How does everyone feel about nursing theory

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Specializes in ICU,ED (intern).

Thank god the BSN program I am in has not subjected me to a nursing theory course, I had enough of it in the first two chapters of my fundamentals book. I just wanted to know what you practicing nurses thought about this article. I find the last four paragraphs of the side bar funny, really.

http://jef.raskincenter.org/published/NursingTheoryForSite.html

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Specializes in Telemetry, CCU.

I'm afraid to click the link but I think nursing theories are important in developing a framework in which nurses can build their critical thinking on. Otherwise we don't really have a set guideline on which to develop our nursing practice. I don't sit at work and think "Oh yes, Orem's theory blah blah blah...." but I'm sure after sitting through three years of Neuman's, I am subconciously using those theories, somewhere in that head of mine.

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Specializes in ER.

Re Nursing Theory

:banghead: :angryfire: :monkeydance: :madface:

:selfbonk: :hdvwl:

:grn: :hlk:

But the article was pretty good.

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I like Benner and Orem. Most theories are put together by those far removed from the bedside trying to define what those at the bedside do. It is similar to if i were to attempt to define how the vehicle I drive was put together. I sort of know, but as far as the nuances and the exact tasks of assembly I am clueless!!! There is a lot of silliness and misconception in the formulation of many nursing theories that is for sure. (think that some of these folks are getting govt. grants to research these theories and formulate them!) I am just not in the same galaxy as martha Rogers that is for sure! This is MHO and I know others will disagree.

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Specializes in ER, ICU cath lab, remote med.

Me in nursing theory class...... :sleep:

Me at the thought of having to do more of it in grad school...:barf01:

I guess after spending so many years working with the medical model, nursing theory just seemed like a lot of hocus pocus. No offense to those of you who loved it. My brain just didn't get it.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.
Me in nursing theory class...... :sleep:

Me at the thought of having to do more of it in grad school...:barf01:

I guess after spending so many years working with the medical model, nursing theory just seemed like a lot of hocus pocus. No offense to those of you who loved it. My brain just didn't get it.

ditto

theory is just words of people that doesn't actually practice bedside nursing. Have you ever seen a Phd at the bedside?

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

I loved the article- thanks for sharing! And I totally agree with his assessment of Rogers.

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Specializes in ED/trauma.
Thank god the BSN program I am in has not subjected me to a nursing theory course, I had enough of it in the first two chapters of my fundamentals book. I just wanted to know what you practicing nurses thought about this article. I find the last four paragraphs of the side bar funny, really.

http://jef.raskincenter.org/published/NursingTheoryForSite.html

I had "theory" courses, but nothing like what's contained in this article!

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Specializes in ICU,ED (intern).

Ahh, I see. Maybe the author is making his point but only using one example (Rogers) because the others (Orem, etc.) would not weigh so heavily in his favor. I defenitely didnt want to trivialize anyones views, but I agree, for the most part, with what the author did bother to present.

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Specializes in ICU,ED (intern).
I'm afraid to click the link but I think nursing theories are important in developing a framework in which nurses can build their critical thinking on. Otherwise we don't really have a set guideline on which to develop our nursing practice. I don't sit at work and think "Oh yes, Orem's theory blah blah blah...." but I'm sure after sitting through three years of Neuman's, I am subconciously using those theories, somewhere in that head of mine.

When I first read this I thought you were "afraid to click the link" because it might "blow your mind", on second thought you probably meant you were afraid of a bad link giving you a virus or something similar, lol.

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I am not a huge fan of nursing theorists. We spent several days in fundamentals discussing theorists. My school uses the Roy model as its framework. (Sr. Roy has some good ideas but frankly I think her theory is way overwritten.)

I tend to like the ideas of Florence Nightingale.

I think that nursing theory is meant to give one a framework of practice but I also think that most people develop their own theories of nursing practice based on experience and an appreciation of what works.

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.
I am not a huge fan of nursing theorists. We spent several days in fundamentals discussing theorists. My school uses the Roy model as its framework. (Sr. Roy has some good ideas but frankly I think her theory is way overwritten.)

I tend to like the ideas of Florence Nightingale.

I think that nursing theory is meant to give one a framework of practice but I also think that most people develop their own theories of nursing practice based on experience and an appreciation of what works.

I agree, and that's the problem with some of the older nursing theorists: most of them only worked at the bedside for 1-2 years prior to their theoretical works. In addition to that, few of them used real bedside nurses as subjects (nor did they use them to test their theories). Add to that, the fact that some of these way-out-there theories are impossible to test, how can we accept them as true nursing theories?

Sorry- off my soapbox now. :p

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