Purposes of Nursing Theory in Education, Research and Clinical Practice

April 16, 2010 - PRLog -- Purpose of Nursing Theory in Education is: To establish the profession's place in the university.

Nursing theory is more firmly established in education than in clinical practice primarily because it was used to establish the profession's place in the university.

The nursing programs of the 1970s and 1980s identified:

The major concepts in one or two nursing models
Organized these concepts into a conceptual framework
And attempted to organize the entire curriculum around that framework
Within this unique framework evolved:

Program objectives
Course objectives
Course descriptions
Clinical performance criteria
The goal was to:

Elucidate the central meanings of the profession
And to gain status vis-à-vis other professions
Many nursing programs have abandoned theory-driven conceptual frameworks because they became so torturous at times that neither the faculty nor the students understood clearly what was meant.

Purpose of Nursing Theory in Research is: To help us identify gaps in the way we approach specific fields of study such as:

Symptom management
Or quality of life
Different theoretical perspectives also help create:

New ideas
Research questions
And interpretations
Grand theories "occasionally" direct nursing research.

Midlevel theories more often inform nursing research. The focus is upon exploration of concepts such as:

Pain
Self-esteem
Learning
Hardiness
Qualitative research in nursing and the social sciences also come from philosophy or the social sciences theories.

Critical theories in nursing help explain how race, gender, sexual orientation, and economic class affect patient experiences and health outcomes.

Purpose of Nursing Theory in Clinical Practice: Provides the facilitation of reflection, questioning, and thinking about what nurses do.

Nursing theory in a clinical setting primarily provides the facilitation of reflection, questioning, and thinking about what nurses do. Nurses and nursing practice is often subordinated to powerful institutional forces and traditions. Therefore, any type of framework that encourages nurses to think about and question what they do provides an invaluable service.

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