essay about definition of nursing

On the Definition of Nursing Essay

Introduction, definitions, common aspects.

Having a proper definition of a job is crucial because it allows identifying key traits of the profession and highlighting the aspects that future nurses should aspire to master through their education and personal development. Over the years, many variations of the definition of this job were offered by individuals, which reflects the transformations of responsibilities and tasks. This paper aims to review different descriptions of nursing and compare them to identify similarities.

Firstly, it is necessary to determine the approach to defining nursing that was used by Florence Nightingale as she is the most significant person that affected the development of this profession. Nightingale described the job as doing “all at the least expense of vital power to the patient” (as cited in Black, 2017, p. 115). This included assessing the environments and factors that contribute to one’s health, which is reflective of the modern approach to nursing.

Although the definition of the twentieth century accurately described the primary task that a nurse should do, it lacked the components such as a health assessment and an environment defined by Nightingale. According to Shaw, the focus was on the execution of orders and provision of food and other care for patients (as cited in Black, 2017). However, other authors did include factors such as mental health, comfort, prevention of illnesses, and the contribution of nurses to a person’s achievement of good physical health. Therefore, both Nightingale and twentieth-century health professionals understood the importance of different factors that enable proper health management.

The post-World War II period marked a change in the attitudes towards nursing because new technology and altered approaches to education signified the importance of the work that nurses do. Peplau developed the essential definition of that era because the author highlighted interpersonal relationships as a factor that contributes to one’s health (as cited in Black, 2017). The assistance is highlighted as the core value of the profession that enables patients to achieve their health-related goals. Rogers stated that nursing diagnosis and promotion of health are core values of the job (as cited in Black, 2017). This enables an understanding that in the post-war period nurses had more responsibilities when compared to other eras, based on the previously discussed definitions.

The modern definition of this profession is provided by the American Nurses Association (ANA). According to the establishment, prevention, minimization of suffering, and promotion of approaches that enable proper health are the core aspects (American Nurses Organization, 2015). When compared to other definitions, it can be concluded that modern nurses have more responsibilities that are reflected in diagnosing individuals, providing guidance, and caring for communities. Thus, the scope of work is more significant that it was, while the core value – providing care has remained.

The definitions of nursing described above all focus on specific aspects that their authors considered crucial for the profession. However, through a thorough examination, one can conclude that all of them have a similar goal – ensuring that patients can be healthy. This is facilitated through different approaches, for instance, some focus on mental health others on medication or interpersonal interactions that help individuals understand ways to avoid diseases. Thus, one can conclude that these explanations of nursing highlight the various approaches through which a professional can assist his or her patients and help them improve their physical and mental health.

Overall, nursing has many definitions that reflect various components of work. It can be concluded that Florence Nightingale created the most accurate explanation for a nurse’s job because her words follow the modern approach to nursing. It highlights the importance of different factors that contribute to one’s health. Other authors described the profession using a different perspective; however, the general feature is the assistance to patients.

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics with interpretative statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author.

Black, B. P. (2017). Professional nursing: Concepts & challenges (8th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier.

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Nursing definitions

Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people.

Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles. (ICN, 2002)

Long definition

Nursing, as an integral part of the health care system, encompasses the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages, in all health care and other community settings. Within this broad spectrum of health care, the phenomena of particular concern to nurses are individual, family, and group "responses to actual or potential health problems" (ANA, 1980, P.9).

These human responses range broadly from health restoring reactions to an individual episode of illness to the development of policy in promoting the long-term health of a population.

The unique function of nurses in caring for individuals, sick or well, is to assess their responses to their health status and to assist them in the performance of those activities contributing to health or recovery or to dignified death that they would perform unaided if they had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge and to do this in such a way as to help them gain full of partial independence as rapidly as possible (Henderson, 1977, p.4).

Within the total health care environment, nurses share with other health professionals and those in other sectors of public service the functions of planning, implementation, and evaluation to ensure the adequacy of the health system for promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for ill and disabled people. (ICN, 1987)

Definition of a Nurse

The nurse is a person who has completed a program of basic, generalized nursing education and is authorized by the appropriate regulatory authority to practice nursing in his/her country. Basic nursing education is a formally recognised programme of study providing a broad and sound foundation in the behavioural, life, and nursing sciences for the general practice of nursing, for a leadership role, and for post-basic education for specialty or advanced nursing practice. The nurse is prepared and authorized :

• (1) To engage in the general scope of nursing practice, including the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages and in all health care and other community settings
• (2) To carry out health care teaching
• (3) To participate fully as a member of the health care team
• (4) To supervise and train nursing and health care auxiliaries
• (5) To be involved in research

(ICN, 1987)

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Definition and principles of nursing

Eight principles that apply to all nursing staff and nursing students in any care setting

Nursing is the largest safety critical profession in health and social care. The nursing team is diverse and includes the nursing support workforce. The RCN last published a definition of nursing in 2003. This resource includes a new definition that depicts the change and increased complexity that the nursing profession has seen over the last two decades. 

The Principles of Nursing are mapped to and complement the NMC Code (for registrants).

Definition of Nursing

Nursing is a safety critical profession founded on four pillars: clinical practice, education, research, and leadership. Registered nurses use evidence-based knowledge, professional and clinical judgement to assess, plan, implement and evaluate high-quality person-centred nursing care.

Definition of Nursing (expanded version)

The work of registered nurses consists of many specialised and complex interventions. Their vigilance is critical to the safety of people, the prevention of avoidable harm and the management of risks regardless of the location or situation.

Compassionate leadership is central to the provision and co-ordination of nursing care and informed by its values, integrity and professional knowledge. Responsibility includes leading the integration of emotional, physical, organisational, and cognitive nursing work to meet the needs of people, organisations, systems, and populations.

Registered nurses are decision makers. They use clinical judgement and problem-solving skills to manage and co-ordinate the complexity of health and social care systems to ensure people and their families are enabled to improve, maintain, or recover health by adapting, coping, and returning to live lives of the best quality or to experience a dignified death. They have high levels of autonomy within nursing and multi professional teams, and they delegate to others in line with the NMC Code.

Footnote The leadership pillar for some nurses will include management responsibilities.

• RCN New Definition of Nursing: Background research and rationale . This summary explanation aims to provide the background to developing the revised RCN definition of nursing in support of the professional framework. It explains the reasons for the choice of language terms and the emphasis placed on the definition.
• RCN position on preserving safety and preventing harm: Valuing the role of the registered nurse

The Principles of Nursing

The Principles of Nursing are applicable to all of the nursing workforce. The Principles describe what everyone, from nursing staff to people and populations, can expect from nursing to deliver safe and effective nursing care. They cover the aspects of behaviour, attitude and approach that underpin good care and they are mapped to and complement the NMC Code .

Principle A - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Principle B - Accountability

Principle C - Safety Critical, Safe Care

Principle D - Personalised Person-Centred Care

Principle E - Communication and Informatics

Principle F - Knowledge and Skills

Principle G - Professional Standards

Principle H - Leadership

The term ‘nursing staff’ includes the nursing support workforce who work with the registered nurse to support the provision of nursing care. This term, as defined in the RCN Nursing Workforce Standards encompasses a wide range of roles and titles which may include nursing associate (England only), assistant practitioner, health care assistant, health care support worker, and nursing assistant.

The RCN Nursing Workforce Standards  support achieving the principles of nursing.

For registrants, the principles are mapped to the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct .

How you can use the principles

As a nursing professional or nursing student you can use the principles to:

• understand what patients, colleagues, families and carers can expect from nursing 
• help you reflect on your practice and develop as a professional
• generate discussions with your colleagues or if you are student with your mentor, tutor or fellow students on the aspects of behaviour, attitude and approach that underpin good nursing care
• identify where the principles are being practised within your organisation, and to identify instances where you think they are not being practised
• see how they relate to a trust’s own set of nursing values.   

Further reading

• The NMC Code for nurses and midwives

Glossary of terms

Absences - Agreed and non-agreed non-attendance at a workplace. Absenteeism is habitual absence from work.

Direct care - Care provided personally by a member of staff. May involve any aspect of health care including treatments, counselling and education regarding people who use services. Indirect care - Nursing interventions that are performed to benefit people who use services but do not involve direct contact with these individuals and communities. Independent employer - Any independent contractor, employer organisations that may or may not be commissioned by the public sector. This will include private health care providers, most social care providers; GP practices; out of hours/call centres; social enterprises and community interest companies; charities, private surgical, mental health and learning disability hospitals; independent treatment centres; public/private schools; private industry. Missed care - Required care for people who use or need services that is omitted in part or fully, or care that is delayed. Nurse-patient/staff ratios - Number of people who need or use services assigned to an individual or team of nurses; based upon the acuity and/or dependency of the service user for nursing care. Nurse retention - A strategy which focuses on preventing nurse turnover and keeping nurses in an organisation's employment. Nursing establishment - The total number of staff to provide sufficient resource to deploy a planned roster that will enable nurses to provide care to people who need or use services that meets all reasonable requirements in the relevant situation. This includes: a resource to cover all staff absences, and other staff functions that reduce the time available to care for people who need services. Supernumerary persons such as students and sisters/charge nurses/managers should not be included in the planned roster. Nurse staffing - Rota and whole time equivalent (WTE) for a nursing team. The nurse staffing level refers to both the required establishment and the actual staffing level per shift/allocated workday. The maintenance of the nurse staffing level should be funded from the organisation’s revenue allocation. Nursing workforce - The total number of nursing staff, of all levels of experience and qualification, currently working within an organisation, sector or country. Patient acuity - Acuity can be defined as the measurement of the intensity of nursing care that is required by a person in need of service. An acuity-based staffing system regulates the number of nurses on a shift according to the individual's needs and not according to numbers of people who use or need services. Patient/client dependency - Measuring the differing reliance of individual people who use services on nursing staff, a means to classify patients in order to predict staffing needs. Patient safety - Patient safety is the prevention of errors and adverse effects to patients associated with health care. It is closely correlated to safe staffing levels. Public sector - Refers to employers that are publicly provided – either as an arm’s length body of the department of health and social care, or via another government department or directorate such as education, home office, and criminal justice. Examples include local authorities, statutory agencies such as inspectorates and regulators.

Registered Nurse  - "Nursing is a safety critical profession founded on four pillars: clinical practice, education, research and leadership. Registered nurses use evidence-based knowledge, professional and clinical judgement to assess, plan, implement and evaluate high-quality person-centred nursing care."

Seasonal variation in nursing workload - Variations and fluctuations in demands for care by people who need or use services, such as differing attendance rates. Shift patterns - Is the organising of shifts to ensure patients have continued access to nursing care whatever the day or time of day. The shifts could be rotational between day, night and weekend working, or fixed or a continuous working pattern. Skill mix - Percentage of different health care personnel involved in provision of care, for example between registered nurses and nursing support workers, or between different health care professions. Social care - Is 60% publicly funded by local authorities. However, most UK residential and domiciliary care and employment is provided by independent employers, which include private care home companies, domiciliary care agencies, charities, private care management companies. Staff rosters/schedules - A list of staff and associated information such as working times, responsibilities and locations for a given time period. Staffing levels - To ensure effective staffing there needs to be the right numbers of the right people, in the right place at the right time. It is not just a matter of having enough staff, but also ensuring they have suitable knowledge and experience. Substantive position - An employee's permanent position of employment. Team - A group of staff brought together to achieve a common goal. Often associated with a multidisciplinary approach to care for people who use services. Understaffing - A situation where there are insufficient numbers of staff to operate effectively, such as to impact upon service user safety. Uplift - Adding an allowance when calculating staff numbers for planned and unplanned staff absence. Vacancies - Paid posts which are newly created, unoccupied, or about to become vacant and the employer is actively searching for suitable staff. Temporary staff may be able to fulfil posts during the recruitment of permanent staff. Whole-time equivalent - This is a standardised measure of the workload of an employee. Workforce planning – The process of analysing the current workforce and determining future needs, including identifying any gaps between current and future provision.

Page last updated - 10/05/2024

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How to Write a Nursing Essay with a Quick Guide

Ever felt the blank-page panic when assigned a nursing essay? Wondering where to start or if your words will measure up to the weight of your experiences? Fear not, because today, we're here to guide you through this process.

