nursing theory essay questions

144 Nursing Theory Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best nursing theory topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on nursing theory, 💡 interesting topics to write about nursing theory, 📌 simple & easy nursing theory essay titles, 🔎 most interesting nursing theory topics to write about.

• Florence Nightingale and Dorothea Orem’s Nursing Theories To meet the needs of patients in the diverse contemporary community, one must focus on creating consistent communication between a nurse and a patient based on the latter’s environment and background.
• Change Management in Nursing: Applying Kurt Lewin’s Theory The specific nursing theory that will be encompassed in the paper is Kurt Lewin’s change management theory, whereas the theoretical framework is related to nursing and medication administrations and errors.
• Virginia Henderson and Her Nursing Need Theory Evaluation of the model includes the discussion of its logical congruence, legitimacy, and generation to prove the correctness of its application in today’s nursing practice with respect to patients’ and their families’ needs and expectations.
• Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory in Nursing As was already mentioned above, the main focus of Peplau’s theory is on the relations between a nurse and a patient. In Peplau’s theory, health is a process of moving towards the state of productive […]
• Kant’s Ethical Theory of Deontology in Nursing Kant advanced two approaches of categorical imperative; first, the maxim of an individual’s action should be universal; and second, a person should treat another with dignity, not as means to reach personal objectives. Also, section […]
• Impacts of Unitary-Transformative Approaches on Nursing Theories The theory promotes the need for a holistic approach to nursing that handles the connection between the universe and human being hence influencing the grand theories and the metaparadigm in nursing.
• Nursing Theorist Imogene King and Her Contributions When the individual opts to consult a nurse, the perception of the nurse is influenced through the constituents present in the individual.
• Faye Abdellah Theory in Nursing Practice Overall, applying Faye Abdellah’s theory in practice is influenced by the personal qualities the nurse wants to bring to professional practice.
• Mother Roger’s Nursing Theory Martha Elizabeth Rogers’ theory helps nurses deliver quality healthcare to their patients. Rogers’ theory that gave nursing a new meaning.
• Mid-Range Nursing Theory Analysis One of these models was developed in 2003 to promote the importance of the interactions between a nurse and their patient and the impact of this relationship on the health outcomes.
• Modeling and Role-Modeling Theory in Nursing Also, the theory addresses the concepts of leadership and suggests that successful nurse leaders should build trust in their followers and comply with a number of principles that promote the professional development of the followers.
• Human Being in Nursing Theory The task of the medicine consists in resorting to the biological system, whereas the main scope of nursing is confined to focusing on the behavioral system.
• Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care in Nursing However, Dorothea Orem first raised the issue of hospital care as the interaction of two independent subjects: the patient and the nurse.
• Nursing Metaparadigm Theories in Emergency Room The patient is the focus of the treatment plans and is liable for making the necessary informed decisions. Nursing is an art due to the values of compassion, empathy, and caring for handling patients.
• The Feminist Theory in Nursing Since nursing has traditionally been a women’s profession, it is important to understand the oppression of women to gain insight into some of the most pressing issues in nursing.
• The Explanation and Comparison of Nursing Theories Nursing theories provide useful information concerning the definitions of nursing and the practice itself, principles that form the foundation for nursing, and also the goals and functions of nursing.
• Nursing Learning Theories, Styles, and Skills To achieve the objective, I will explore the benefits of accruing to nurses because of their knowledge about learning theories and learning styles.
• Transcultural Nursing Theory in Practice The theory is applicable in different settings to support the needs of many patients with psychological issues. Her competencies in social and cultural anthropology played a significant role in the development of the Transcultural Nursing […]
• Nursing Theorists: Florence Nightingale and Dorothea Orem She wrote that “the patient’s stomach can assimilate or derive nourishment from, and of this, the patient’s stomach is the sole judge.
• Nursing Theory and Conceptual Model A nursing conceptual model, on the other hand, refers to an image of a phenomenon. Hence, a conceptual model attempts to expound more on the theory by providing a vivid picture of the explained relationships.
