Nursing Theory???

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 20, 2002

To kmchugh: I think there is a "middle ground" -- though that might not be the best term for it. Perhaps I misinterpreted Dr. Kate's post, but I never thought that she meant that nursing shouldn't be based on science. I thought she meant that nursing was not based only on the "hard" sciences, which is an expression that typically refers to those sciences that can be studied in a lab with inanimate objects. Nursing also includes the "soft" sciences (sometimes refered to the "human sciences") such as psychololgy, sociology, anthropology, etc. They, too, are sciences but sciences that are often not as clear cut as the hard sciences.

As nurses, we must deal with the emotional and spiritual aspects of our patients as well as with their physiology. That's one of the things that makes nursing (and medicine) so complex. Our minds must grasps all realms of human existence and incorporate all types of knowledge if we are going to practice the "art" as well as the "science" of nursing at its highest levels.

llg

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2002

Thanks llg. You're quite right on about what I meant.

Nursing is based on and utilizes the hard and soft sciences. But it is not simply a science, it is also an art. Both nursing and medicine describe themselves as an art and a science. That's why we can talk about practicing nursing or medicine. Like an artist who practices and gets better at what they are doing so too do nurses and physicians practice and become better practitioners.

Try this for a not too scientific observation. My best friend is a pediatrician. Years ago, when she was first in private practice and I had about 6-7 years experience, I recall listening to her fielding calls from patients. Over and over she dealt with things that were within the scope of practice of any nurse. I've never done Peds, my clinical background is M/S and ICU. It was also clear to me for a lot more years that what she knew about psychosocial issues was pitiful. Fast forward. In the last 5-7 years, she is finally getting those psychosocial things. I figure with a few more years experience she might just know as much as a beginning nurse does about the psychosocial aspects of patient care.