Imagine you're at your favorite coffee spot, armed with a cup of motivation (and maybe a sneaky treat). Got it? Great! Now, let's spill the secrets on how to spin your nursing tales into words that not only get you that A+ but also tug at the heartstrings of anyone reading. We've got your back with nursing essay examples that'll be your inspiration, an outline to keep you on the right path, and more!

What Is a Nursing Essay

Let's start by dissecting the concept. A nursing essay serves as a focused exploration of a specific aspect of nursing, providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and its practical application in patient care settings.

Picture it as a journey through the challenges and victories of a budding nurse. These essays go beyond the classroom, tackling everything from tricky ethical dilemmas to the impact of healthcare policies on the front lines. It's not just about grades; it's about proving, 'I'm ready for the real deal.'

So, when you read or write a nursing essay, it's not just words on paper. It's like looking into the world of someone who's about to start their nursing career – someone who's really thought about the ins and outs of being a nurse. And before you kick off your nursing career, don't shy away from asking - write my essay for me - we're ready to land a professional helping hand.

How to Start a Nursing Essay

When you start writing a nursing essay, it is like gearing up for a crucial mission. Here's your quick guide from our nursing essay writing service :

Choosing Your Topic: Select a topic that sparks your interest and relates to real-world nursing challenges. Consider areas like patient care, ethical dilemmas, or the impact of technology on healthcare.

Outline Your Route : Plan your essay's journey. Create a roadmap with key points you want to cover. This keeps you on track and your essay on point.

Craft a Strong Thesis: Assuming you already know how to write a hook , kick off your writing with a surprising fact, a thought-provoking quote, or a brief anecdote. Then, state your main argument or perspective in one sentence. This thesis will serve as the compass for your essay, guiding both you and your reader through the rest of your writing.

How to Structure a Nursing Essay

Every great essay is like a well-orchestrated performance – it needs a script, a narrative that flows seamlessly, capturing the audience's attention from start to finish. In our case, this script takes the form of a well-organized structure. Let's delve into the elements that teach you how to write a nursing essay, from a mere collection of words to a compelling journey of insights.

Nursing Essay Introduction

Begin your nursing essay with a spark. Knowing how to write essay introduction effectively means sharing a real-life scenario or a striking fact related to your topic. For instance, if exploring patient care, narrate a personal experience that made a lasting impression. Then, crisply state your thesis – a clear roadmap indicating the direction your essay will take. Think of it as a teaser that leaves the reader eager to explore the insights you're about to unfold.

In the main body, dive into the heart of your essay. Each paragraph should explore a specific aspect of your topic. Back your thoughts with examples – maybe a scenario from your clinical experience, a relevant case study, or findings from credible sources. Imagine it as a puzzle coming together; each paragraph adds a piece, forming a complete picture. Keep it focused and let each idea flow naturally into the next.

Nursing Essay Conclusion

As writing a nursing essay nears the end, resist the urge to introduce new elements. Summarize your main points concisely. Remind the reader of the real-world significance of your thesis – why it matters in the broader context of nursing. Conclude with a thought-provoking statement or a call to reflection, leaving your reader with a lasting impression. It's like the final scene of a movie that leaves you thinking long after the credits roll.

Nursing Essay Outline

Before diving into the essay, craft a roadmap – your outline. This isn't a rigid skeleton but a flexible guide that ensures your ideas flow logically. Consider the following template from our research paper writing service :

Introduction

• Opening Hook: Share a brief, impactful patient care scenario.
• Relevance Statement: Explain why the chosen topic is crucial in nursing.
• Thesis: Clearly state the main argument or perspective.

Patient-Centered Care:

• Definition: Clarify what patient-centered care means in nursing.
• Personal Experience: Share a relevant encounter from clinical practice.
• Evidence: Integrate findings from reputable nursing literature.

Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing Practice

• Scenario Presentation: Describe a specific ethical challenge faced by nurses.
• Decision-Making Process: Outline steps taken to address the dilemma.
• Ethical Frameworks: Discuss any ethical theories guiding the decision.

Impact of Technology on Nursing

• Current Trends: Highlight technological advancements in nursing.
• Case Study: Share an example of technology enhancing patient care.
• Challenges and Benefits: Discuss the pros and cons of technology in nursing.
• Summary of Key Points: Recap the main ideas from each section.
• Real-world Implications: Emphasize the practical significance in nursing practice.
• Closing Thought: End with a reflective statement or call to action.

A+ in Nursing Essays Await You!

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Nursing Essay Examples

Here are the nursing Essay Examples for you to read.

Writing a Nursing Essay: Essential Tips

When it comes to crafting a stellar nursing essay, a few key strategies can elevate your work from ordinary to exceptional. Here are some valuable tips from our medical school personal statement writer :

Connect with Personal Experiences:

• Approach: Weave personal encounters seamlessly into your narrative.
• Reasoning: This not only adds authenticity to your essay but also serves as a powerful testament to your firsthand understanding of the challenges and triumphs in the nursing field.

Emphasize Critical Thinking:

• Approach: Go beyond describing situations; delve into their analysis.
• Reasoning: Nursing essays are the perfect platform to showcase your critical thinking skills – an essential attribute in making informed decisions in real-world healthcare scenarios.

Incorporate Patient Perspectives:

• Approach: Integrate patient stories or feedback into your discussion.
• Reasoning: By bringing in the human element, you demonstrate empathy and an understanding of the patient's experience, a core aspect of nursing care.

Integrate Evidence-Based Practice:

• Approach: Support your arguments with the latest evidence-based literature.
• Reasoning: Highlighting your commitment to staying informed and applying current research underscores your dedication to evidence-based practice – a cornerstone in modern nursing.

Address Ethical Considerations:

• Approach: Explicitly discuss the ethical dimensions of your topic.
• Reasoning: Nursing essays provide a platform to delve into the ethical complexities inherent in healthcare, showcasing your ability to navigate and analyze these challenges.

Balance Theory and Practice:

• Approach: Connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications.
• Reasoning: By bridging the gap between theory and practice, you illustrate your capacity to apply academic knowledge effectively in the dynamic realm of nursing.

Highlight Interdisciplinary Collaboration:

• Approach: Discuss collaborative efforts with other healthcare professionals.
• Reasoning: Acknowledging the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare underscores your understanding of the importance of teamwork – a vital aspect of successful nursing practice.

Reflect on Lessons Learned:

• Approach: Conclude with a thoughtful reflection on personal growth or lessons from your exploration.
• Reasoning: This not only provides a satisfying conclusion but also demonstrates your self-awareness and commitment to continuous improvement as a nursing professional.

As we wrap up, think of your essay as a story about your journey into nursing. It's not just about getting a grade; it's a way to share what you've been through and why you want to be a nurse.

Imagine the person reading it – maybe a teacher, a future coworker, or someone starting their nursing journey. They're trying to understand your passion and why you care about nursing.

So, when you write, remember it's more than just an assignment. It's your chance to show why nursing matters to you. And if you ever need help – there's always support from our essay writer online .

Ready to Excel in Your Nursing School Essay?

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How to Write a Nursing Essay?

How can a nursing essay effectively address ethical considerations, what are some examples of evidence-based practices in nursing essays, related articles.

Nursing Theories and Theorists: The Definitive Guide for Nurses

In this guide for nursing theories and nursing theorists , we aim to help you understand what comprises a nursing theory and its importance, purpose, history, types, or classifications, and give you an overview through summaries of selected nursing theories.

Table of Contents

• What are Nursing Theories?

Defining Terms

History of nursing theories, environment, definitions, relational statements, assumptions, why are nursing theories important, in academic discipline, in research, in the profession, grand nursing theories, middle-range nursing theories, practice-level nursing theories, factor-isolating theory, explanatory theory, prescriptive theories, other ways of classifying nursing theories, florence nightingale, hildegard e. peplau, virginia henderson, faye glenn abdellah, ernestine wiedenbach, lydia e. hall, joyce travelbee, kathryn e. barnard, evelyn adam, nancy roper, winifred logan, and alison j. tierney, ida jean orlando, jean watson.

• Marilyn Anne Ray 

Patricia Benner

Kari martinsen, katie eriksson, myra estrin levine, martha e. rogers, dorothea e. orem, imogene m. king, betty neuman, sister callista roy, dorothy e. johnson, anne boykin and savina o. schoenhofer, afaf ibrahim meleis, nola j. pender, madeleine m. leininger, margaret a. newman, rosemarie rizzo parse, helen c. erickson, evelyn m. tomlin, and mary ann p. swain, gladys l. husted and james h. husted, ramona t. mercer, merle h. mishel, pamela g. reed, carolyn l. wiener and marylin j. dodd, georgene gaskill eakes, mary lermann burke, and margaret a. hainsworth, phil barker, katharine kolcaba, cheryl tatano beck, kristen m. swanson, cornelia m. ruland and shirley m. moore, wanda de aguiar horta, recommended resources, what are nursing theories.

Nursing theories are organized bodies of knowledge to define what nursing is, what nurses do, and why they do it. Nursing theories provide a way to define nursing as a unique discipline that is separate from other disciplines (e.g., medicine). It is a framework of concepts and purposes intended to guide nursing practice at a more concrete and specific level.

Nursing, as a profession, is committed to recognizing its own unparalleled body of knowledge vital to nursing practice—nursing science. To distinguish this foundation of knowledge, nurses need to identify, develop, and understand concepts and theories in line with nursing. As a science, nursing is based on the theory of what nursing is, what nurses do, and why. Nursing is a unique discipline and is separate from medicine. It has its own body of knowledge on which delivery of care is based.

The development of nursing theory demands an understanding of selected terminologies, definitions, and assumptions.

• Philosophy. These are beliefs and values that define a way of thinking and are generally known and understood by a group or discipline.
• Theory . A belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action. It refers to a logical group of general propositions used as principles of explanation. Theories are also used to describe, predict, or control phenomena.
• Concept. Concepts are often called the building blocks of theories. They are primarily the vehicles of thought that involve images.
• Models. Models are representations of the interaction among and between the concepts showing patterns. They present an overview of the theory’s thinking and may demonstrate how theory can be introduced into practice.
• Conceptual framework. A conceptual framework is a group of related ideas, statements, or concepts. It is often used interchangeably with the conceptual model and with grand theories .
• Proposition. Propositions are statements that describe the relationship between the concepts.
• Domain . The domain is the perspective or territory of a profession or discipline.
• Process. Processes are organized steps, changes, or functions intended to bring about the desired result.
• Paradigm. A paradigm refers to a pattern of shared understanding and assumptions about reality and the world, worldview, or widely accepted value system.
• Metaparadigm. A metaparadigm is the most general statement of discipline and functions as a framework in which the more restricted structures of conceptual models develop. Much of the theoretical work in nursing focused on articulating relationships among four major concepts: person, environment, health, and nursing.

The first nursing theories appeared in the late 1800s when a strong emphasis was placed on nursing education.

• In 1860, Florence Nightingale defined nursing in her “ Environmental Theory ” as “the act of utilizing the patient’s environment to assist him in his recovery.”
• In the 1950s, there is a consensus among nursing scholars that nursing needed to validate itself through the production of its own scientifically tested body of knowledge.
• In 1952, Hildegard Peplau introduced her Theory of Interpersonal Relations that emphasizes the nurse -client relationship as the foundation of nursing practice.
• In 1955, Virginia Henderson conceptualized the nurse’s role as assisting sick or healthy individuals to gain independence in meeting 14 fundamental needs. Thus her Nursing Need Theory was developed.
• In 1960, Faye Abdellah published her work “Typology of 21 Nursing Problems,” which shifted the focus of nursing from a disease-centered approach to a patient-centered approach.
• In 1962, Ida Jean Orlando emphasized the reciprocal relationship between patient and nurse and viewed nursing’s professional function as finding out and meeting the patient’s immediate need for help.
• In 1968, Dorothy Johnson pioneered the Behavioral System Model and upheld the fostering of efficient and effective behavioral functioning in the patient to prevent illness.
• In 1970, Martha Rogers viewed nursing as both a science and an art as it provides a way to view the unitary human being, who is integral with the universe.
• In 1971, Dorothea Orem stated in her theory that nursing care is required if the client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental, or social needs.
• In 1971, Imogene King ‘s Theory of Goal attainment stated that the nurse is considered part of the patient’s environment and the nurse-patient relationship is for meeting goals towards good health.
• In 1972, Betty Neuman , in her theory, states that many needs exist, and each may disrupt client balance or stability. Stress reduction is the goal of the system model of nursing practice.
• In 1979, Sr. Callista Roy viewed the individual as a set of interrelated systems that maintain the balance between these various stimuli.
• In 1979, Jean Watson developed the philosophy of caring, highlighted humanistic aspects of nursing as they intertwine with scientific knowledge and nursing practice.