• Middle-Range Theories in Nursing Research The explanatory theory is the second type used to define the relationship between ideas. The first premise is that there is a connection between the patient’s confidence and quality of life or well-being.
• Nursing Theories and Postoperative Care This is because they can assess the complexity and complexity of patient care and base all further interventions on the findings of the assessment. A feature of the phenomenon under study is the existence of […]
• Change Theories: Influencing Change in Nursing Unlike Lewin’s approach, Roger’s model is more oriented towards the staff’s response and acceptance of the change through the gradual shifting process.
• Middle Range Nursing Theory: Medication Adherence Model This paper looks at the theory in terms of its scope, the context within which it developed the content of the theory, the significance of the theory, internal consistency within the theory, the testability of […]
• Nursing Theories: Critique of the Statement Therefore, when one nursing theory is applied to the whole education process, it seems to be easy to understand the essence of nursing and follow clear instructions and guidelines.
• Nursing Care Theories: Henderson’s Theory This artifact is an essay discussing the theory of nursing care needs and comparing it to the approach of self-care in modern times.
• Nursing Meta Paradigm and Self-Care Deficit Theory In conclusion, meta paradigms can be incorporated into the major concepts of self-care deficit theory, which include nursing, humans, and the environment.
• Application of Middle-Range Nursing Theory to Resolve Health Disparity The purpose of this paper is to apply one of the MRT known as the Illness-Constellation Model in guiding the understanding of the mortality of African American women in prenatal.
• Nursing Theory Analysis and Evaluation Therefore, successful kidney transplant treatment practice will rely on the practical analysis and evaluation of nursing theories that will suggest best practices to enhance patients’ well-being.
• Behavioral and Biomedical Theories in Nursing Role categories like role ambiguity, role overload, and role conflict contribute to role stress. The change from nurse-to-nurse practitioner is an illustration of role ambiguity.
• The Cherokee Self-Reliance Theory in Nursing Thus, the theory arose in response to the needs of the people after leaders expressed concern about the self-sufficiency of community members.
• Illness Theories: Nightingale’s Environment Nursing and Mishel’s Uncertainty Nightingale’s experiences with war victims compelled her to reexamine the role of the environment in the healing process. This philosophical underpinning would support the creation and promotion of the environment theory of nursing.
• Fundamental Principles of Nursing Care Theory The students in this course will learn the conceptions and theories primary to the art and science in nursing. This course focuses on the beginners of nursing care of customers to encourage healthy transition for […]
• Enhancing Patient Care Through EBP and Nursing Theory Implementation Practice theories give the framework for nursing interventions and activities and provide suggestions for outcomes and consequences of nursing. The reason for my interest in the theory is that nurses sometimes fail to adhere to […]
• Middle-Range Nursing Theories and Their Usage For example, Barreiro et al.aimed to examine diagnostic validation of the low self-efficacy concept in health and nursing care by constructing a middle-range theory for diagnosis validation.
• Advanced Nursing Practice: Philosophies and Theories Theoretical aspects of nursing consider the health care system and the role of the nurse in it, the concept of public health and criteria for its assessment; demographics, communication, training, legal standards of nursing activities.
• Nursing Theory and Its Importance Therefore, it is essential to understand the reasoning behind the establishment of a hierarchy of values in nursing. Modern nurses are taught numerous aspects of proper treatment and communication strategies that are essential for the […]
• Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap in Nursing However, the theory-practice divide has become the profession’s most difficult obstacle, lowering the quality of the service in both education and clinical practice. In the assigned case study, the issue of the theory-practice gap is […]
• Orlando’s Nursing Theory Explanation The theory assumes that the nurse’s role is to identify and meet the patient’s immediate need for help. The patient cannot state the nature and significance of the anxiety without the help of a nurse […]
• Self-Transcendence Theory and Nursing Practice Firstly, I will discuss with Liza and explain the importance of overcoming depression and intending to find a new meaning in life.
• The Nursing Theory for a Nurse and a Doctor Undoubtedly, the work and contribution to the development of nursing by Jean Watson are challenging to underestimate and overestimate. Moreover, nursing is a significant business, and the work of a professional nurse is extremely valuable.
