Essay about Importance of Nursing Theory

The caring, supportive, sympathetic features of nursing, is immeasurable. Theories are essential to have. They provide a description of what nurses do and give meaning and purpose. When nursing theories are developed this new knowledge can greatly impact the future of nursing practice (McCrae, 2012).

Nursing theory is important to the profession of nursing as it provides guidance to practice and helps to broaden nursing knowledge. Although nursing theory can be traced back to Florence Nightingale’s pioneer work during and after the Crimean War, it was not until the twentieth century that theory development in the nursing profession became a major part of discussion and implementation (Alligood, 2010). Because the nursing profession is complex and there are multiple practice settings, nursing theory is not a one size fits all.

This author’s personal philosophy in practice is to provide holistic care to my patients and their families. This author feels that encompassing the whole family or the patients support framework in the plan of care is the best approach to returning the patient to their optimum state of health. It is important to this author to evaluate the all of the aspects of the patient’s lives that they will share. It is important to evaluate the patient’s learning style,

designed to guide the practice of nursing” (Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing, 2012). Nursing theories can help patients, managers and other healthcare professionals to recognize what and how much that nurses do contribute to the healthcare field. I never did realize how important theories in nursing practice could be until I became a nursing student myself. Nurses use theories in their everyday practice, but never think about them as being

The profession of nursing has, in recent years, been trying to further develop, test and use proposed nursing theory. To utilize theory appropriately, in all domains of practice, education and research, it is important to know how to describe, analyze and evaluate

The purpose of the nursing theories is to provide an interrelating framework focusing on the nursing practice. The defined nursing theories promote better patient care, improve the status of nursing profession, and improve the communication between the nurses, and provide guidance to the researches and education (Keefe, 2011). Not all nursing theories have the same meanings; however, they play the important role of explaining the key concepts and principles of nursing practice in understanding way.

Nursing is a unique profession which is built upon theories that guide everyday nursing practice. According to Taylor, Lillis, & Lynn (2015), “Nursing theory differentiates nursing from other disciplines and activities in that it serves the purposes of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling desired outcomes of nursing care practices” (p. 27). Many nurses may unknowingly apply a theory or a combination thereof, along with critical thinking to get the best outcome for a patient. Theories are used in practice today because they have been supported by research and help the profession uphold its boundaries. Most nursing theories consist of four concepts which are the patient, the environment, health, and nursing. Each patient is at the center of focus and they have the right to determine what care will be given to them using informed

Nursing theories are important for nurses for our daily work as it provides us with an all-inclusive foundation to clarify and foresee issues that impact nursing care. In nursing, caring should be placed high on our priority list for our nursing practice. As nurses we must develop knowledge on research outcomes for the foundation of nursing practice. Consequently the grown and the certification of nursing theory will aid in the establishment of nursing practice. It is a source of specific individuality as it guides nursing education, research, practice, and distinguishes nursing practice from other disciplines.

Parker, M. E., & Smith, M. C. (2010). Nursing theories & nursing practice (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Co.

The importance of nursing theory to practice of nursing should not be overlooked or underrated. That is because, it’s understanding and application are essential in enhancing patient 's care, improving communication between nurses, providing education’ and guidance in research, (Robert T. Croyle (2005). It is equally important to know that currently, there are many theories that guide the practice of nursing. Two of the most prominent ones will be compared and will form the subject of this this discussion.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s practicing nurses began to assimilate nursing theories into practice and research. A majority of these theories fell into the category of “grand theories” which provide a conceptual guidance that attempts to describe and understand nursing practice overall. Each grand theory touches on every aspect of the metaparadigm of nursing: person, health, nursing and environment. While many nurse researchers attempt to use grand theories as a basis for practice, the generality and breadth of grand theories make it difficult. Middle range theories, on

“Nursing theory aims to describe, predict and explain the phenomenon of nursing” (Colley, 2003, p. 33); therefore, nursing theory is the scaffolding on which nurses stand to build and remodel nursing practice. This is a symbiotic relationship because nursing theory builds the nursing practice and as practice expands the scaffolding must, in turn, grow as well. As such, the investigation into practice and research keep informing the practice and profession of nursing. Ultimately this leads to more effective patient care utilizing evidenced-based

Given that nursing is a hands-on, professional 'practice,' to speak of nursing 'in theory' may at first seem like a contradiction in terms. However, nursing theory is an important tool, offering the practitioner in the field a way to better make decisions. Theory acts as a guide to practice. Of course, in nursing, theory is never subsumed to the specifics of a case. Unlike philosophy or literary theory, no theory can stand apart from the realities of the need to treat a patient effectively. But nursing theory can be helpful in dealing with unexpected situations. Nursing theories consist of "concepts, definitions, models, propositions and are based on assumptions" of deductive and inductive logic (Nursing theories: An overview, 2012, Nursing Theories).

Nursing theories are the guidelines to perform nursing practice effectively. Since the origin of nursing practice, there are many remarkable theories have been developed. According to Tomey & Alligood (2006), these theories have been classified mainly into four different groups, which are, Philosophy, Conceptual model and Grand theories, Theories and Middle range nursing theories. Benner’s Dreyfus model of skill acquisition theory comes under the first category, which is the philosophy. This essay discusses the significance of Dr Patricia Benner’s skill acquisition theory based on the Dreyfus model, reviewing the five different levels of the theory including its application in today’s nursing practice and

Nursing science provides the basis for professional nursing practice. Nursing theories provide the critical thinking structures to direct the clinical decision- making process of professional nursing practice. The relationship between theory, research, and practice is circular in nature. As new knowledge and discoveries emerge in each of these realms, the cutting edge of the art and science of the discipline of nursing evolves.