The Nursing Metaparadigm

Four major concepts are frequently interrelated and fundamental to nursing theory: person, environment, health, and nursing. These four are collectively referred to as metaparadigm for nursing .

Person (also referred to as Client or Human Beings) is the recipient of nursing care and may include individuals, patients, groups, families, and communities.

Environment (or situation) is defined as the internal and external surroundings that affect the client. It includes all positive or negative conditions that affect the patient, the physical environment, such as families, friends, and significant others, and the setting for where they go for their healthcare.

Health is defined as the degree of wellness or well-being that the client experiences. It may have different meanings for each patient, the clinical setting, and the health care provider.

The nurse’s attributes, characteristics, and actions provide care on behalf of or in conjunction with the client. There are numerous definitions of nursing, though nursing scholars may have difficulty agreeing on its exact definition. The ultimate goal of nursing theories is to improve patient care.

You’ll find that these four concepts are used frequently and defined differently throughout different nursing theories. Each nurse theorist’s definition varies by their orientation, nursing experience , and different factors that affect the theorist’s nursing view. The person is the main focus, but how each theorist defines the nursing metaparadigm gives a unique take specific to a particular theory. To give you an example, below are the different definitions of various theorists on the nursing metaparadigm:

Components of Nursing Theories

For a theory to be a theory, it has to contain concepts, definitions, relational statements, and assumptions that explain a phenomenon. It should also explain how these components relate to each other.

A term given to describe an idea or response about an event, a situation, a process, a group of events, or a group of situations. Phenomena may be temporary or permanent. Nursing theories focus on the phenomena of nursing.

Interrelated concepts define a theory. Concepts are used to help describe or label a phenomenon. They are words or phrases that identify, define, and establish structure and boundaries for ideas generated about a particular phenomenon. Concepts may be abstract or concrete.

• Abstract Concepts . Defined as mentally constructed independently of a specific time or place.
• Concrete Concepts . Are directly experienced and related to a particular time or place.

Definitions are used to convey the general meaning of the concepts of the theory. Definitions can be theoretical or operational.

• Theoretical Definitions . Define a particular concept based on the theorist’s perspective.
• Operational Definitions . States how concepts are measured.

Relational statements define the relationships between two or more concepts. They are the chains that link concepts to one another.

Assumptions are accepted as truths and are based on values and beliefs. These statements explain the nature of concepts, definitions, purpose, relationships, and structure of a theory.

Nursing theories are the basis of nursing practice today. In many cases, nursing theory guides knowledge development and directs education, research, and practice. Historically, nursing was not recognized as an academic discipline or as a profession we view today. Before nursing theories were developed, nursing was considered to be a task-oriented occupation. The training and function of nurses were under the direction and control of the medical profession. Let’s take a look at the importance of nursing theory and its significance to nursing practice:

• Nursing theories help recognize what should set the foundation of practice by explicitly describing nursing.
• By defining nursing, a nursing theory also helps nurses understand their purpose and role in the healthcare setting.
• Theories serve as a rationale or scientific reasons for nursing interventions and give nurses the knowledge base necessary for acting and responding appropriately in nursing care situations.
• Nursing theories provide the foundations of nursing practice, generate further knowledge, and indicate which direction nursing should develop in the future (Brown, 1964).
• By providing nurses a sense of identity, nursing theory can help patients, managers, and other healthcare professionals to acknowledge and understand the unique contribution that nurses make to the healthcare service (Draper, 1990).
• Nursing theories prepare the nurses to reflect on the assumptions and question the nursing values, thus further defining nursing and increasing the knowledge base.
• Nursing theories aim to define, predict, and demonstrate nursing phenomenon (Chinn and Jacobs, 1978).
• It can be regarded as an attempt by the nursing profession to maintain and preserve its professional limits and boundaries.
• Nursing theories can help guide research and informing evidence-based practice.
• Provide a common language and terminology for nurses to use in communication and practice.
• Serves as a basis for the development of nursing education and training programs.
• In many cases, nursing theories guide knowledge development and directs education, research, and practice, although each influences the others. (Fitzpatrick and Whall, 2005).

Purposes of Nursing Theories

The primary purpose of theory in nursing is to improve practice by positively influencing the health and quality of life of patients. Nursing theories are essential for the development and advancement of the nursing profession. Nursing theories are also developed to define and describe nursing care, guide nursing practice, and provide a basis for clinical decision-making. In the past, the accomplishments of nursing led to the recognition of nursing in an academic discipline, research, and profession.

Much of the earlier nursing programs identified the major concepts in one or two nursing models, organized the concepts, and build an entire nursing curriculum around the created framework. These models’ unique language was typically introduced into program objectives, course objectives, course descriptions, and clinical performance criteria. The purpose was to explain the fundamental implications of the profession and enhance the profession’s status.

The development of theory is fundamental to the research process, where it is necessary to use theory as a framework to provide perspective and guidance to the research study. Theory can also be used to guide the research process by creating and testing phenomena of interest. To improve the nursing profession’s ability to meet societal duties and responsibilities, there needs to be a continuous reciprocal and cyclical connection with theory, practice, and research. This will help connect the perceived “gap” between theory and practice and promote the theory-guided practice.

Clinical practice generates research questions and knowledge for theory. In a clinical setting, its primary contribution has been the facilitation of reflecting, questioning, and thinking about what nurses do. Because nurses and nursing practice are often subordinate to powerful institutional forces and traditions, introducing any framework that encourages nurses to reflect on, question, and think about what they do provide an invaluable service.

Classification of Nursing Theories

There are different ways to categorize nursing theories. They are classified depending on their function, levels of abstraction, or goal orientation.

By Abstraction

There are three major categories when classifying nursing theories based on their level of abstraction: grand theory, middle-range theory, and practice-level theory.

• Grand theories are abstract, broad in scope, and complex, therefore requiring further research for clarification.
• Grand nursing theories do not guide specific nursing interventions but rather provide a general framework and nursing ideas.
• Grand nursing theorists develop their works based on their own experiences and their time, explaining why there is so much variation among theories.
• Address the nursing metaparadigm components of person, nursing, health, and environment.
• More limited in scope (compared to grand theories) and present concepts and propositions at a lower level of abstraction. They address a specific phenomenon in nursing.
• Due to the difficulty of testing grand theories, nursing scholars proposed using this level of theory.
• Most middle-range theories are based on a grand theorist’s works, but they can be conceived from research, nursing practice, or the theories of other disciplines.
• Practice nursing theories are situation-specific theories that are narrow in scope and focuses on a specific patient population at a specific time.
• Practice-level nursing theories provide frameworks for nursing interventions and suggest outcomes or the effect of nursing practice.
• Theories developed at this level have a more direct effect on nursing practice than more abstract theories.
• These theories are interrelated with concepts from middle-range theories or grand theories.

By Goal Orientation

Theories can also be classified based on their goals. They can be descriptive or prescriptive .

Descriptive Theories

• Descriptive theories are the first level of theory development. They describe the phenomena and identify its properties and components in which it occurs.
• Descriptive theories are not action-oriented or attempt to produce or change a situation.
• There are two types of descriptive theories: factor-isolating theory and explanatory theory .
• Also known as category-formulating or labeling theory.
• Theories under this category describe the properties and dimensions of phenomena.
• Explanatory theories describe and explain the nature of relationships of certain phenomena to other phenomena.
• Address the nursing interventions for a phenomenon, guide practice change, and predict consequences.
• Includes propositions that call for change.
• In nursing, prescriptive theories are used to anticipate the outcomes of nursing interventions.

Classification According to Meleis

Afaf Ibrahim Meleis (2011), in her book  Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress , organizes the major nurse theories and models using the following headings: needs theories, interaction theories, and outcome theories. These categories indicate the basic philosophical underpinnings of the theories.

• Needs-Based Theories. The needs theorists were the first group of nurses who thought of giving nursing care a conceptual order. Theories under this group are based on helping individuals to fulfill their physical and mental needs. Theories of Orem, Henderson, and Abdella are categorized under this group. Need theories are criticized for relying too much on the medical model of health and placing the patient in an overtly dependent position.
• Interaction Theories. These theories emphasized nursing on the establishment and maintenance of relationships. They highlighted the impact of nursing on patients and how they interact with the environment, people, and situations. Theories of King, Orlando, and Travelbee are grouped under this category.
• Outcome Theories . These theories describe the nurse as controlling and directing patient care using their knowledge of the human physiological and behavioral systems. The nursing theories of Johnson , Levine , Rogers , and Roy belong to this group.

Classification According to Alligood

In her book, Nursing Theorists and Their Work, Raile Alligood (2017) categorized nursing theories into four headings: nursing philosophy, nursing conceptual models, nursing theories and grand theories, and middle-range nursing theories.

• Nursing Philosophy . It is the most abstract type and sets forth the meaning of nursing phenomena through analysis, reasoning, and logical presentation. Works of Nightingale, Watson, Ray, and Benner are categorized under this group.
• Nursing Conceptual Models . These are comprehensive nursing theories that are regarded by some as pioneers in nursing. These theories address the nursing metaparadigm and explain the relationship between them. Conceptual models of Levine, Rogers, Roy, King, and Orem are under this group.
• Grand Nursing Theories. Are works derived from nursing philosophies, conceptual models, and other grand theories that are generally not as specific as middle-range theories. Works of Levine, Rogers, Orem, and King are some of the theories under this category.
• Middle-Range Theories. Are precise and answer specific nursing practice questions. They address the specifics of nursing situations within the model’s perspective or theory from which they are derived. Examples of Middle-Range theories are that of Mercer, Reed, Mishel, and Barker.

List of Nursing Theories and Theorists

You’ve learned from the previous sections the definition of nursing theory, its significance in nursing, and its purpose in generating a nursing knowledge base. This section will give you an overview and summary of the various published works in nursing theory (in chronological order). Deep dive into learning about the theory by clicking on the links provided for their biography and comprehensive review of their work.

See Also: Florence Nightingale: Environmental Theory and Biography

• Founder of Modern Nursing and Pioneer of the Environmental Theory. 
• Defined Nursing as “the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery.”
• Stated that nursing “ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet – all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.”
• Identified five (5) environmental factors: fresh air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness or sanitation, and light or direct sunlight.

See Also: Hildegard Peplau: Interpersonal Relations Theory

• Pioneered the Theory of Interpersonal Relations
• Peplau’s theory defined Nursing as “An interpersonal process of therapeutic interactions between an individual who is sick or in need of health services and a nurse specially educated to recognize, respond to the need for help.”
• Her work is influenced by Henry Stack Sullivan, Percival Symonds, Abraham Maslow , and Neal Elgar Miller.
• It helps nurses and healthcare providers develop more therapeutic interventions in the clinical setting.

See Also: Virginia Henderson: Nursing Need Theory 

• Developed the Nursing Need Theory
• Focuses on the importance of increasing the patient’s independence to hasten their progress in the hospital.
• Emphasizes the basic human needs and how nurses can assist in meeting those needs.
• “The nurse is expected to carry out a physician’s therapeutic plan, but individualized care is the result of the nurse’s creativity in planning for care.”

