Watson’s theory of human caring outlines the science behind caring as a driving force and framework for practice in nursing. It explores the concept that “humanities address themselves to deeper values of the quality of living and dying, which involve philosophical, ethical, psychosocial and moral issues” (Watson, 2005, p. 2). Within her original text, Watson outlined 10 “carative factors” which help integrate the science of healthcare field with the more holistic nuances of nursing and the phenomena that is the human
The metaparadigm of nursing illustrates the collective worldview of the shared concepts of the discipline, which are: the person, environment, health and nursing (1). The nursing metaparadigm is the framework for many nursing theories, values, and theoretical models, which help guide an advanced practice nurse in selecting appropriate interventions established by their chosen conceptual model. A conceptual model or advanced practice nursing theory provides an advanced practice nurse a logical structural model to follow, which is aligned with the discipline’s expectations. Advanced education prepares advanced practice nurses to employ a superior degree of clinical, research based and theoretical knowledge (2). As a nurse practitioner student,
Nursing has come a long way from being the hand maidens of the physician to having control over nursing knowledge and practice. It now has two essential ingredients of accountability and autonomy. There is more demand from the nurses now than in the past when all they were expected to do was just to provide comfort and care. They were just meant to assist the physician during treatment, assist in the patients personal hygiene administer medication that is prescribed by the physician and dress wounds. These were just things that any woman could do. Nursing demands much more now as they are educators, client advocate, and managers. More so it is a requisite for any field of endeavour to attain professional status, it is actually an attribute of a profession.
Watson’s theory contributes to the discipline of nursing by using the value of human caring theory as an introductory idea and viewpoint for any health professional. Watson’s theory concentrates on caring in several health disciplines and is compatible with the caring attitude that nursing has had over time. The center of the human caring theory is about human caring relationships and the intense human understandings of life itself, not just health-illness singularities, as conventionally demarcated inside medicine. The concept is an exceptional way of being human, a unique way of being contemporary, observant, mindful, and calculated as the nurse operates with another person. These viewpoints have importance for medicine as well as for nursing or other health professions. The complete practice of human caring theory is most fully realized in a nursing theory because nursing allows for the constant caring factor that medicine does not have;
The first concept of the nursing metaparadigm is nursing. My philosophy of nursing recognizes the important role the nurse has to deliver care. It is the therapeutic and mutual relationship between nurse and patient that is “the foundation of nursing practice” (End of life, 2016, p. 4). Nurses must understand how they affect patients because every interaction a nurse has with a patient has an impact on their care. As such, environment is interrelated to the metaparadigm concepts of person, nurse, and health.
In order to posit one’s personal philosophy he or she must have a clear understanding regarding self and the specific area (Nursing). The Cambridge Online Dictionary (2016) defined personal as “ relating or belonging to a single or particular person rather than to a group or an organization”. Doheny et al. (1997) defined philosophy as “beliefs of a person or group of persons and reveals underlying values and attitude regarding an area (as cited in Masters, 2017). Maville and Huerta (2013) state that Fawcett’s metaparadigm is often used to define and delineate the scope of nursing. Masters stated the purpose of one’s personal philosophy is to define how he or she finds truth. As a result each individual philosophy purported will be unique. This paper will seek to define, describe and explain my thoughts, feelings and belief regarding the four concepts of nursing metaparadigm and their interrelationship as well as their influence on my current nursing practice.
There are four concepts in the metaparadigm. The first one talks about the nursing. Nursing is precisely the way Nightingales puts it, relieving pain and suffering which restore patient 's health by managing the environment. In my nursing practice, the patient always comes first. The patient care comes first in every decision. If for example, a new room assignment may jeopardize patient safety, the change won 't go on. Even if
According to Barrett, when attempting to define what nursing science is, it remains quite a mystery. With various different worldviews, with wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge evolving over time, has made it a challenge to come with a universal definition. To ensure that nurses are current with the best practical and evidence based practices, it is important to focus on nursing-discipline-specific knowledge. Fawcett stresses the importance of using nursing discipline-specific knowledge in the form of explicit nursing conceptual models, because it governs the foundation of what and why nurses do what they do. Fawcett makes it clear that nurses must develop adequate knowledge in order to apply new evidence based treatments and
Nursing, and everything that it entails, cannot be easily described in just one simple word or phrase. It goes beyond the meaning of a profession and the stereotypical definition of treating the ill. 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” (American Nurses Association, 2010, p. 1). Therefore, it is a career that requires dedication, passion, critical thinking, and knowledge. It demands commitment and an understanding of its core values and concepts, as well as the nurse’s own personal philosophy and principles.
Nurses fatigue is growing problem nurse face each day in the healthcare environment, and he can be caused by long hours, sleep deprivation, and possibly by accepting extra assignments can be dangerous for both nurses and patient. These inadequacies can result in major implications for the health and safety of registered nurses and can compromise patient care which can lead to fatalities. (American Nurses Association, 2014). In my experience, being fatigued from working much 12-hour shifts consecutively was very difficult as I felt extremely tired, resulting in lack of focus, missing important details during the handing over the process with impaired cognitive functioning. This I found was detrimental to the patients and myself as it impedes quality and has a deleterious effect on patient safety.
Having a nursing philosophy is the foundation that a nurse uses and builds upon during their nursing career. My personal philosophy attempts to answers questions such as, “what is nursing?” and “what does nursing mean to me”. Nursing involves far more than just taking care of a patient; nursing is a career that requires a certain passion, dedication, and commitment. In this paper, the idea of holistic caring with the use of compassion and respect for the patient, and the ideas of patient-centered care is explained and described. Additionally, the use of the four nursing metaparadigms helped link the connection between the the patient and nurse. Focusing on the idea that nursing should be patient driven and focus on the values and needs of
Everyone’s values and beliefs about the profession of nursing are all different. The four concepts of nursing are interrelated and all mean something different to every person, too. Throughout this paper, I will be reflecting on my values and beliefs about nursing through the four concepts while comparing them to a nursing theorist with views that are most similar to my own.
Alligood (2014) states that Boykin and Schoenhofer’s Theory of Nursing as Caring is an exception to this rule because “rather than providing empirical variables from which hypotheses and testable predications are made, the theory of nursing as caring qualitatively transforms practice” (p. 362). Alligood (2014) argues that the Theory of Nursing as Caring is focused on unique human interaction that cannot and should not be objectified and is therefore impossible to be founded in the empirical way of
According to Chinn and Kramer (2015) the metaparadigm environment or society refers to both dependent and independent factors that are directly significant to the patient and his or her care (p 47). Nightingale believed all people involved in the care of a patient should maintain a therapeutic setting to heighten the comfort and healing (Pfettscher, S. A., 2014a). On the other hand, Martha Rogers believes that humans and the environment are one and their manifestations derive from mutual developments. She also believes a person is a consolidated whole and cannot be observed by looking at its parts (Gunther, M. E.,
It is a profession in which teamwork between healthcare providers is essential to provide safe and appropriate care to all patients. I believe that nursing is a profession for me, and will continue to expand my knowledge as a nurse by educating myself, growing from past nursing opportunities, applying knowledge, and learning from patients and their families. My vision is to continue to develop my knowledge and grow as a nurse. As I continue to grow and learn about nursing, I believe that my philosophy will evolve with every new experience and will positively impact the client population. I trust that my philosophy of nursing will have a positive impact on my clients as my goal is to consistently provide competent, safe nursing care to all which is culturally safe.