NR 501 Week 1 Nursing Theory

Sample Answer for NR 501 Week 1 Nursing Theory

 Nursing theories are research based, and widely established ideas that help to create a framework for nursing practice, as well as provide structure for the nursing scope. Nursing theory helps to delineate the meaning of nursing practice and profession, provides an understanding of the nursing role, and contributes to knowledge for practice (Iskandarani et al., 2012). Theory is a critical aspect in the nursing profession as it provides the groundwork for what we do and why we do it. It allows nurses to have an in-depth understanding of their scope of practice as well as their skills and competencies. Nurse practitioners are a crucial part of a health care team in this day and age. Unfortunately, due to the increase in competency based, and medically focused education, nursing theory is losing its place as a formative foundation in nurse practitioner curricula (Wood, 2020). Nursing requires a philosophical and theoretical basis and with that shrinking, we risk the loss of nursing foundations that were based in scientific and theoretical frameworks. It is true that theory and science based practice leads to better patient outcomes, and losing that could mean decreased level of care and ultimately, diminished health outcomes. Without theory in nursing, nursing simply becomes a robotic action of fulfilling orders for those with critical thinking skills and knowledge. If medicine is based in science and theory, why shouldn’t nursing? Nurse practitioner practice requires theory to be at the basis of all decision making. It can help nurses to define what is known, and what remains to be known. It can also help to make differential diagnoses, engage in research, and meaningfully treat a patient to reach maximal health outcomes. Nursing theory enables nurses to have an identity that is separate from physicians. It helps to promote confidence, competence, and respect, in the profession and is a crucial aspect of advanced practice nursing. After reading and reflecting on this week’s learning modules, it is clear that theory serves a necessary purpose in the nursing profession and should be maintained in the nursing curricula.  

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References 

     Iskandarani, L. S., Al Hammadi, A. M., & Al Gizani, R. A. (2012). Importance of nursing theories as a basis for practice. Journal of King Abdulaziz University Medical Sciences, 19(1), 115-123. https://doi.org/10.4197/Med.19-1S.8Links to an external site.   

     Wood, S. K. (2020). Keeping the nurse in the nurse practitioner. Advances in Nursing Science, 43(1), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.1097/ans.0000000000000301 

Sample Answer 2 for NR 501 Week 1 Nursing Theory

According to Ulutasdemir (2018), the nursing metaparadigm includes nursing, person, environment and health. All 4 of these components work together to ultimately guide practice toward holistic nursing care. By addressing a patient utilizing these 4 concepts, we, as nurses can provide unique, person-centered care that can also assist in lowering health disparities and increasing access to care for all. As we know, Florence Nightingale played a crucial role in the development of nursing practice and theory. She developed the environmental theory was one of many in healthcare reform that is still utilized today as a practice for infection control (Gilbert, 2020). Theories such as this can be applied to address and reduce health disparities by making efforts to understand social and economic determinants of health. While the theory focuses on altering environment to cause positive effects on health, it also enables for a deeper understanding of the underlying reasons for health issues in specific areas and can be used to provide a better level of patient-centered care to specific populations in need.  

Gilbert, H. A. (2020). Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory and its influence on contemporary infection control. Collegian, 27(6), 626–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2020.09.006 

Ulutasdemir, N. (2018). Nursing. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.716