See Also: Faye Glenn Abdellah: 21 Nursing Problems Theory

• Developed the 21 Nursing Problems Theory
• “Nursing is based on an art and science that molds the attitudes, intellectual competencies, and technical skills of the individual nurse into the desire and ability to help people, sick or well, cope with their health needs.”
• Changed the focus of nursing from disease-centered to patient-centered and began to include families and the elderly in nursing care.
• The nursing model is intended to guide care in hospital institutions but can also be applied to community health nursing, as well.
• Developed The Helping Art of Clinical Nursing conceptual model.
• Definition of nursing reflects on nurse-midwife experience as “People may differ in their concept of nursing, but few would disagree that nursing is nurturing or caring for someone in a motherly fashion.”
• Guides the nurse action in the art of nursing and specified four elements of clinical nursing: philosophy, purpose, practice, and art.
• Clinical nursing is focused on meeting the patient’s perceived need for help in a vision of nursing that indicates considerable importance on the art of nursing.

See Also: Lydia Hall: Care, Cure, Core Theory

• Developed the Care, Cure, Core Theory is also known  as the “ Three Cs of Lydia Hall . “
• Hall defined Nursing as the “participation in care, core and cure aspects of patient care, where CARE is the sole function of nurses, whereas the CORE and CURE are shared with other members of the health team.”
• The major purpose of care is to achieve an interpersonal relationship with the individual to facilitate the development of the core.
• The “care” circle defines a professional nurse’s primary role, such as providing bodily care for the patient. The “core” is the patient receiving nursing care. The “cure” is the aspect of nursing that involves the administration of medications and treatments.
• States in her Human-to-Human Relationship Model that the purpose of nursing was to help and support an individual, family, or community to prevent or cope with the struggles of illness and suffering and, if necessary, to find significance in these occurrences, with the ultimate goal being the presence of hope.
• Nursing was accomplished through human-to-human relationships.
• Extended the interpersonal relationship theories of Peplau and Orlando.
• Developed the Child Health Assessment Model .
• Concerns improving the health of infants and their families.
• Her findings on parent-child interaction as an important predictor of cognitive development helped shape public policy.
• She is the founder of the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training Project (NCAST), which produces and develops research-based products, assessment , and training programs to teach professionals, parents, and other caregivers the skills to provide nurturing environments for young children.
• Borrows from psychology and human development and focuses on mother-infant interaction with the environment.
• Contributed a close link to practice that has modified the way health care providers assess children in light of the parent-child relationship.
• Focuses on the development of models and theories on the concept of nursing.
• Includes the profession’s goal, the beneficiary of the professional service, the role of the professional, the source of the beneficiary’s difficulty, the intervention of the professional, and the consequences.
• A good example of using a unique basis of nursing for further expansion.
• A Model for Nursing Based on a Model of Living
• Logan produced a simple theory, “which actually helped bedside nurses.”
• The trio collaborated in the fourth edition of The Elements of Nursing: A Model for Nursing Based on a Model of Living and prepared a monograph entitled The Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing: Based on Activities of Daily Living.
• Includes maintaining a safe environment, communicating, breathing, eating and drinking, eliminating, personal cleansing and dressing, controlling body temperature, mobilizing, working and playing, expressing sexuality, sleeping , and dying .

See Also: Ida Jean Orlando: Nursing Process Theory

• She developed the Nursing Process Theory.
• “Patients have their own meanings and interpretations of situations, and therefore nurses must validate their inferences and analyses with patients before drawing conclusions.”
• Allows nurses to formulate an effective nursing care plan that can also be easily adapted when and if any complexity comes up with the patient.
• According to her, persons become patients requiring nursing care when they have needs for help that cannot be met independently because of their physical limitations, negative reactions to an environment, or experience that prevents them from communicating their needs.
• The role of the nurse is to find out and meet the patient’s immediate needs for help.

See Also: Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring

• She pioneered the Philosophy and Theory of Transpersonal Caring .
• “Nursing is concerned with promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick, and restoring health.”
• Mainly concerns with how nurses care for their patients and how that caring progresses into better plans to promote health and wellness, prevent illness and restore health.
• Focuses on health promotion, as well as the treatment of diseases.
• Caring is central to nursing practice and promotes health better than a simple medical cure.

Marilyn Anne Ray

• Developed the Theory of Bureaucratic Caring
• “Improved patient safety , infection control , reduction in medication errors , and overall quality of care in complex bureaucratic health care systems cannot occur without knowledge and understanding of complex organizations, such as the political and economic systems, and spiritual-ethical caring, compassion and right action for all patients and professionals.”
• Challenges participants in nursing to think beyond their usual frame of reference and envision the world holistically while considering the universe as a hologram.
• Presents a different view of how health care organizations and nursing phenomena interrelate as wholes and parts in the system.
• Caring, Clinical Wisdom, and Ethics in Nursing Practice
• “The nurse-patient relationship is not a uniform, professionalized blueprint but rather a kaleidoscope of intimacy and distance in some of the most dramatic, poignant, and mundane moments of life.”
• Attempts to assert and reestablish nurses’ caring practices when nurses are rewarded more for efficiency, technical skills, and measurable outcomes.
• States that caring practices are instilled with knowledge and skill regarding everyday human needs.
• Philosophy of Caring
• “Nursing is founded on caring for life, on neighborly love, […]At the same time, the nurse must be professionally educated.”
• Human beings are created and are beings for whom we may have administrative responsibility.
• Caring, solidarity, and moral practice are unavoidable realities.
• Theory of Carative Caring
• “Caritative nursing means that we take ‘caritas’ into use when caring for the human being in health and suffering […] Caritative caring is a manifestation of the love that ‘just exists’ […] Caring communion, true caring, occurs when the one caring in a spirit of caritas alleviates the suffering of the patient.”
• The ultimate goal of caring is to lighten suffering and serve life and health.
• Inspired many in the Nordic countries and used it as the basis of research, education, and clinical practice.

See Also: Myra Estrin Levine: Conservation Model for Nursing

• According to the Conservation Model , “Nursing is human interaction.”
• Provides a framework within which to teach beginning nursing students.
• Logically congruent, externally and internally consistent, has breadth and depth, and is understood, with few exceptions, by professionals and consumers of health care.

See Also: Martha Rogers: Theory of Unitary Human Beings

• In Roger’s Theory of Human Beings , she defined Nursing as “an art and science that is humanistic and humanitarian.
• The Science of Unitary Human Beings contains two dimensions: the science of nursing, which is the knowledge specific to the field of nursing that comes from scientific research; and the art of nursing, which involves using nursing creatively to help better the lives of the patient.
• A patient can’t be separated from his or her environment when addressing health and treatment.

See Also: Dorothea E. Orem: Self-Care Theory

• In her Self-Care Theory, she defined Nursing as “The act of assisting others in the provision and management of self-care to maintain or improve human functioning at the home level of effectiveness.”
• Focuses on each individual’s ability to perform self-care.
• Composed of three interrelated theories: (1) the theory of self-care, (2) the self-care deficit theory, and (3) the theory of nursing systems, which is further classified into wholly compensatory, partially compensatory, and supportive-educative.

See Also: Imogene M. King: Theory of Goal Attainment

• Conceptual System and Middle-Range Theory of Goal Attainment
• “Nursing is a process of action, reaction and interaction by which nurse and client share information about their perception in a nursing situation” and “a process of human interactions between nurse and client whereby each perceives the other and the situation, and through communication, they set goals, explore means, and agree on means to achieve goals.”
• Focuses on this process to guide and direct nurses in the nurse-patient relationship, going hand-in-hand with their patients to meet good health goals.
• Explains that the nurse and patient go hand-in-hand in communicating information, set goals together, and then take actions to achieve those goals.

See Also: Betty Neuman: Neuman’s Systems Model

• In Neuman’s System Model , she  defined nursing as a “unique profession in that is concerned with all of the variables affecting an individual’s response to stress.”
• The focus is on the client as a system (which may be an individual, family, group, or community) and on the client’s responses to stressors.
• The client system includes five variables (physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual). It is conceptualized as an inner core (basic energy resources) surrounded by concentric circles that include lines of resistance, a normal defense line, and a flexible line of defense.

See Also: Sister Callista Roy:  Adaptation Model of Nursing

• In Adaptation Model, Roy defined nursing as a “health care profession that focuses on human life processes and patterns and emphasizes the promotion of health for individuals, families, groups, and society as a whole.”
• Views the individual as a set of interrelated systems that strives to maintain a balance between various stimuli.
• Inspired the development of many middle-range nursing theories and adaptation instruments.

See Also: Dorothy E. Johnson:  Behavioral Systems Model

• The Behavioral System Model defined Nursing as “an external regulatory force that acts to preserve the organization and integrate the patients’ behaviors at an optimum level under those conditions in which the behavior constitutes a threat to the physical or social health or in which illness is found.”
• Advocates to foster efficient and effective behavioral functioning in the patient to prevent illness and stresses the importance of research-based knowledge about the effect of nursing care on patients.
• Describes the person as a behavioral system with seven subsystems: the achievement, attachment-affiliative, aggressive-protective, dependency, ingestive, eliminative, and sexual subsystems.
• The Theory of Nursing as Caring: A Model for Transforming Practice
• Nursing is an “exquisitely interwoven” unity of aspects of the discipline and profession of nursing.
• Nursing’s focus and aim as a discipline of knowledge and a professional service are “nurturing persons living to care and growing in caring.”
• Caring in nursing is “an altruistic, active expression of love, and is the intentional and embodied recognition of value and connectedness.”
• Transitions Theory
• It began with observations of experiences faced as people deal with changes related to health, well-being, and the ability to care for themselves.
• Types of transitions include developmental, health and illness, situational, and organizational.
• Acknowledges the role of nurses as they help people go through health/illness and life transitions.
• Focuses on assisting nurses in facilitating patients’, families’, and communities’ healthy transitions.

See Also: Nola Pender: Health Promotion Model

• Health Promotion Model
• Describes the interaction between the nurse and the consumer while considering the role of the health promotion environment.
• It focuses on three areas: individual characteristics and experiences, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, and behavioral outcomes.
• Describes the multidimensional nature of persons as they interact within their environment to pursue health.

