Nursing Theory Essay

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

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).

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

Nursing theories have been a fundamental tool used to explain, guide and improve the practice of nursing. Theorists have contributed enormously to the growth of nursing as a profession. The four grand theorists I chose are Virginia Henderson, Peplau, Myra Levine and Jean Watson. These theorists have contributed tremendously in the field of nursing through their theories, and research. One thing the theorists have in common is that they are patient centered. They are all concerned on ways we can improve our responsibility to the patients, their families and the environment. They have different ideas but they are all aiming towards achieving the same goal, which is patient satisfaction and safety. Their differences are in their areas of

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

quality of patient care, and can be implemented in practice, to provide solutions to nursing

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.

Theory has so far remained a strategic tool in advanced nursing practice. Firstly, nursing utilizes every feature of management science. Fortunately, the knowledge base of each and every management science takes theory into account. Theory includes methods, principles, and concepts. The principles are usually related, and can be observed and validated or verified when translated into the practice of management. Likewise, concepts are general notions, thoughts, and ideas that tend to form a basis of discussion or action. Therefore, theoretical principles guide clinical nurses to various

1. It is argued that nursing theory has little or nothing to do with actual practice in the nursing profession. Personally, I do not agree too much with this argument. I am a firm believer that theory is the essence and basis of the practice to begin with. While it is true, the theory is not thought off to often in the practice of nursing, it is the theory that is the essence of the practice to begin with and the theory must be respected. Also, practice and clinic norms will change over time, but the theory will always remain consistent. Lastly, the practice deals with “what” and “how” but the theory explains “why”; which can be argued to be the most important. We can do what we do, but if we are not in understanding of why we do it, then how can we be expected to succeed in what we do and advance what we do forward (McCrae 2012).

“ It is important for nurses to study the development of nursing theory because without an idea of where you have been, how can you know how, why, when, or where to go “ (Cherry and Jacob, 2014, p.75). Theory leads to research, research leads to science, science leads to practice, and practice then cycles back to theory. New theory emerging from practice will generate new studies that will, in turn, produce new knowledge for practice. All of this contributes to improving nursing practice.

The credibility of a profession is based upon its ability to create and apply theory. Nursing as a whole has not been at the forefront of theoretical research being much more practical or hands-on in nature. Unless nurses increase the value placed on research and the body of knowledge that establishes the legitimacy of their practice then nursing will remain in a subordinate position in the medical environment. Theorists anticipated that by conceptualizing models of nursing, practitioners would be able to become more autonomous in their clinical settings while increasing the visibility and authority of nursing as a discipline. It

The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction, purpose, and rational for selecting a nursing theory. I will describe the theory by identifying the purpose, concepts/definitions, relationships/structure, and assumptions. I will use the Chinn & Kramer evaluation criteria to critique this chosen theory. Finally I will describe a plan for implementing the theory into my practice setting, identifying any barriers and challenges.

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).

Theories have been a fundamental part of nursing since the early stages of the profession. When nursing was a new discipline, theorists began to determine the theoretical basis of practice.Nursing theories were used to define the person receiving nursing care, the goal or purpose of nursing, nursing intervention, and the role of the nurse (Im & Ju Chang, 2012, p. 2) There was a change in focus from nursing education to nursing research during the theory era which was in the mid 1970’s to 1980’s. At the early stage of nursing discipline, nursing theorists tended to develop ideas mainly from their experience and intuition in education or

As we get to the 1990s numerous nursing theories expaned and research studies were being tested. Middle-range theories