Nursing as a distinct body of knowledge

roser13, ASN, RN · Jul 16, 2014

"Can anyone tell me what body of knowledge we nurses possess that other health care professions do not possess?"

None that I can think of, other than nursing diagnoses.

"or in other words, What makes Nursing distinct from everything else?"

It's not our body of knowledge but how we use the knowledge that we have that sets us apart from other healthcare professionals.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2014

This question, and its example of injections, begs the question. This means, it rephrases the set-up as proof without offering any proof. (It does not mean, "makes you want to ask a question.") http://begthequestion.info/: "Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.A simple example would be "I think he is unattractive because he is ugly." The adjective "ugly" does not explain why the subject is "unattractive" -- they virtually amount to the same subjective meaning, and the proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.

"Other than" nursing diagnosis? That's pretty huge, certainly specific, and reserved to registered nurses alone, although I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that the OP doesn't know enough about it to comment on it clearly. OP, get you to the Amazon or other bookstore, get yourself a copy of the NANDA-I 2012-2014, read the introductory sections, read the diagnoses, and think about it.

Then get a copy of your state nurse practice act, or better, the ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice (also cheap at Amazon), and read it -- it's a slender book and won't tax you too much.

Then think long and hard about overlap in knowledge between specialties, discard them as not relevant to your question (see injections, supra), discard tasks, and look at what nursing is, not just what you think it does.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 16, 2014

It is the overlapping of disciplines that nurses do best. We are the gatekeepers. In a hospital setting the admitting doctor does not usually talk to PT/OT, RT, Dietary, ----. We do it all. And "basic" nursing is our forte. If we can keep the patient comofrtable and clean then that is an accomplishment. Patients may appreciate that more than knowing we monitor telemetry, vents, medication administration and all the rest. When I worked in a teaching hospital the new MD's learned quickly to ask nurses about the patient care and condition. We are with the patients longer and in a more intimate fashion. Nurses rock.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Jul 17, 2014

I think our unique body of knowledge in bedside acute care is that we are the center of the patient universe. We know everything about the patient that other staff (sometimes even MDs) only have a piece of. We are the funnel through which everything about the patient flows, which makes us excellent coordinators of care and advocates.

Example: just yesterday, I discharged a breast feeding patient who was required to pump and dump. She was concerned about her decrease in breast milk. I called OB to get her education and gave her the number of the on-call lactation consultant. Although I don't know a whit about mother/baby, I was able to get her the information she needed.

Another patient was scheduled for a paracentesis. She was transported to U/S, and the GI doc called asking where she was and if she was ready for the procedure. Then cath lab called for the patient to do the paracentesis, but I had to tell them that it would be done in the GI lab. I, the nurse, was the only one who knew enough about the plans for the patient to direct everyone appropriately. NO ONE else does that like a nurse can. NO ONE.

jsawyer · Jul 17, 2014

Great observations by everyone here. I see what you are all saying is basically that we experts at doing healthcare in the trenches were the patients live and breath. We are trained to be the best advocates of the patient.

In all honesty, I am ignorant on many aspects of nursing I am just not familiar with but what to learn. I will graduate in May, but really just want to know what my identity is as a nurse.

I think as classicdame said, what makes us special is that we have a broad background in many disciplines which helps us to facilitate for our patients.

Mimi 2021 · Mar 27, 2021

Basic skills necessary to care for covid patient.

Nursing these skills may be based on several bodies of knowledge. Many of them are based on science’s body of knowledge which is not necessarily owned by any one discipline. Body of knowledge refers to the core teachings and skills required to work in a particular field or industry.

Prior to Covid, nursing already had a body of knowledge based on nursing theory, science and research. Corona virus has increased the professional status of nurses by increasing nursing’s scientific body of knowledge about what pathophysiology of the coronavirus virus and of the Covid19 disease and increased the body of knowledge on learning, re-learning and modifying nursing skills to fit the Covid19 patient such as how to take vital signs and give an injection, bathing, skin care, and feeding New skills had to be learned in regards to caring for a patient who is on a ventilator, mouth care, suctioning, positioning a patient with multiple tubes, triaging, and to remain professional in sensitive situations, how to stay calm and cope with fast moving situations, how to advocate for patients, doning of PPE, how to perform CPR with a covid patient, preparedness, early identification of Covid, notification; isolation, quarantine, and monitoring. Although nurses know how to best provide caring and compassion, in the Covid wards where no visitors are allowed nurses had to learn even more about caring and compassion to meet the needs of the carers of Covid patients who are at home and in the hospital those who are struggling to stay alive and at the end of life dying alone.