See Also:  Madeleine M. Leininger: Transcultural Nursing Theory

• Culture Care Theory of Diversity and Universality
• Defined transcultural nursing as “a substantive area of study and practice focused on comparative cultural care (caring) values, beliefs, and practices of individuals or groups of similar or different cultures to provide culture-specific and universal nursing care practices in promoting health or well-being or to help people to face unfavorable human conditions, illness, or death in culturally meaningful ways.”
• Involves learning and understanding various cultures regarding nursing and health-illness caring practices, beliefs, and values to implement significant and efficient nursing care services to people according to their cultural values and health-illness context.
• It focuses on the fact that various cultures have different and unique caring behaviors and different health and illness values, beliefs, and patterns of behaviors.
• Health as Expanding Consciousness
• “Nursing is the process of recognizing the patient in relation to the environment, and it is the process of the understanding of consciousness.”
• “The theory of health as expanding consciousness was stimulated by concern for those for whom health as the absence of disease or disability is not possible . . . “
• Nursing is regarded as a connection between the nurse and patient, and both grow in the sense of higher levels of consciousness.
• Human Becoming Theory
• “Nursing is a science, and the performing art of nursing is practiced in relationships with persons (individuals, groups, and communities) in their processes of becoming.”
• Explains that a person is more than the sum of the parts, the environment, and the person is inseparable and that nursing is a human science and art that uses an abstract body of knowledge to help people.
• It centered around three themes: meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence.
• Modeling and Role-Modeling
• “Nursing is the holistic helping of persons with their self-care activities in relation to their health . . . The goal is to achieve a state of perceived optimum health and contentment.”
• Modeling is a process that allows nurses to understand the unique perspective of a client and learn to appreciate its importance.
• Role-modeling occurs when the nurse plans and implements interventions that are unique for the client.
• Created the Symphonological Bioethical Theory
• “Symphonology (from ‘ symphonia ,’ a Greek word meaning agreement) is a system of ethics based on the terms and preconditions of an agreement.”
• Nursing cannot occur without both nurse and patient. “A nurse takes no actions that are not interactions.”
• Founded on the singular concept of human rights, the essential agreement of non-aggression among rational people forms the foundation of all human interaction.
• Maternal Role Attainment—Becoming a Mother
• “Nursing is a dynamic profession with three major foci: health promotion and prevention of illness, providing care for those who need professional assistance to achieve their optimal level of health and functioning, and research to enhance the knowledge base for providing excellent nursing care.”
• “Nurses are the health professionals having the most sustained and intense interaction with women in the maternity cycle.”
• Maternal role attainment is an interactional and developmental process occurring over time. The mother becomes attached to her infant, acquires competence in the caretaking tasks involved in the role, and expresses pleasure and gratification. (Mercer, 1986).
• Provides proper health care interventions for nontraditional mothers for them to favorably adopt a strong maternal identity.
• Uncertainty in Illness Theory
• Presents a comprehensive structure to view the experience of acute and chronic illness and organize nursing interventions to promote optimal adjustment.
• Describes how individuals form meaning from illness-related situations.
• The original theory’s concepts were organized in a linear model around the following three major themes: Antecedents of uncertainty, Process of uncertainty appraisal, and Coping with uncertainty.
• Self-Transcendence Theory
• Self-transcendence refers to the fluctuation of perceived boundaries that extend the person (or self) beyond the immediate and constricted views of self and the world (Reed, 1997).
• Has three basic concepts: vulnerability, self-transcendence, and well-being.
• Gives insight into the developmental nature of humans associated with health circumstances connected to nursing care.
• Theory of Illness Trajectory
• “The uncertainty surrounding a chronic illness like cancer is the uncertainty of life writ large. By listening to those who are tolerating this exaggerated uncertainty, we can learn much about the trajectory of living.”
• Provides a framework for nurses to understand how cancer patients stand uncertainty manifested as a loss of control.
• Provides new knowledge on how patients and families endure uncertainty and work strategically to reduce uncertainty through a dynamic flow of illness events, treatment situations, and varied players involved in care organization.
• Theory of Chronic Sorrow
• “Chronic sorrow is the presence of pervasive grief -related feelings that have been found to occur periodically throughout the lives of individuals with chronic health conditions, their family caregivers and the bereaved.”
• This middle-range theory defines the aspect of chronic sorrow as a normal response to the ongoing disparity created by the loss.
• Barker’s Tidal Model of Mental Health Recovery is widely used in mental health nursing.
• It focuses on nursing’s fundamental care processes, is universally applicable, and is a practical guide for psychiatry and mental health nursing.
• Draws on values about relating to people and help others in their moments of distress. The values of the Tidal Model are revealed in the Ten Commitments: Value the voice, Respect the language, Develop genuine curiosity, Become the apprentice, Use the available toolkit, Craft the step beyond, Give the gift of time, Reveal personal wisdom, Know that change is constant, and Be transparent.
• Theory of Comfort
• “Comfort is an antidote to the stressors inherent in health care situations today, and when comfort is enhanced, patients and families are strengthened for the tasks ahead. Also, nurses feel more satisfied with the care they are giving.”
• Patient comfort exists in three forms: relief, ease, and transcendence. These comforts can occur in four contexts: physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural.
• As a patient’s comfort needs change, the nurse’s interventions change, as well.
• Postpartum Depression Theory
• “The birth of a baby is an occasion for joy—or so the saying goes […] But for some women, joy is not an option.”
• Described nursing as a caring profession with caring obligations to persons we care for, students, and each other.
• Provides evidence to understand and prevent postpartum depression .
• Theory of Caring
• “Caring is a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility.”
• Defines nursing as informed caring for the well-being of others.
• Offers a structure for improving up-to-date nursing practice, education, and research while bringing the discipline to its traditional values and caring-healing roots.
• Peaceful End-of-Life Theory
• The focus was not on death itself but on providing a peaceful and meaningful living in the time that remained for patients and their significant others.
• The purpose was to reflect the complexity involved in caring for terminally ill patients.
• Also known as Wanda Horta, she introduced the concepts of nursing that are accepted in Brazil.
• Wrote the book Nursing Process which presents relevance to the various fields of Nursing practice for providing a holistic view of the patient.
• Her work was recognized in all the teaching institutions called the Theory of Basic Human Needs . It is based on Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation, whose primary concept is the hierarchy of Basic Human Needs (BHN).
• Horta’s Theory of Basic Human Needs is considered the highest point of her work, and the summary of all her research concludes sickness as a science and art of assisting a human being in meeting basic human needs, making the patient independent of this assistance through education in recovery, maintenance, and health promotion.
• Classified basic human needs into three main dimensions – psychobiological, psychosocial and psychospiritual – and establishes a relationship between the concepts of human being, environment, and nursing.
• The theory describes nursing as an element of a healthcare team and states that it can function efficiently through a scientific method. Horta referred this method as the nursing process .
• She defined the nursing process as the dynamics of systematic and interrelated actions to assist human beings. It is characterized by six phases: nursing history, nursing diagnosis , assistance plan, care plan or nursing prescription, evolution, and prognosis.

Recommended books and resources to learn more about nursing theory:

Disclosure: Included below are affiliate links from Amazon at no additional cost from you. We may earn a small commission from your purchase. For more information, check out our privacy policy .

• Nursing Theorists and Their Work (10th Edition) by Alligood Nursing Theorists and Their Work, 10th Edition provides a clear, in-depth look at nursing theories of historical and international significance. Each chapter presents a key nursing theory or philosophy, showing how systematic theoretical evidence can enhance decision making, professionalism, and quality of care.
• Knowledge Development in Nursing: Theory and Process (11th Edition) Use the five patterns of knowing to help you develop sound clinical judgment. This edition reflects the latest thinking in nursing knowledge development and adds emphasis to real-world application. The content in this edition aligns with the new 2021 AACN Essentials for Nursing Education.
• Nursing Knowledge and Theory Innovation, Second Edition: Advancing the Science of Practice (2nd Edition) This text for graduate-level nursing students focuses on the science and philosophy of nursing knowledge development. It is distinguished by its focus on practical applications of theory for scholarly, evidence-based approaches. The second edition features important updates and a reorganization of information to better highlight the roles of theory and major philosophical perspectives.
• Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (5th Edition) The only nursing research and theory book with primary works by the original theorists. Explore the historical and contemporary theories that are the foundation of nursing practice today. The 5th Edition, continues to meet the needs of today’s students with an expanded focus on the middle range theories and practice models.
• Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing (6th Edition) The clearest, most useful introduction to theory development methods. Reflecting vast changes in nursing practice, it covers advances both in theory development and in strategies for concept, statement, and theory development. It also builds further connections between nursing theory and evidence-based practice.
• Middle Range Theory for Nursing (4th Edition) This nursing book’s ability to break down complex ideas is part of what made this book a three-time recipient of the AJN Book of the Year award. This edition includes five completely new chapters of content essential for nursing books. New exemplars linking middle range theory to advanced nursing practice make it even more useful and expand the content to make it better.
• Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice This book offers balanced coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. This edition features new content on trending topics, including the Next-Generation NCLEX® Exam (NGN).
• Nursing Research (11th Edition) AJN award-winning authors Denise Polit and Cheryl Beck detail the latest methodologic innovations in nursing, medicine, and the social sciences. The updated 11th Edition adds two new chapters designed to help students ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of research methods. Extensively revised content throughout strengthens students’ ability to locate and rank clinical evidence.

Recommended site resources related to nursing theory:

• Nursing Theories and Theorists: The Definitive Guide for Nurses MUST READ! In this guide for nursing theories, we aim to help you understand what comprises a nursing theory and its importance, purpose, history, types or classifications, and give you an overview through summaries of selected nursing theories.

Other resources related to nursing theory:

• Betty Neuman: Neuman Systems Model
• Dorothea Orem: Self-Care Deficit Theory
• Dorothy Johnson: Behavioral System Model
• Faye Abdellah: 21 Nursing Problems Theory
• Florence Nightingale: Environmental Theory
• Hildegard Peplau: Interpersonal Relations Theory
• Ida Jean Orlando: Deliberative Nursing Process Theory
• Imogene King: Theory of Goal Attainment
• Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring
• Lydia Hall: Care, Cure, Core Nursing Theory
• Madeleine Leininger: Transcultural Nursing Theory
• Martha Rogers: Science of Unitary Human Beings
• Myra Estrin Levine: The Conservation Model of Nursing
• Nola Pender: Health Promotion Model
• Sister Callista Roy: Adaptation Model of Nursing
• Virginia Henderson: Nursing Need Theory

Suggested readings and resources for this study guide :

• Alligood, M., & Tomey, A. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work, seventh edition (No ed.). Maryland Heights: Mosby-Elsevier.
• Alligood, M. R. (2017).  Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book . Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Barnard, K. E. (1984). Nursing research related to infants and young children. In  Annual review of nursing research  (pp. 3-25). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
• Brown, H. I. (1979).  Perception, theory, and commitment: The new philosophy of science . University of Chicago Press. [ Link ]
• Brown M (1964) Research in the development of nursing theory: the importance of a theoretical framework in nursing research. Nursing Research.
• Camacho, A. C. L. F., & Joaquim, F. L. (2017). Reflections based on Wanda Horta on the basic instruments of nursing. Rev Enferm UFPE [Internet], 11(12), 5432-8.
• Chinn, P. L., & Jacobs, M. K. (1978). A model for theory development in nursing.  Advances in Nursing Science ,  1 (1), 1-12. [ Link ]
• Colley, S. (2003). Nursing theory: its importance to practice. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 17(46), 33. [ Link ]
• Fawcett, J. (2005). Criteria for evaluation of theory. Nursing science quarterly, 18(2), 131-135. [ Link ]
• Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Whall, A. L. (Eds.). (1996).  Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application . Connecticut, Norwalk: Appleton & Lange.
• Kaplan, A. (2017).  The conduct of inquiry: Methodology for behavioural science . Routledge. [ Link ]
• Meleis, A. I. (2011).  Theoretical nursing: Development and progress . Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Neuman, B. M., & Fawcett, J. (2002). The Neuman systems model.
• Nightingale F (1860) Notes on Nursing. New York NY, Appleton.
• Perão, O. F., Zandonadi, G. C., Rodríguez, A. H., Fontes, M. S., Nascimento, E. L. P., & Santos, E. K. A. (2017). Patient safety in an intensive care unit according to Wanda Horta’s theory. Cogitare Enfermagem, 22(3), e45657.
• Peplau H (1988) The art and science of nursing: similarities, differences, and relations. Nursing Science Quarterly
• Rogers M (1970) An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing. Philadelphia PA, FA Davis.

47 thoughts on “Nursing Theories and Theorists: The Definitive Guide for Nurses”

Great work indeed

Amazing and simple post I have ever come across about nursing theories.

Thank you for the simplicity

where do i find the reference page in apa format?

The reference listed below the article is in APA format.

i love this. insightful. Comprehensive ,Well researched .

Thank you for these theories they are a life saver and simplified. My school require us to write about 2 nursing theorist from memory for a Comprehensive exam in which if you do not pass it you are required to wait for a year to retake the exam.

Merci beaucoup, puisque je suis très satisfait.

I’m pleased to congratulate you about your work! I really appreciate it! From: Cameroon

An entire’s semester worth of a nursing theory class, expertly and succinctly summarized in one paper. I wish my instructor were as easy to understand. Good work.

I thought this was in a chronological order based on their published works date? Then why Orlando’s theory comes at the later part? Can someone englighten me please because I am making a timeline for our project.

Great job. Very clear and succinct.

I like it. Well explained!

easy to understand and very helpful

thankyou very much.

The article was beneficial to me to understand nursing theories

This is amazing and I love it so enriching!

Thanks for the article may God bless you more Plus More Power and Protection

Thanks so much

Please can someone help me with a nursing theory related to “teamwork” please

Thank you so much !

I loved the text and saw that the nursing theorist Wanda Aguiar Horta, a Brazilian nurse and great theorist regarding basic human needs, was not included.

I suggest reviewing and including it to be more complete.

If you need, I can help with inclusion!

Best Regards

Hi João Carlos, we’d love to hear about her work. Please send us the details via our contact page: https://nurseslabs.com/contact/

Excellent study guide! Detailed, Informative and Valued! Thank you!

hi can someone help me which theorist can relate in Ear, Nose, Throat nursing care.

Wonderful contribution of shared knowledge- now how do we get the word out for nurses that are not able to afford a BSN?