• Nursing Theory Discussion Board In this nursing theory course, I have learned that this process is a constant cycle of gathering and analyzing evidence, synthesizing it into practice recommendations, disseminating the information to other healthcare practitioners, and evaluating its […]
• Nursing Theory and Health Promotion Model To use theory effectively in all realms of practice, training, and investigation, it is necessary to understand how to explain, analyze, and assess the concept.
• A. Henderson’s Nursing Theory Analysis The key contribution of the theory is the clear establishment of the ultimate goal of nursing workers, namely, the necessity to ensure that the patient gains independence.
• Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring in Nursing Therefore, it can be said that Watson’s theory is based on the centrality of human care and the transpersonal links between the person offering clinical care and the other receiving the same.
• Nursing Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing So, I have prepared a talk about the experiences of my colleagues that are similar to the symptoms of burnout and researched the consequences of this situation to highlight the importance of the issue.
• A Nursing Theory’s Importance for Practice In this changing understanding of concepts, scientific research in nursing is developing, the purpose of which is an objective assessment of all the changes taking place and the choice of the path of development of […]
• Sociopsychological Theories and Nursing Approaches The primary requirements for quality care are the proper communication between the nurse and the patient, understanding their needs, and the resulting specificity of the assistance.
• Unfreezing in Nursing Organizational Change Theory The tenet of unfreezing is critical because it “is the process which involves finding a method of making it possible for people to let go of an old pattern that was somehow counterproductive”.
• Theories Implementation in the Nursing Sphere The most striking manifestation in the profession is the interpretation of the role of the nurse as a transcultural and humanistic professional whose activity is aimed at serving all people.
• Aspects of Leininger’s Nursing Theory That makes one think that Leininger’s theory knowledge and commitment to it is essential to one’s health and, subsequently, providing care for others.
• Integration of Metaparadigm Concepts in Nursing Theory Although the theory of nursing integrates the four meta paradigms the interest of this paper is health and nursing concepts. The nursing theory incorporates the health metaparadigm by taking a holistic approach to the treatment […]
• Importance of Theory in Nursing The profession of nursing highly involves interpersonal skills, which may significantly influence the relationship between the clinician and the patient, resulting in better physiological and physical wellness as well as better outcomes.
• Connecting Nursing Theory and Evidence-Based Change Model for DPI Project These include the use of the old and new testament, the union of the father, son, and the holy spirit, man created in the likeness of God, the regeneration of the holy spirit, and salvation […]
• Nursing Profession: Definition and Theories For instance, understanding the definition of nursing helps to understand the purpose of a nurse. This course helped me realize the applications of nursing theory to practice.
• Peplau’s Middle-Range Theory in Mental Health Nursing This paper addresses the topic of nursing theory by reviewing current research pertaining to hypothetico-deductive reasoning, suggesting the model’s potential value in the research of nurse education techniques and barriers to decision-making, and discussing the […]
• Commitment to Health Theory in Nursing Practice This theory assumes the development of an internal state, as well as the acceptance of the desire to lead a healthy lifestyle under the conditions that any circumstances may limit a person.
• Nursing History and Theory Evolution This paper aims to offer a comprehensive view of the history of nursing, major influences on the profession, and the evolution of nursing theory.
• Psychosocial Theory in Nursing This essay analysis how social support relates to Practice Improvement Project that applies the teach-back method to assist patients with hypertension understand the condition and maintain their blood pressure.
• Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory Use in Nursing Practice In the next phase, orientation, the patient became more confident and able to discuss the problem after I assured him of my complete discretion.
• Nursing Article on Orem’s Theory in Practice The study aimed to find out the global understanding of the philosophy of this theory and how the theory is applied to patient management in practice.
• Nursing Process Theory by Ida Jean Orlando The following paper compares and contrasts some theorist sites on the availability of information on the Nursing Process Theory by Ida Jean Orlando, showing how easy it is to use this model in nursing practice […]
• The Peplau’s Theory in Nursing Practice The outcomes proved the correlation between the efficiency of the developed initiative and the principles of the theory, which means that the latter provides sufficient support for such experiments.
