Relationship Between Meterparadigm Theory of Nursing and Ana's Definition of Nursing

Many things influence one’s personal perceptions of the great profession called nursing. According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is defined as “protection, promotion, and abilities, prevention of illness and injury,

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 personally define nursing as aiding in the recovery and survival of another person using the specialized knowledge, ability, and critical thinking skills attained through study and experience. The word nurse translates in Latin to nourish. This Latin translation reveals that nurses nourish when a person is in need. Angelo Gonzalo (2011) states, “Nursing is an art through which the practitioner of nursing gives specialized assistance to persons with disabilities which makes more than ordinary assistance necessary to meet needs for self-care” (Major Concepts section, para. 1). Nursing requires a diligent and hardy person to be able to assess the situation, access the appropriate knowledge and skills, and accordingly provide the care a person needs.

The fourth meta-paradigm is nursing. The root of nursing is caring which has been defined as the essence of nursing (Clarke, 2009, p. 233).

Levine defines nursing as patient advocacy, devotion to humanity and self respect of patients, perception and support for personal and individualized needs, compassion, commitment and protection ( Meleis, p 170, 2012)

“Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” (ICN 2010)

Nursing is primarily assisting the individual (sick or well) in the performance of those activities contributing to health or his recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge. (as cited in Cox, Cline, & Reed, 2007, p. 93)

The profession of nursing requires a capacity and joy for caring and healing others both mentally and physically. Nurses spend their careers caring for patients and their families often in the worst and most frightening periods of their lives. Nursing responsibilities can be lengthy, stressful and physically and emotionally demanding. The demands of the nursing profession coupled with the nursing shortage and longer work hours put even more stress on nurses. Despite these extreme demands, many nurses do not fully appreciate the importance self-care. Yet without proper care for themselves, nurses are not able to provide the best care for their patients.

Defining nursing was somewhat of a challenge for me, because there are so many different ones could apply, but there was one that caught my attention. It comes from the “Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,” and is from the mother of nursing herself, Florence Nightingale. Selander and Crane (2012) define nursing as a

a few ideas of what the term nursing means to me, along with some supporting ideas from

According to the American Nursing Association, “ Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (Association, Scope and Standards of Practice, 2010).

The purpose of this paper is to discuss my personal beliefs pertaining to the profession of nursing. As well I will discuss the (4) metaparadigms in nursing which are known as; human beings, environment, health, and nursing, and my personal beliefs on these concepts and how they have similarities to the nursing philosophy of a nursing theorist.

The scientific knowledge of nursing is described as a hierarchical structure. In this hierarchy, a metaparadigm is the foundational component and forming network in which a focused theorization can develop. The fundamental themes of nursing discipline have been developed in to the metaparadigm concepts. The metaparadigm concept was first developed by Fawcett in the early 1980s to define the fundamental domains of knowledge that concern the nursing profession. Her metaparadigm concept became an original philosophical approach to the nursing profession and served as a consensus for nursing practice. In her view a metaparadigm concept will give a broad understanding of nursing and in which the numerous nursing theories develop over the time will

Practicing as a nurse, I realize I follow my own metaparadigm of nursing. In this paper, I relate my own personal beliefs with that of a popular nursing theorist. Though my research on theory is just beginning, I feel my metaparadigm most relates to that of Katharine Kolcaba and her theory of comfort. I will seek to illustrate my philosophy with the knowledge and nursing experience I have.

Orem’s Theory has helped lay the ground work for modern nursing. In 1971 her theory was first published and includes three related concepts: self-care, self-care deficit and nursing systems. Orem’s theory has given direction to many nurses, inspiring them to seek better ways to develop and express the knowledge base of nursing. The purpose of her theory is to help patients and their families maintain control of their health during their lifetime. The theory consists of three parts the nursing system, self-care and self-care deficit. Care is the primary focus and the ultimate goal is health restoration. Patients are allowed to have primary control over their health and letting healthcare providers educate, promote and encourage healthy