Thanks for the work. It’s very helpful

This has helped me understand theories a bit better, however, there is one that is eluding me. Where does the normative theory fit in?

very educative.I have understood theories more than before.Thanks

hard work. great work in deed

I love reading your material, plain concise and easy

Very informative, more knowledgeable about the theorist

Thank you for your information. This material is great and when I have looked for material for nursing theory. I got is material with complete

A big hand of applause 👏🏿 This is a treasure for nurses of the world. Thank you so much

Hi G. ALex,

Wow, thanks for the awesome feedback! 😊 Super glad you found it to be a treasure. Just curious, was there a particular section that stood out to you or something you’d love to see more of? Always keen to hear what resonates with fellow nurses!

This is really hard work put together in a very easy to understand way.Thank you so much.It came handy

Hi Sigala, Thanks a ton for noticing the effort! 😊 Super happy to hear it came in handy for you. If you ever have suggestions or topics you’d like to see, give me a shout. Cheers to making things understandable!

Absolutely helpful. Thank you.

So glad to hear the nursing theories guide was a hit for you! 😊 If you have any other topics or questions in mind, just give a shout. Always here to help. Keep rocking your studies! Thanks Ishe!

Am happy, to read these theories, very educating. Am going to make use of it when caring for my patients. GREAT NURSES GREAT! I LOVE YOU ALL.

Hi Eboh, I’m thrilled to hear you’re excited about applying these nursing theories in practice! They can really enhance the care we provide. It’s all about putting that knowledge to good use. By the way, which theory resonated with you the most, or which do you see being most applicable in your day-to-day patient care?

How do I relate one of the theories to effective management of intravenous lines? Which theory and how to relate to the above?

Hi wanted to ask you who wrote this page who is the autor because i need to write them on footnotes and i can’t find autor of the page,neither the year it was published. Thank you. Btw this article was really helpful i never understood nursing theories this good.

Hey there Innaya, I’m glad to hear the article on nursing theories was so helpful to you! Here’s how you can cite it in APA format:

Vera, M. (2019, September 11). Nursing Theories and Theorists: The Definitive Guide for Nurses Nurseslabs. https://nurseslabs.com/nursing-theories/

If you need any more help with citations or have other questions, feel free to ask. Happy to assist!

Please is there an app I could download all these from?

Hi Felicia, Thanks for your interest! As of now, we don’t have a dedicated app for downloading our content. However, our website is mobile-friendly, so you can easily access all our resources from your smartphone or tablet browser.

wonderful insights, and very precise and easy to understand, I even got to know and learn about other new theorists of Nursing I didn’t know before.

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How to Write a Great Nursing Personal Philosophy Paper

Are you finding it difficult to write a brilliant nursing philosophy paper? If yes, you are in the right corner of the internet. In this post, you will discover everything you need to know to write a brilliant personal nursing philosophy. Let's jump right in!

What is a personal nursing philosophy statement?

A personal nursing philosophy statement is a statement that shows a nurse's values, ethics, and beliefs about patient care and nursing in general. In other words, it is a statement that clarifies a nurse's thoughts, ideas, and principles regarding patient care and nursing.

The statement is often between four to five sentences long. When you write it, you are supposed to put it somewhere where you can read it from time to time to remember your goals and objectives and to motivate yourself.

An extended personal nursing philosophy statement is called a personal nursing philosophy paper . The paper is usually between five to six paragraphs long. It is longer than a typical nursing philosophy statement because it is more detailed.

How does one create a personal nursing philosophy statement?

What drives you as a nurse? What makes you wake up daily to go to your nursing duty station? Is it your belief that every patient should receive holistic care? Is it your belief that patients deserve the highest level of care? Whatever drives or motivates you as a nurse is your nursing philosophy . Thus, to create a personal nursing philosophy, all you need to do is write down what motivates you as a nurse.

In a few moments, you will discover how to create a personal nursing philosophy statement in a step-by-step guide.

Personal nursing philosophy vs. personal leadership philosophy

A personal nursing philosophy is a statement that shows a nurse's beliefs, values, and ethics regarding the nursing profession. It is specific to the nursing profession because it is only written by nurses or those training to be nurses.

In contrast, a personal leadership philosophy is a statement that shows a leader's values, principles, and beliefs regarding leadership (influencing or leading people). It can be written by just about anybody in a serious leadership position.

The two definitions above reveal significant differences between the two types of personal philosophies. The first difference is in the definition. The two philosophies are two different things by definition.

The second difference is in the author. Personal nursing philosophy can only be written by a nurse. In contrast, anyone in a serious leadership position can write a personal leadership philosophy.

Who writes a nursing philosophy statement?

A nursing student or a practicing nurse can write a nursing philosophy statement.

A personal nursing philosophy statement written by a nursing student is typically written for motivation. Nursing courses and practice can be challenging, which is an accepted fact worldwide. Because of this, instructors usually encourage students to write a nursing philosophy statement that they can refer to from time to time to motivate themselves and to remind themselves why they are pursuing a nursing profession.

A personal nursing philosophy statement written by a practicing nurse is typically written for motivation and as a career guide. Nursing is a challenging profession that is both physically and mentally demanding. Therefore, practicing nurses are encouraged to write and have a personal nursing philosophy for motivation. They are also encouraged to do so to clarify their career goals.

Why it is essential to have a personal nursing philosophy statement

There are 5 key reasons why having a personal nursing philosophy as a nursing student or nurse is crucial.

• It helps you to set standards for your nursing practice. This is good, especially if your nursing job involves handling serious or challenging situations.
• It helps you to set a standard for interacting with patients and colleagues regardless of the situation.
• It helps you adopt a mindset that can improve your service delivery or how you work in your current posting.
• It helps you to stay motivated even when facing enormous challenges by showing you the bigger picture (why you are in nursing).
• It assists you in capturing your goals and beliefs and actualizing them in your day-to-day nursing work.

What goes into my nursing philosophy paper?

A personal nursing philosophy paper is an extended version of a personal philosophy statement. It is more detailed. To write one, you first must create an outline. You cannot write an excellent logical nursing philosophy paper without first creating a nursing philosophy paper outline .

While it is ideal for creating an outline for your nursing personal philosophy paper , it is essential to remember that a personal philosophy is personal (based on your thoughts, principles, and beliefs). Therefore, there is always a freehand element when writing a personal philosophy paper.

Even if there is a freehand element when writing a personal philosophy paper, following an outline must ensure your paper has excellent structure and organization.

Personal nursing philosophy paper outline

1. Introduction

• Attention-grabbing statement
• Background information
• Thesis statement

2. Body Paragraph 1

• Opening statement
• Supporting information
• Closing statement

3. Body Paragraph 2

4. Body Paragraph 3

5. Conclusion

• Thesis restatement
• Restatement of main points
• Show that research supports the thesis statement

Steps for writing a brilliant personal nursing philosophy

In this section, you will discover the steps you must follow to create a brilliant personal nursing philosophy for motivation or to prepare yourself for nursing job interviews.

You must take a significant pre-writing step before you start writing your nursing philosophy . The step involves answering a set of questions related to the nursing profession. By answering the questions, you will make it easier for yourself to define your philosophy.

The questions are:

• What exactly is nursing?
• Why is nursing important to you?
• Why is nursing important to society?
• What are the attributes of a good nurse?
• What skills and qualities are vital for nurses?
• What values do you think every nurse should have?
• What errors should you never make as a nurse?

By thinking about these questions and answering them as honestly as you can, you will find it relatively easy to define your personal nursing philosophy .

Your answers to the questions above will help reveal your personal nursing philosophy . And it is by expanding these answers that you can write a detailed personal nursing philosophy. You can expand the answers by following the steps below.

1. Define what exactly nursing means to you

The first thing you should put in your nursing personal philosophy statement after your introduction is your personal definition of nursing. Use your answers to questions 1, 2, and 3 above to offer your own definition of nursing. This will help the reader quickly determine how you conceptualize and understand nursing and how you approach it.

2. Describe how you embody the attributes of a good nurse

After describing what nursing means to you in the first body paragraph, you should use the second body paragraph to describe how you embody a good nurse's attributes (skills, traits, & values). If you do not want to describe how you embody the attributes of a good nurse, you should share a story or an incident that shows how you embody them (or some of them). Writing this section in your nursing philosophy paper will tell the reader what nursing qualities you value the most.

3. Discuss how you want to impact your community or society through nursing

In the third body paragraph of your nursing philosophy paper, you should discuss how you intend to impact your community or society through nursing. This will help you to set your goals nicely for your nursing profession. Reading this part of your nursing philosophy will also help to motivate you, especially when you face challenges at your workplace.

4. Discuss the nursing qualities and traits that mean a lot to you

This is the fourth and last paragraph of your personal nursing philosophy . You should use it to reiterate the critical nursing skills, traits, principles, and values you believe define you the best. Ensure you have comprehensively yet briefly described your nursing experience, principles, and beliefs.

Using the steps above plus the outline shared earlier, you should be able to write a brilliant and well-structured personal philosophy of nursing paper.

Nursing Philosophy Example Paper

The nursing philosophy example below shows a detailed version of a personal nursing philosophy:

My personal nursing philosophy is all about trying to see art and beauty in the nursing profession. One of the pioneer nurses in the modern-day world, Florence Nightingale , once likened the nursing profession to art and argued that there is a need to ensure nurses, just like artists, are well-prepared and given the time and space to do their work. I agree with her, which is why I sometimes consider myself an artist. Like every experienced artist, I know I must pay attention to every little detail in my work to ensure I deliver exemplary services. Every little detail means the patient's emotional, psychological, and physical conditions. And I know that the only way I can stay at the top of my game is through preparation and constant training and learning. I believe the most important aspect of nursing is that we, as nurses, are at the core of patient treatment. They are given the training and the tools to help deliver treatment to patients. As a nurse who believes nursing is an art, I think of the training and tools we have been given as the tools of an artist. And I strive to use these tools effectively to help improve the patient's environment and condition. I use them to help deliver comfort and healing. Nursing, like most science-based professions, is a constantly changing profession. New information, new studies, and new ways of doing things are constantly being published in credible publications. Therefore, I believe that I must continually improve myself to continue delivering top-notch evidence-based nursing services. And this can only be done by continually reading new research, participating in training, and getting new certifications in the field. Only then can I continue administering medication and keeping conditions sterile according to the latest industry standards. I love the fact that ethics are an integral part of nursing education and nursing work. When dealing with patients, I always remember that while they are under my care, they need to feel that they are protected and that all their rights are observed. They need to access to the right to nutrition, oxygenation, safety, acceptance, and rest. They also need to be listened to and to have their thoughts and opinions considered. In closing, I believe nursing is one of the best professions in the world! It might not be the highest-paying profession, but to me, it is engaging, intricate, exciting, and highly satisfying work. Of course, it has its challenges, but I believe that by approaching it as an artist, I know everything is within my hands. I can use my training and tools to keep calm and continue delivering exemplary nursing services.

Five things to keep in mind when writing a personal nursing philosophy

You now know the steps to follow to write a personal nursing philosophy. You have also seen a personal nursing philosophy example paper above. It is almost certain that you feel confident about your ability to write a brilliant nursing philosophy paper. However, you need to know a few more things before you start writing your personal philosophy of nursing . These things will help you to write a brilliant personal nursing philosophy.

• Keep your paper short and precise. Your personal nursing philosophy is something that can be expressed in four to five sentences. It is called a personal nursing philosophy statement when it is short. It is called a personal nursing philosophy paper when it is long and detailed. And even when it is long and detailed, it is never too long; it usually does not exceed 500 words.
• Show you are ready for action. It is essential to ensure your personal nursing philosophy has action verbs that show you are ready to work. You should never say anything to the effect that you are a laidback person in your philosophy. This could be interpreted negatively and cause you to miss the opportunity.
• Be original. When you write your own personal philosophy of nursing , you should try to be yourself. Do not try to impress anyone or to express thoughts that are not your own. You should be genuine as possible. If you are, you will find yourself drawn to your philosophy, and it will have a natural motivating effect on you. If you are not, you really will not believe in the philosophy, and it will have no motivating or inspiring effect on you.
• Be ready for change. The nursing profession is a constantly changing profession. Thousands of new research studies are published annually, revealing new information on how to treat patients, care for patients, administer medicine, sterilize environments, and so on. Therefore, what you believe or hold true in your philosophy might hold true in a few months or years. Thus, you must be ready for change. You must be prepared to adjust your philosophy if you feel there is a need to.
• Keep a copy of your philosophy close to you. This is important to ensure that you have something to remind you of why you are in nursing, especially when the going gets tough. Many practicing nurses print and stick their personal philosophies somewhere in their work station to help them to keep going, especially when they want to give up.