• Dorothy Johnson and Martha Rogers: Concept Comparison of Nursing Theories There are three main requirements of the nursing treatment that should focus on protection from harmful influence, motivation from growth, and insurance of a nurturing environment.
• Discussion of Aspects of Nursing Theory The nursing theory incorporates the field of study and corpus of ideas concerning the attitudes towards therapies to navigate specialists in their practice.
• Use of Psychosocial Theories in Nursing Therefore, it is vital to examine the application of social and behavioral theories to the operations of healthcare facilities in practice by considering the case of the 65-year-old woman admitted for a mastectomy.
• Selecting a Theoretical Framework in Nursing For example, in the study “Analysis of the UCSF Symptom Management Theory: Implications for Pediatric Oncology Nursing,” Linder uses the Symptom Management Theory in the field of pediatric oncology.
• Integral Nursing and Role Modeling Theories It must pay attention to maintaining human health, improving the quality of life, and solving problems related to the health of a person, family, groups of people, and the whole society.
• Change Theory in Inpatient Nursing Therefore, the nurses have to adapt to the increased activities in the facilities and also to ensure that the clients are satisfied with the services.
• Nursing: System Theory and Leadership Most of the time, patients confuse things and may give false information that may result in the provision of different healthcare instead of the expected one.
• American Idol Nursing Theory Contest According to this theory, the nurses have the task of recognizing the role culture plays in the health of the patient.
• Nursing: Problems, Theories and Practice X and his wife the technique of injecting the insulin subcutaneously, the dosage, the time to have it because he was on the 70:30 mixtard preparations and how to properly plan for his meals.
• Søren Kierkegaard’s Ethical Theory to Nursing Referred as the “father of existentialism”, S ren Kierkegaard’s philosophically insightful and penetrating work not only focused on the social critique of the 19th-century culture and Christian faith within the state church but also in […]
• Nursing Theorist: The Roy Adaptation Model A question that a nurse attending to Linda may ask herself in relation to Roy’s perspective of the physiologic need includes is; does the condition of asthma impair Linda’s oxygenation?
• Aristotle’s Ethical Theory and Nursing Therefore, the actions of an individual determine his happiness and the aspect of what is ethically good. This theory is directly related to the nursing professional code of ethics as indicated in the provisions of […]
• The Theory of Comfort in Nursing It was during Kolcaba’s master studies that she took a position of a head-nurse in an Alzheimer’s unit and became interested in the outcomes of comfort, and decided to impart a theoretical shape to the […]
• Implications of Theory to Nursing Practice All nursing models or theories have common positions; these include such concepts as the source of patient’s problems, the goal of the nursing interventions, the means of nursing interventions, the role of the nurse, and […]
• Nursing Theory Plan of Care Overview In this plan, the patient will play a central role in ensuring that he remains in good health, just as stated in the above theory.
• The Issue of Nursing Theories Being a very important part of modern medicine, nursing as a science obviously has a great number of different theories which main aim is to increase the level of knowledge of people who work in […]
• Patricia Benner as a Nursing Theorist The work summarizes the key points of Patricia Benner’s article that discloses the peculiarities of contrastive proficiency levels. The distinguished scholar strives to prove that proficiency levels can represent a ladder of success.
• The Comfort Theory of Nursing Used in Education This essay aims to describe the Comfort Theory of Nursing and the use of the theory in addressing problems encountered in nursing education.
• Grand Theories Application in Nursing Discipline It can also be described as a structured and systematic enunciation of reports related to the queries encountered in the nursing discipline. In addition, the nurse can be accused of ignorance and having a strained […]
• Middle-Range Theories Used in Nursing Profession In the healthcare field, nurses work their level best to promote patient satisfaction and improve the quality of care provided. One strategy to deal with the problem involves the use of the theory of nursing […]
• The Importance of Incorporating Nursing Theory In the case of hand hygiene, attribution theory may be used to explain the hand hygiene behaviors of the health workers.
