I be aware of how I would define nursing. “Definitions of nursing, like nursing itself, are dynamic; nursing is constantly evolving to meet new needs and take account of new knowledge.”(Clark, 2003, add p. # for direct quote)

I define my philosophy of nursing within the three nursing domains of person, health, and environment. My goal is to communicate the importance of nursing as a knowledge-based career, depending not only on the nurse fulfilling her role but also on the patient’s compliance. A patient must learn to provide self-care at home in the same capacity as the nurse would provide care in the clinical setting. I discuss various subjects within nursing. I explain why I want to be a nurse, what I believe a nurse’s role is, the different domains of nursing, and where I believe nursing will be in the future. My philosophy demonstrates the interdependence of the nursing domains. You cannot fully evaluate a person without evaluating their health,

Concepts are essential elements in theories which provide ideas for research in nursing. Concepts give knowledge that can be applied to nursing practice, education and administration. (Parker & Smith 2010). Concept analysis brings about clarity. The methods of concept analysis have the following steps. Select the concepts, determine the purpose of the anaysis, identify all uses, define attributes, a model case of the concept, consequences of the concept, and define empirical references of the concept (Walker & Avant 1995)

The purpose of this paper is to create a concept analysis and identify a nursing concept that is within a nursing theory. A concept analysis is a process where concepts and their characteristics are researched and clarified. The eight steps on conducting a concept analysis include selection of a concept used in a nursing theory, identification of the aims or purposes of the analysis, identification of possible use of the selected concept, determination of defining attributes, identification of model cases, identification of antecedents and consequences, and lastly definition of empirical referents (Walker & Avant, 2011). The nursing concept selected for this paper is “empowerment” within the nursing profession. The nursing theory from which the empowerment concept was obtained is Kanter’s Theory on Structural Empowerment. In order to empower someone, an individual needs the tools and resources to feel powered. According to Laschinger, Gilbert, Smith, & Leslie (2010), Kanter defines power as the ability to mobilize information, resources and support to get things done in an organization. The role of management is to provide employees with power tools that empower them to maximize their ability to accomplish their work in a meaningful way. Kanter goes on to describe two primary empowerment structures in organizations, first being the structure of opportunity and second the structure of power. The structure of opportunity relates to job conditions that provide

Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Department of Material and Clinical Health, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. (Received 20 March 1995;revised 13 January 1996;accepted 11 March 1996)

My personal definition of nursing is taking care of my patient as a whole; using my knowledge, being compassionate and caring, respectful and honest. Taking care of the; spiritual, physical and emotional aspect of the patient, and taking into consideration their family and environment. Learning about the different theorists I associate myself the most with Hildegard Peplau. Peplau believed that the relationship between the patient and the nurse was focus of attention, rather than the patient only as the unit of attention. (Chitty & Black p.314-315). Using Peplau’s theory my relationship begins with my patients as strangers and I try to

Everyone’s values and beliefs about the profession of nursing are all different. The four concepts of nursing are interrelated and all mean something different to every person, too. Throughout this paper, I will be reflecting on my values and beliefs about nursing through the four concepts while comparing them to a nursing theorist with views that are most similar to my own.

Nursing was, for my sixteen year old self, taking care of the sick. Little did I know the complexities of that definition. Still, taking care of the sick was interesting enough to make nursing my major. I started practicing nursing years ago. However, I still struggle defining and explaining my profession to others. I usually start by differentiating nursing from medicine. Nurses see patients as humans rather than a disease that needs treatment (Zaccagnini & White, 2014, p. 15). However, as I advance my career, I must actively incorporate nursing theory into my practice. Nursing theory gives a foundation to understand patients and their health problems better. The use of nursing theory provides a framework to evaluate nurses’ interventions on a higher standard (Zaccagnini & White, 2014). Kenney described five steps to follow once the decision to include nursing theory has being made. This paper will explore the process of applying the Kenney’s five steps into my practice.

Concept analysis and concept development are the terms used to refer to the process of bringing clarity to the definition of the concepts used in nursing science. They are generally applied to the process of inquiry that examines concepts for their level of development as seen in their internal structure, use, representativeness, and relationship to other concepts, in the quest to promote better understanding. Much of the conceptual basis of nursing theory has been derived from already established concepts from other disciplines, and a re-examination of these concepts for relevance and fit to nursing, is important for determining its appropriateness of application (McEwen, 2007).

Throughout the history of nursing, there have been many nursing theorists who have each made significant contributions towards the shaping of nursing knowledge. Each of these theorists have differing perspectives and interpretations of how each domain of the nursing metaparadigm fit into their respective theories. The four domains of the nursing metaparadigm are: person, environment, health and illness, and nursing. The purpose of this reflection is to provide an overview of the domains related to the metaparadigm of nursing as well as to introduce this author’s perspective on their developing personal philosophy of nursing. In this paper, the author will take a closer look at each of these areas, how they are individually defined, and how they each fit into the nursing metaparadigm as a whole. At the conclusion of this overview, readers will be introduced to how these theorists and their perspectives have enabled this author to begin to create their own philosophy of nursing.

According to Walker and Avant (1995), concept analysis allows nursing to examine the attributes or

The meaning of concept analysis is how nursing “explores the meaning of concepts to promote understanding” (McEwen, & Wills, 2010). Pain continues to be a common problem within health care and one of the most treat problems when seeking medical treatment. The concept analysis consist of several steps to complete the process. The steps of the concept analysis are as follows: “1. select the concept 2. Determine the aims or purpose of analysis 3. Identify all the uses of the concept possible 4. Determine the defining attributes 5. Identify model cases 6. Identify borderline, related, contrary, inverted, and illegitimate cases 7. Identify antecedents, and consequences 8. Define empirical references” (McEwen, & Wills,

Core concepts are the basis for a theory or model; concepts help in the development of theories. Theorists have developed different models or theories but have common core concepts. This paper will identify the core concept of ‘the role of nursing,’ which two theorists, Dorothea Orem and Virginia Henderson both utilized. We will compare and analyze the concept definitions among both theorists, and discuss the practical use of Orem’s self care theory.

Theory is a cluster of concept or ideas that propose a view concerning a phenomenon to guide nursing practice (Chitty, 2005). The four concepts basic to nursing that are incorporated in this paper are nursing, person, health, and environment (Cherry & Jacob, 2005). The goal of this paper is to describe the core concept of nursing shared amongst Dorothea Orem and Virginia Henderson’s theories. The comparison and analysis of concept definitions between these two theories will also examined. Finally Henderson’s theory of concept statement, metaparadigm and her philosophy will be explored.

There is no doubt that the health care system is constantly changing and working to improve its flaws, to the best of its ability. Whether nurses like it or not we are a part of the ever changing health care system. “With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 1). The Institute of Medicine believes that nurses should be active in transforming the profession of nursing, along with the health care system. Regardless, of backgrounds, race, and age all nurses can contribute to the future of the nursing profession. The following paper will discuss the Institute of Medicine’s nursing expectations and recommendations, as well as the opportunity to becoming a clinical nurse instructor.