Final thoughts

The personal philosophy of nursing is an important thing to have as a nursing student or as a practicing nurse. It is an important thing to have as a nursing student because it will remind you why you wanted to become a nurse. This will motivate you to keep going, especially if you constantly face academic challenges. A personal nursing philosophy is important for a practicing nurse for motivation and career direction.

Related Reading:

• Inspirational nursing topics for nursing papers.
• How to write a nursing diagnosis assignment.
• Inspiring topics for nursing debates
• Steps and tips for writing a nursing change project report.
• List of borrowed or non-nursing theories
• Nursing theories to inspire your nursing philosophy statement

You can write your nursing philosophy as a statement or an essay/paper. Writing a personal nursing philosophy statement is easy because it is usually just about five sentences long. In contrast, it is much harder to write a personal nursing philosophy paper because it is much longer and must be very detailed. However, using the information we have provided in this post, you should be able to write a decent nursing philosophy paper.

If you do not have the time to write one or are not confident you can write a good one, you should order it from us. We have dozens of experienced writers ready to help you quickly complete any academic assignment. You can pay the nursing writers to write your papers and assignments from scratch. All you must do is to put an order, and one of them will soon be working on your paper.

Personal Nursing Philosophy FAQs

What is a good example of a personal philosophy statement.

My personal nursing philosophy is that the e must use their training and their experience to ensure every patient gets the highest level of care regardless of their social status. I strongly believe nursing is about gaining knowledge, caring, and persistence. I use this philosophy to guide my day day-to-day decisions.

What was Florence Nightingale�s personal nursing philosophy?

Nightingale believed that the nursing profession was a spiritual calling. She also believed that every patient had a spiritual dimension that needed to be comforted and healed in the same way the physical dimension needs to be comforted and healed.

How long should my personal nursing philosophy statement be?

It should be no more than five sentences long. The shorter it is, the better. This is because a personal philosophy statement should simply be a short statement that states your motivations and helps you stay on track.

How long should my personal nursing philosophy paper be?

It should be no more than 500 words long. A personal nursing philosophy paper is a longer and more detailed version of a personal philosophy statement. It is unnecessary to be longer than 500 words unless you have been specifically instructed to make it longer than 500 words.

Do nursing organizations have nursing philosophies?

Yes, they do. However, most of them do not call them nursing philosophies. They call them a statement of purpose.

What was Florence Nightingale's nursing theory?

Florence Nightingale's nursing theory emphasizes that a nurse must use their brain, hands, and heart to create a healing environment for the patient's body, mind, and spirit. It is one of the most famous nursing theories .

How to start a nursing philosophy paper?

You should start the paper with a robust and attention-grabbing sentence. This will hook the reader and make them want to read your philosophy paper.

Struggling with

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The essence of nursing

In health care today, technological advances grab headlines while clinicians’ documentation duties mount almost daily. Is basic nursing care receding into the background?

Recently, American Nurse Today’s Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) had a spirited discussion on the current state of nursing and patient-care delivery. We concluded we need to shift the focus back to basic nursing care. Hence, the special supplement you’re now reading— The Essence of Nursing: Advancing the Art and Science of Patient Care, Quality, and Safety.

So what is the essence of nursing? It’s what some people call “high-touch” nursing, where the nurse has plenty of face-to-face time and a personal connection with patients and their families.

In a sense, the essence of nursing is the very heart of nursing.

During our discussion, EAB members shared examples of extraordinary nurses who’ve had a significant impact on patient outcomes and the patient-family experience. We also shared anecdotes in which nurses didn’t behave like the compassionate, competent caregivers we all aspire to be. This dichotomy underscored our belief that nurses need to get back to the basics—to living and breathing the essence of nursing in every patient encounter to realize the full potential of our profession.

Certain characteristics and competencies set nursing and nurses apart from other professions and practitioners. As EAB members discussed the essence of nursing, we asked each other: What’s distinctive about a nurse’s DNA? How does that distinction manifest when it comes to providing safe, high-quality patient care? How can nurses deliver the essence of nursing to its fullest extent possible—especially when caring for such vulnerable patients as low-birth-weight infants and elderly adults? What factors or circumstances enable or prohibit nurses from doing this? In today’s fast-paced, high-acuity, multidimensional, and penalty-driven healthcare delivery system, it’s crucial that we find answers to these and related questions.

Nursing presence

The nurse is the key to providing safe, effective, and compassionate care at both the individual and organizational levels. Despite the rapidly changing healthcare environment, one constant remains: The nurse, in a collective sense, is the healthcare professional who’s with the patient and family 24/7/365.

The nurse creates and nurtures an intimate bond with the patient and family through a constant presence and hands-on care. She or he gets to know the patient and family better than any other healthcare provider, learning their wishes, fears, capabilities, and challenges. It’s the nurse in whom the patient confides in the middle of the night and to whom the patient’s loved ones turn for information, support, and solace.

When a patient experiences overt distress or deteriorates suddenly, the nurse is likely to be the first one on the scene, initiating rescue procedures. More often than not, it’s the nurse who detects subtle changes in vital signs or behavior that signal a serious or life-threatening event. The literature tells us that when nurses have the right preparation and are present at the right place and the right time, patient outcomes improve. In collaboration with interdisciplinary colleagues, nurses’ highly skilled, competent, compassionate care can help prevent the patient’s functional decline, eliminate knowledge deficits for the patient and family, and promote their engagement in health care.

Presence and vigilance are key elements of the essence of nursing. But along with the privilege of being “the one who’s there” comes a tremendous responsibility and accountability. Nurses are, and always have been, the patient’s first and last line of defense. Keeping the patient safe from preventable adverse events—such as falls, pressure ulcers, infections, and immobility complications—are high on nurses’ priority list as they manage and coordinate the patient’s care to ensure safe passage through the care-delivery system.

Spotlighting basic nursing care

This supplement puts basic nursing care back in the spotlight where it belongs by:

• revisiting key elements of patient care, updating them in the context of today’s healthcare environment
• emphasizing the nurse as the patient’s sentinel, who protects the patient from injury and acts quickly when potential danger arises
• stressing the nurse’s role in marshalling appropriate resources to ensure optimal patient outcomes
• highlighting the significance of nursing observation and evaluation of the patient.

Where the topic of technology arises in this supplement, the authors make it clear that its most important role is to support the decision making of nurses and other clinicians. Although technology can help improve patient care, it also can distract us from basic care. If we get caught up in technology, we can lose sight of the higher purpose of health care.

The essence of nursing and the organization

Many of the indicators that drive a healthcare organization’s performance, profitability, and image in the community it serves hinge on how well its nurses practice the essence of nursing, The essential elements of nursing care are crucial in reducing lengths of stay, cost per case, adverse events, and litigation. Nurses have a measurable and significant impact not just on safety, quality, and economic outcomes but also on patient satisfaction and engagement, as shown in scores on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys.

Who better than the nurse to coordinate the many disciplines involved in a patient’s care? To consider the multiple facets of the patient-family dynamic when exploring care needs across the care-delivery system? Effective nursing care is critical in preventing readmissions and ensuring that patients successfully navigate the many hand-offs that occur during their stay.

With today’s focus on quality and cost and the financial penalties of suboptimal care, validating and quantifying nurses’ impact and recognizing their value to healthcare organizations and communities at large is crucial. As we work to enhance the patient experience and promote care across the continuum, our ability to uphold the essence of nursing will make or break our efforts.

Recipe for success

The essence of nursing encompasses a fundamental set of ingredients that serves as the “recipe” for success at many levels—the individual patient and family experience, an organization’s success as measured in outcomes and costs, and the health of our nation and the global community. Multiple factors influence how successfully this recipe turns out:

• Everyone involved must understand what it takes to create an environment that fosters full expression of the essence of nursing.
• Healthcare organizations must learn and replicate best practices that validate, appreciate, and recognize the essence of nursing. This, in turn, helps raise the standard of patient care while nurturing nursing staff and making their work more satisfying.
• The art of nursing must coexist with today’s technology-driven, evidence-based science of nursing. To ensure such coexistence, nurses must manifest the essence of nursing in every patient and family encounter.

To a large degree, the future of healthcare delivery hinges on our ability to optimize the work of nurses and enable them to practice the essence of nursing. We believe this supplement gives you the tools you need to achieve that optimization and the power that comes with it.

Selected reference

Aiken LH, Sloane DM, Bruyneel L, et al. Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study. Lancet . 2014;383(9931):1824-30.

Melissa A. Fitzpatrick is vice-president and chief clinical officer at Hill-Rom and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board at American Nurse Today .

Read the next article: Creating the environment for nursing excellence

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Personal Definitions of Nursing: Values, Beliefs, and Vision

This essay will explore the personal definitions of nursing, focusing on how individual nurses’ values, beliefs, and visions shape their approach to patient care and the profession as a whole. It will discuss the core values that are commonly held among nurses, such as empathy, compassion, and dedication, and how these values influence the quality of care provided. The piece will also delve into the evolving nature of nursing, examining how personal and professional experiences shape nurses’ perceptions and aspirations within the field. By highlighting different perspectives from nurses at various stages of their careers, the essay aims to provide a multifaceted view of the nursing profession and its impact on both healthcare and society. At PapersOwl too, you can discover numerous free essay illustrations related to Health Care.

How it works

• 1 Personal Definition of Nursing: Roles, Beliefs, and Values in Practice
• 2 Choice of Nursing
• 3 Essence of Nursing
• 4 Beliefs and Values
• 5 Vision for the Future
• 7 References

Personal Definition of Nursing: Roles, Beliefs, and Values in Practice

Nursing philosophies are essential elements that help healthcare nurses lay a solid foundation that can enable them to nurture their profession and provide adequate and quality care. It is important to realize that a personal philosophy of nursing entails the roles, beliefs, responsibilities, and the ways in which a nurse should communicate and interact with a patient and their families. A personal nursing philosophy enables healthcare providers to reflect on the ways in which their values can positively influence their professional practices and the well-being of patients.

Therefore, the relevance of nursing philosophy is to enable a nurse to think critically and be disciplined towards delegating nursing duties. In this paper, I will highlight my future professional vision, the essence of nursing, and my personal values and beliefs.

Choice of Nursing

As I have been growing, I have always seen people work together in communities to help each other in various activities. I love the way in which nurses in various healthcare facilities provide care and treatment to patients. I love listening to people’s stories. Therefore, this curiosity drives me to know the diversity of human life and conditions and the complexities in life. Most of my family members are nurses, including my mother and two other siblings. Therefore, since I was young, nursing has been my first choice. I have been aspiring to become one by appreciating its professional practices and commitments.

I was encouraged to apply for the nursing program, and I was given a chance. Apart from learning, I also participated in volunteer work as a medical assistant. This task made me have more passion for nursing. It may not have been a career path I had envisioned I would pursue, but my experience has driven me to actually love what I do. It is a career that presents many opportunities to have different experiences. It allows me to interact with different types of patients, and my relations with them are something I truly value. This wide range of experiences can either have positive or negative results. Rather than focus on the negative, I have learned to embrace both throughout my career. Given my positive experience, I find it rather satisfactory to instruct other nurses new to the practice.

Essence of Nursing

I hold several convictions on what a nurse should be. Key among these is the ability of a nurse to understand what it is the patient is going through. A nurse should also be decent to the patients and treat a patient as a person rather than as a statistic. As a nurse, I strive to represent patient needs. A nurse must also be prepared to face various changes within the workplace. Inconsistency is one of the challenges that a nurse should be prepared to face. The number of different experiences ranges from the medical cases that they handle to the patients they handle, as well as the doctors that they assist. There is also a difference in the methods of endurance. “We must keep in mind that values vary from person to person” (Masters, 2017, p. 109).

