Who Cares About Nursing Theorists?

abundantjoy07, RN · Jul 7, 2008

It's just a way to give a voice to the method behind the madness.

It may be dull and very boring to listen to, but it's important. Some people love classes like this. I personally thought my Social Psychology class was BS, but what's crap to one person is a jewel to another.

To each his own as long as it hurts and demeans no one.

vashtee, RN · Jul 7, 2008

Hmm... some of the examples put forth don't strike me as "nursing" theory, but rather as alterations in practice based on scientific discoveries made in other fields. But eh, whatever.

Long Island Nurse · Jul 7, 2008

Is taking a nursing theorist class the most exiciting thing to take?? It's not on my top 5 list of classes to take, however, everything that is done regarding your nursing job is based on these theories. It gives us structure and a basis for evidenced based best practices. You may be rolling your eyes but these theorists have given the nursing PROFESSION a true standing! I do appreciate these theorists and the impact they have made on the profession.

I apperciate many theorists, however my favorite is the founder of nursing... good ol'e Flo (Florence Nightengale).:wshgrt: Today we identify and understand the importance of infection control. (We are in a world of super bugs/MRSA):redlight:. She was also a statistician (quality assurance/improvement), measuring what we are doing is effective, and giving us tools to always improve our practices. :up: . I don't feel these theorists are just giving us their opinion, I feel these theorists are backed by research. Think about it!! :idea:

dlo · Jul 8, 2008

I agree with some of what alot of people are saying, and I'm am not trying to strike up an arguement. I just feel that they are just putting words into something that we arlready do. The nursing process has been around for 100 years and I do not think that orleander thought of it, she just coined the term. I do not see them fighting for more rights or making more autonomy for anyone, I just see them writing thier thoughts down and coining new terms and phrases. I think nursing already has plenty of meaning and I do not think we need these people to create theory's to follow or respect. I seem to respect everyone's opinion and do believe that these theorists are very educated and well respected people, I guess I'm just playing devil's advocate and asking why and what, cause I don't see an obvious change with them around, plus their are hundreds of them and only twenty popular ones.

What has any of the theorists done that is cut and dry, something that we put into practice at the bedside, or something that is evidence based and has made a real difference.

the nursing process has been around for years, caring moments have been around for thousands of years. Promoting independence with dignity and privacy, while changing the environment has been around way before any of these people. so who cares about them and why..????

dlo · Jul 8, 2008

I agree with you natania, I do believe that practices put forth, such as infection control come from evidence based practice and outcomes in the scientific field and from the medical scientists.

One thing I find amazing is that jean watson and some others have a phd or doctorate in Nursing, and some of them have become nurse practitioners along the way. Now they swear up and down that they are practicing nursing, hence they are governed by the nursing boards, which very from state to state. while PA's are governed by the medical boards.

now how is diagnosing patients, ordering tests, interpreting lab values, writing H and P's and prescribing medicine anywhere near practicing nursing. I just do not understand that one. PA's practice medicine, while NP's pracice nursing, but yet they can get the same exact education at UC davis and they work side by side in the ER's diagnosing, ordering and writing RX's.

but back to Nurse theorists, I just think they are trying to bring order and meaning to a chaotic profession that is so widespread that you can not some up what nursing is or should be in a 1,000 page text book.

RNperdiem, RN · Jul 8, 2008

Once long ago there was no such profession as nursing.

Nursing was something families did at home along with the other household chores and responsibilities.

In the beginning of our profession, the nursing theorists charted out the territory and definitions of the "trained" nurse.

Nursing theorists were most relevant in the early years of establishing nursing as a separate and important profession.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 8, 2008

Once long ago there was no such profession as nursing.
Nursing was something families did at home along with the other household chores and responsibilities.
In the beginning of our profession, the nursing theorists charted out the territory and definitions of the "trained" nurse.
Nursing theorists were most relevant in the early years of establishing nursing as a separate and important profession.

I like this train of thought. It takes a slightly different track than is usual for such discussions.

... But I would say that theory is still important for the same reasons it was important "back then." Our world is evolving -- and nursing must continue to evolve or we will be left behind. Therefore, we need contemporary scholars (including theorists) to help chart our course for the future.

That's one reason I hate it when I see current nurses whose knowledge of nursing theory has not progressed beyond the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's (when the likes of Roy, Rogers, Orem, Watson, etc.) were actively developing their theories. Few nurses keep up with the contemporary work being done in nursing theory -- and their knowledge of theory has not moved beyond they knew learned back in nursing school X number of years ago.

The same thing is true for many people who teach theory. They are teaching what they learned back when they were in school 10-20 years ago. They should be keeping up with the times and moving forward. If everyone were keeping up, then the level of discussion about theory and the general topic of nursing theory would be more relevant to today's practice of nursing.

-MNC_RN- · Jul 9, 2008

I agree with some of what alot of people are saying, and I'm am not trying to strike up an arguement. I just feel that they are just putting words into something that we arlready do.

In many cases you're exactly right. And in many cases, that's the point.

Verbalizing what we already do--verbalizing a theory--organizes a skill/task/thinking so that it can be repeated and analyzed in a methodical manner.

Consider Shoe Tying Theory.

We all tie our shoes. We've all done it since we were kids. You can do it with your eyes closed, right? Great. Explain how you do it step by step. Did you do it clearly enough? Or did you forget to assess how tight the laces were pulled in the first step? If you didn't explain how to pull them tight enough, perhaps shoes will fall off; if you didn't explain about how to keep them loose enough, they're uncomfortable. Do you make two loops and entwine them, or one loop wrapping the loose end around? One way is more labor intense than the other--what if you're trying to save time? How about double-knotting? It may improve safety by keeping the shoes tied, or it may create embarassement if your mother insists on taking your shoes off before you rush into the bathroom. Consider velcro shoes--an alternative theory?

We do nursing theory all the time unconsciously, but verbalizing it allows us to analyze and make changes or improvements; it also allows us to teach it consistently. Just because the nursing process is a no-brainer to you, doesn't mean that it is to everyone. (Trust me ... I have had new grads that really don't understand it.)

Promoting independence with dignity and privacy, while changing the environment has been around way before any of these people.

Actually, no. Patient autonomy is a reletively new development. Time was that doc knew best regardless of your thoughts or feelings. There was a time when it was assumed that all people wanted to live forever regardless.

Hmm... some of the examples put forth don't strike me as "nursing" theory, but rather as alterations in practice based on scientific discoveries made in other fields.

Also correct. Sciences don't exist in vaccums. Einstein's theory of relativity borrows plenty from chemistry and mathematics, not just physics. That fact doesn't make it any less of a physics theory.

Infection control borrows plenty from medicine and microbiology. That doesn't make nursing's influence any less important, or less necessary to study.

Also, just because we've been doing something for a long time doesn't mean that we still shouldn't study it. That line of thinking will get you a task-oriented job... monkeys can do tasks. Nurses are educated to think and think critically; to learn that, you have to learn the ins and outs of how and why we think the way we do.

vashtee, RN · Jul 9, 2008

Meh, I'm still not buying it, but to each his or her own.