Nursing Diagnosis and Independent nursing interventions

The over 200 nursing diagnoses identified by NANDA have been said to be nursing’s body of knowledge. Independent Nursing Interventions are based several bodies of knowledge and some embedded in practice. Science (physiology), Psychology, Philosophy, Humanities (communication). Nursing has modified these bodies of knowledge to fit the discipline of nursing which gets close to being able to call it nursing’s body of knowledge. Many complementary interventions are based on traditional cultural practices.

In addition to these skills nurses who tend to Covid patients have many human responses treat with independent nursing interventions. The nursing diagnosis NANDA taxonomy has over 200 nursing diagnoses but of all of these Covid nurses see most often fear, anxiety, airway clearance, thermoregulation, ventilatory weaning, urinary retention, suffocation, spiritual distress, social isolation, sleep pattern, role strain, pressure ulcer, positioning injury, pain, nausea, memory, mobility, loneliness, insomnia, incontinence, hope, anticipatory grieving, fluid volume, self-care, coping, confusion, breathing pattern, aspiration, adaptive capacity and many more. For some of these nursing diagnoses complementary and alternative therapies can be used, such as antiviral and immune boosting herbs, aroma therapy, guided imagery, therapeutic touch, reiki, total body relaxation, hypnotherapy, reflexology, deep breathing techniques, massage, meditation, acupressure/acupuncture and prayer. .

Nursing Theories

Nursing theories well at least most of them are based on interdisciplinary or borrowed theories and different philosophies. Some of the theories are Selye’s general adaptation theory, the health believe model, Ross’s grief theory, Gate Control theory, skinner’s reinforcement theory, Meade’s role theory, Lewin’s change theory and so on, Crisis theory. Typically nurse theorists have modified the borrowed theories to fit the proposed nursing theory, that may make them unique to nursing?

The media coverage of the selflessness of nursing staff all over the world is showcasing the commitment to the profession. During the coronavirus pandemic nursing has drawn on well known theories of nursing to facilitate a healing environment (Nightingale), to help patients meet needs while remaining as independent as possible (Henderson), to provide care cure and core where care is the responsibility of nursing and cure and core are shared with other disciplines (Hall), to use the nursing process, assess, diagnose, intervene and evaluate (Orlando), to assist patients to conserve energy (Levine), to smooth energy fields, to be in symphonic harmony with the environment (Rogers), to foster efficient and effective behavioral functioning in Covid patients (Johnson), to use interventions centered around three themes: meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence (Porifice), to understand the unique perspective of a client using modeling and role modeling as interventions (Erickson, Tomlin and Swain), to help a Covid patients adapt to having the disease and possible death (Roy), to assist others in the provision and management of self-care to maintain or improve human functioning (Orem), to strengthen individual’s responses to stress (Neuman). to form meaningful interpersonal relationships with patients (Peplau), to set and achieve goals (King), to perform as expert nurses in 7 domains (Benner), to provide culturally congruent care (Leininger), to provide transpersonal caring in the 10 caritas processes (Watson), and so on. All the while during all of this activity nurses are coming up with new and creative ways to use technology and telehealth programs to keep families and patients connected when they are unable to physically be together.

All of this is nursing’s body of knowledge! Not all of it has been integrated into one body of knowledge. Maybe one day it will and nursing will pass over this hurdle of unique body of knowledge with ease.

Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN · Mar 27, 2021

On 7/16/2014 at 10:52 AM, jsawyer said:

Can anyone tell me what body of knowledge we nurses possess that other health care professions do not possess? or in other words, What makes Nursing distinct from everything else?

I ask this question because I have found it difficult to find answers from professors on the subject. It seems that our profession blends with so many; for example, nurses give injections but MD's also are educated in injection technique (albeit they don't have as much expertise as a nurse in this area).

Maybe what I really am asking is, "Do we have a distinct body of knowledge that originates within our profession."

This, more or less, has always been my stock answer to this perennial question.

This question, and its example of injections, begs the question. This means, it rephrases the set-up as proof without offering any proof. (It does not mean, "makes you want to ask a question.") http://begthequestion.info/: "Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.A simple example would be "I think he is unattractive because he is ugly." The adjective "ugly" does not explain why the subject is "unattractive" -- they virtually amount to the same subjective meaning, and the proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.

"Other than" nursing diagnosis? That's pretty huge, certainly specific, and reserved to registered nurses alone, although I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that the OP doesn't know enough about it yet to comment on it clearly. OP, get you to the Amazon or other bookstore, get yourself a copy of the current NANDA-I (2021-23) read the introductory sections, read the diagnoses, and think about it.

Then get a copy of your state nurse practice act, or better, the ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice (also cheap at Amazon), and read it -- it's a slender book and won't tax you too much.

Then think long and hard about overlap in knowledge between specialties, discard them as not relevant to your question (see injections, supra), discard tasks, and look at what nursing is, not just what tasks you think it does.