Given the inconsistency in patient assignment, nurses should be able to diversify their service delivery. This should be done in such a manner as to cater to the various preferences held by the patients. One such example of diversification would be to lighten up the mood. The general mood in hospitals is generally very somber, but by cheering patients up, they no longer have a sense of despondency. This is an important factor in the healing process.

Beliefs and Values

The primary reason why patients seek medical attention is so that they can be treated for their illnesses. As caregivers, the chief responsibility is to provide these patients with the required mechanisms to deal with their illnesses, taking into account that all these patients have different preferences in terms of the care services that they receive in hospitals. Keeping the patients calm is also key in caregiving. The hospital is unfamiliar territory, and people often act out when they are in places that they are not used to. This happens with the fact that they have to rely on people they only just met. Nurses should, therefore, make the facility feel like a home away from home to provide patients the chance to focus on getting better. This can be done by increasing their knowledge of what is taking place in their treatment. This can be done through comprehensively explaining to them the procedures to be taken and the equipment that may be used. This stance is put in place by Hassmiller (2017). Consumers have positive patient experiences when they believe the health system is easy to access and navigate, their needs are being met, and, importantly, they are being listened to and respected, and they can contribute to decisions related to their own care. (Hassmiller, 2017)

Inclusivity of those close to the patient helps in putting the patient at ease. It also helps to make the patients feel like they are in control of their treatment. This also helps them have a support system. With them playing such a vital role in patients’ lives, hospitals should make a number of policies more flexible. The visitation policies should be reviewed. Aftercare instruction should be provided for them in preparation for their discharge. When patients are discharged, there may be a number of procedures that may be required to be carried out on the patients. This instruction will, therefore, help them take on such roles that would have required nurses. “…the loved ones of a patient may not have a medical license or a healthcare background, but their voice and presence matter in the hospital room” (Boyle, 2015).

My colleagues at work are often putting their expertise on show when they work together to revive patients. I work as a Registered Nurse on a Med-Surg floor that accommodates a large number of patients. This gives me an opportunity to have a front-row seat in witnessing them carry out their responsibilities. A nurse wears different hats in service delivery. The requirement for the job is the ability to carry out responsibilities that vary greatly and require different skills. This aspect makes this profession especially taxing as compared to others. This in itself brings with it the need to undertake it diligently.

It goes without saying that healthcare providers are supposed to be healthy when carrying out their duties. Given the many duties that are supposed to be undertaken by nurses, their health on all spectrums is particularly important. The state of their health reflects upon their patients’ journey to recovery. This is something that I take quite seriously, and as such, I try to ensure I am as healthy as I can be.

Vision for the Future

My two-year plan is inclusive of my completion of the BSN program at the University of Texas at Arlington. I also intend to obtain my Masters. The attainment of these goals makes me anxious, but it is also something that I should do. So, it is about time I did it.

The demography is seeing an increase in the population of the elderly. This is a particular group that requires home care. This leads up to my plan of being a family nurse practitioner in five years.

Ten years from now, I intend to get into an educational institution. I intend to teach and, therefore, bring up a generation of nurses. I derive pleasure in building up something from scratch. As such, I intend to pass on my knowledge to younger generation nurses and build them up from novices to professionals. Apart from knowledge, I would also like to encourage them to care about their career.

As an individual, I am goal-oriented and have an urge to be successful. I overcome any obstacles and use them as an opportunity to gain knowledge. I pay special attention to the important details and use a system of order to achieve my objectives. My family is a vital part of my career, and they provide a support system. This is especially true for my future husband, who will stand by me in all pursuits that I choose in life.

Achieving goals comes with its challenges. Among them is the possibility of me having the chance to take part in activities that I love. By pursuing success in both education and my career, I may have a fully packed schedule and no free time. This will, however, not interfere with my goals as I believe I will be able to rise to the occasion.

• Boyle, B. (2015). The critical role of the family in patient experience.  Patient Experience Journal ,
• 2 (2), Article 2. Retrieved from http://pxjournal.org/journal/vol2/iss2/2
• Hassmiller, S. (2017) The essence of nursing care.  AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 117(5) ,
• 5-7. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000516250.61687.63
• Masters, K. (2017). Role development in professional nursing practice (4th ed.).
• Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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The essentials of nursing leadership: A systematic review of factors and educational interventions influencing nursing leadership

Affiliations.

• 1 Faculty of Nursing, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, 11405 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].
• 2 Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Level 1, 264 Ferntree Gully Rd, Notting Hill, VIC 3168, Australia.
• 3 Faculty of Nursing, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, 11405 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
• 4 Faculty of Nursing, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, 11405 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada; Technical High School of Campinas, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Barão Geraldo, Campinas - São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil.
• PMID: 33383271
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103842

Background: Nursing leadership plays a vital role in shaping outcomes for healthcare organizations, personnel and patients. With much of the leadership workforce set to retire in the near future, identifying factors that positively contribute to the development of leadership in nurses is of utmost importance.

Objectives: To identify determining factors of nursing leadership, and the effectiveness of interventions to enhance leadership in nurses.

Design: We conducted a systematic review, including a total of nine electronic databases.

Data sources: Databases included: Medline, Academic Search Premier, Embase, PsychInfo, Sociological Abstracts, ABI, CINAHL, ERIC, and Cochrane.

Review methods: Studies were included if they quantitatively examined factors contributing to nursing leadership or educational interventions implemented with the intention of developing leadership practices in nurses. Two research team members independently reviewed each article to determine inclusion. All included studies underwent quality assessment, data extraction and content analysis.

Results: 49,502 titles/abstracts were screened resulting in 100 included manuscripts reporting on 93 studies (n=44 correlational studies and n=49 intervention studies). One hundred and five factors examined in correlational studies were categorized into 5 groups experience and education, individuals' traits and characteristics, relationship with work, role in the practice setting, and organizational context. Correlational studies revealed mixed results with some studies finding positive correlations and other non-significant relationships with leadership. Participation in leadership interventions had a positive impact on the development of a variety of leadership styles in 44 of 49 intervention studies, with relational leadership styles being the most common target of interventions.

Conclusions: The findings of this review make it clear that targeted educational interventions are an effective method of leadership development in nurses. However, due to equivocal results reported in many included studies and heterogeneity of leadership measurement tools, few conclusions can be drawn regarding which specific nurse characteristics and organizational factors most effectively contribute to the development of nursing leadership. Contextual and confounding factors that may mediate the relationships between nursing characteristics, development of leadership and enhancement of leadership development programs also require further examination. Targeted development of nursing leadership will help ensure that nurses of the future are well equipped to tackle the challenges of a burdened health-care system.

Keywords: Interventions; Leadership; Nursing workforce; Systematic Review.

Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Publication types

• Systematic Review
• Delivery of Health Care*
• Leadership*

May 10, 2024 . By Kepher

Master the 4 Types of Nursing Essays: Your Clear Guide to Writing Excellence

Table of Contents

Essays are common academic papers that students write in almost every course. While essay writing can take different approaches, nursing essays mainly play the role of informing and persuading readers about specific topics or subjects. Nonetheless, knowing the categories of essays and how to craft compelling pieces is essential to success.

Definition of Nursing Essays

An essay is a non-fiction academic paper written to develop a specific idea or support a given argument. Nursing essays provide information, share the writers’ points of view or dispute certain theses regarding nursing. Based on the purpose of writing, the tone of the essay can either be formal or informal. The formatting requirements of nursing essays may also vary from one type to another. Essays can take the form of standard 5-paragraph pieces or lengthy academic papers.  

The Key Types of Nursing Essays

There are several kinds of essays, written with different goals. However, the most common classification includes only four types including;

• Argumentative essays
• Expository essays
• Narrative essays
• Descriptive essays

1. Argumentative Nursing Essays

Argumentative nursing essays present elaborate arguments based on evidence. It needs a strong and clearly defined stance or thesis statement to have an impact on readers. The aim of the paper is to convince your readers of the thesis using evidence and analysis. An argumentative essay tests your ability to research and table your own position on a subject.

Argumentative essays are the most common types of essays that students write in college. Like many other academic papers, the essay must present some form of argument, with good persuasive skills. Besides, argumentative nursing essays must also make reference to credible sources, so readers do not doubt the presented arguments.

An ideal argumentative essay should bear the following features;

• Informative

Argumentative nursing essays for undergraduate, degree, Masters’ and PhD should follow a standard format for academic papers. The essay comprises an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction should present your topic and the thesis statement to give readers a summary of what the paper entails.

While all the sections of the essay are essential, the body is where the bulk of the work lies. It provides the arguments, analysis and evidence to support your stance. The conclusion is the final part of the essay that wraps up the arguments and emphasizes its significance.  

2. Expository Nursing Essays

Expository nursing essays provide focused, clear explanations of given topics. They do not require original arguments but, well organized and balanced views on the subject under discussion. An expository essay is designed to explore a specific topic by offering factual information. The goal is to analyse a subject or an idea without making an argument.

Expository essays require you to communicate complex ideas in a simple language that readers can understand with ease. The paper provides an analysis based on facts. Thus, the writer should use a neutral tone and present ideas logically.

An expository essay tests the ability of the student to clearly explain issues. It is advisable for students to refer to statistical data to generate facts for crafting informative pieces. Compelling expository nursing essays should bear the following characteristics.

• Instructive
• Well-organized
• Semi-formal

To sum up the above characteristics, a good expository essay should convey accurate information, provide precise explanation of facts, follow the sequence of events and readers without presenting any subjective arguments. The essay structure comprises three parts including, an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction presents the topic and gives background information while the body paragraphs explain the facts. The conclusion finally sums up the information.

In the academic circles, expository nursing essays can take different formats. Here some of the most common variations of expository essays.

• Cause and Effect Essays: The essay explains how things are interrelated in the world. The writer specifies the reasons why certain things occur and also explains the potential consequences. That means drawing parallels between specific objects and events.
• Problem and Solution Essays: This is another type of expository essay that identifies an issue and offers an array of solutions to the problem. After a detailed explanation of the issue, the writer finds the best ways to address it.
• Compare and Contrast Essays: This type of expository essay specifies the similarities and disparities between certain topics, people, events or locations to allow the reader to compare to contrast things. Comparisons require you to find similarities while contrast means figuring out the differences.

3. Narrative Nursing Essays

Narrative nursing essays tell stories significant to the authors. The essay is a personal narrative that shares a meaningful experience with a profound impact on the writer. It explores different challenges that the writer has undergone and, that is what makes it so engaging. The writer of a narrative essay would navigate readers through a story without proving any point.

However, personal narratives should include moral elements so that the audience can gain some valuable insights from the story. Narrative essays enable students to learn how to apply creative approaches to express their feelings and emotions. However, the author must be able to preserve the consistency of the story.  

Many students often confuse narrative essays with short stories but, they are not the same. Unlike short stories, narrative nursing essays focus on the personal experiences of the writer with an academic objective. However, a narrative essay bears key elements of storytelling such as plot, setting, character, conflict and theme.  Overall, narrative essays are informative, non-fictional, subjective, organized and conversational.

4. Descriptive Nursing Essays

Descriptive nursing essays present detailed explanations of ideas or subjects. They allow the author to be more creative but, with a specific focus. The author may describe a specific object or place instead of narrating the whole story. The essay’s goal is to test the author’s ability to use language in a creative way to present a memorable picture of the topic.

Descriptive essays are mainly about exploring the creativity of the writer. That is why you should not limit your imagination when crafting the essay. The essay allows the student to show his or her creativity and resourcefulness. However, descriptive essays bear the characteristics of informal writing as indicated below.

• Figurative language
• Demonstrative

Descriptive nursing essays do not have specific requirements when it comes to the structure of the paper. The writer has the freedom to leverage their creativity to describe events, objects or even people in the most unusual ways. However, a descriptive essay for academic purposes should provide a brief introduction of the subject, a detailed description, a short summary that provides insight into the story.

In conclusion, lecturers and supervisors usually assign specific types of nursing essays that students should write. However, they could also leave it to students to choose the essay type when writing assignments. Nonetheless, you should pay a keen attention to the requirements of the assignment to determine the most suitable essay type.

At Nursingpapers , we provide professional assignment writing services for nursing essays , research papers and dissertations . Get in touch with us to order a customized essay for undergraduate, Degree, Master’s and PhD. 

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