• Nursing Research: Models and Theories Content validity is the ability of the contents of a research study to relate with the contents of a certain construct.
• Analyzing Nursing Theories Through Microscope Approach In order to get to a solution, the theorists highlighted the problem and the causes of the problem in the patient.
• The Essence of Family Nursing Theories The essence of the family nursing approach is that the nurse communicates with all family members, even if providing care for only one of them. This approach is justified since family members can support each other when facing complex or difficult diagnoses (Bell, 2016). Also, acquaintance with all family members and their medical history helps […]
• Is Nursing Theory Important to the Nursing Profession? Nursing was recognized as a science, and instead of a traditional model of learning from more experienced nurses, a science-based approach to the training of the would-be specialists in this occupation was implemented. Indeed, theoretical […]
• From Novice to Expert Nursing Theory by Patricia Benner To do that, the author’s goal is to define the difference between a theory and a philosophy and to the stages of epistemological process occurring in the health care environment.
• Nursing Theory and Personal Philosophy The task of a nurse is to develop and follow moral philosophy that is concerned with establishing a standard of correctness by the prescription of certain rules and principles.
• Theories and Hypotheses in Nursing Research I believe a theory in the nursing field aims to improve understanding of the process of medical care to provide the best service for patients ultimately. Without theory, it would be challenging to make real […]
• Nursing Theory Guiding Clinical Practice Finally, the main goal of week 10 will be to improve my application and understanding of terms, concepts, and principles related to women’s health.
• Nursing Theories: Outcomes and Reflection For this event, I examined the role of nursing leadership in healthcare and its implementation into interprofessional collaboration to improve patient-centered care.
• Theory Development in Nursing This paper will consider the role of Nightingale in the formation of the nursing profession, discuss a study based on her theory, and analyze the relationship among theory, research, and practice.
• Nursing Theories of Henderson and Orem: The Modern Value In the first place, these two figures focused on the input of the patient care theory, which allowed them to constitute theories of nursing process and self-care deficit, respectively.
• The Criteria of Theory Evaluation and Grand Nursing Theory The goal of this paper is to discuss the criteria of theory evaluation and use them to analyze a grand nursing theory.
• Nursing Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality The nursing theory that I utilized during my practice experience was the Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. The Culture Care Theory focuses on the uniqueness of each human being and the importance of […]
• Dorothea Orem’s Theory in Personal Nursing Practice This journal entry defines the theory of Dorothea Orem, determines the achievement of goals set initially, and explains the use of seven domains of practice in the context of personal nursing practice.
• The Patient-Centered Nursing: Application of Theory The patient-centered nursing model guides practitioners to respond to patients’ conditions and health using personalized care delivery procedures. This model meets the generalizability test since it is applicable in different fields, scenarios, and settings to […]
• Self-Determination Theory in Nursing Work Area This may be necessary to enhance the performance of the workers, but it also destroys their passion and the zeal that they have.
• Nursing Theory: Evidence-Based Practice The nursing model that can be used as a framework to promote the management of the identified issue is patient-centered care.
• Applying Borrowed Theories to the Nursing Profession With the application of such a theory, it can be possible to introduce superior procedures, behaviors, and cultural attributes that will streamline existing nursing practices.
• Spirit: Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing The word spirit is used in reference to the part of a human being that is associated with the mind, will, and feelings.
• The Importance of Nursing Theories in Nursing Education
• How Incorporates the Concepts From the Nursing Theory Into the Nursing Curriculum
• How Does Nursing Theory Affect the Practice of Nursing
• Deliberative Process Nursing Theory for End of Life Care
• Nursing Theory Application and Integration of Synergy Care Model
• Using Nursing Theory and Framework for Critical Thinking Endeavors
• Nursing Theory and Its Effect on Quality Improvement and Healthcare Practice
• The Five Essential Components of Florence Nightingale’s Theory of Nursing
• Nursing Theory: Florence Nightingale’s Contribution to Nursing
• The Relationships Between Nursing Theory and Practice
• Nursing Theory for Music Therapy Quality Improvement Program
• Impact of Margaret Newman’s Nursing Theory on Pediatric Setting
• The Ethical Dilemma of Grand Nursing Theories
• Why Is Nursing Theory Important in Nursing Education
• Description of Nursing Theory Madeleine Hubble of Diversity Cultural Care
• Nursing Theory and the Importance of Domestic Violence Screening and Intervention
• The Differences and Similarities Between Hildegard Peplau’s and Jean Watson’s Nursing Theory
• The Ultimate Goal of Nursing Theory
• The Theories of Florence Nightingale in Nursing in Modern Times
• Levels of Theoretical Thinking in Nursing Theory
• Comparative Analysis of Watson’s and Orem’s Nursing Theory
• Debate the Connection Between Nursing Theory and Evidence-Based Practice
• Nursing Theory: Foundation for Nursing as a Profession
• Types of Nursing Theories: Concepts, Levels, and Uses
• Developing Nursing Theory Using Triangulation of Concepts
• Why Nursing Theories Are Organized Concepts That Guide Nursing Practice
• Applying on Practice Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Theory
• Florence Nightingale’s Theory: Theories and Aspects of the Nursing Theory
• The Influence of Grand Nursing Theories
• The Most Common Nursing Theories to Know
• The Usefulness of the Nursing Theory-Guided Practice
• Choosing and Implementing a Nursing Theory in Practice
• Result of Practice, Knowledge, and Nursing Theory’s Role in Future Work
• Hildegard Peplau’s Theory and Its Importance of Nursing Theory
• Relationship Between Metaparadigm Theory of Nursing and Ana’s Definition of Nursing
• Nursing Theory in Hospital Models of Care
• King’s Theory and Theory of Conceptual System in Nursing
• The Effect of Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory on Community
• Nursing Theory in 21st Century Healthcare
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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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100 Nursing Theory Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Nursing theory plays a crucial role in the field of nursing, providing a framework for understanding and addressing various healthcare challenges. As a nursing student, it is important to explore and understand different nursing theories to enhance your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

To help you get started, here are 100 nursing theory essay topic ideas and examples:

• The importance of nursing theory in practice
• Florence Nightingale's environmental theory and its relevance in modern healthcare
• Betty Neuman's systems model and its application in nursing practice
• The impact of Jean Watson's theory of caring on patient outcomes
• Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory and its implications for nursing practice
• Madeleine Leininger's cultural care theory and its significance in providing culturally competent care
• Hildegard Peplau's interpersonal relations theory and its role in nurse-patient relationships
• The influence of Martha Rogers' science of unitary human beings on holistic nursing care
• Imogene King's theory of goal attainment and its application in nursing leadership
• The relevance of Patricia Benner's novice to expert theory in nursing education
• Virginia Henderson's definition of nursing and its impact on nursing practice
• The application of Callista Roy's adaptation model in nursing care
• The significance of Rosemarie Rizzo Parse's human becoming theory in nursing practice
• The role of Margaret Newman's health as expanding consciousness theory in promoting wellness
• The impact of Nola Pender's health promotion model on patient education and behavior change
• The application of Katharine Kolcaba's comfort theory in palliative care
• The importance of nursing theory in evidence-based practice
• The integration of nursing theories in developing care plans for patients
• The role of nursing theory in guiding ethical decision-making in healthcare
• The influence of nursing theories on nursing research and scholarship
• The impact of feminist theory on nursing practice and education
• The relevance of critical theory in addressing social determinants of health
• The intersection of nursing theory and public health nursing
• The application of chaos theory in understanding complex healthcare systems
• The role of complexity theory in nursing leadership and management
• The influence of attachment theory on infant and child health outcomes
• The application of behavioral theory in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors
• The impact of cognitive theory on patient education and self-management
• The role of developmental theory in understanding the needs of different patient populations
• The integration of family systems theory in providing holistic care
• The relevance of feminist theory in addressing gender disparities in healthcare
• The intersection of intersectionality theory and cultural competence in nursing practice
• The influence of social cognitive theory on health behavior change interventions
• The application of social learning theory in patient education and counseling
• The impact of systems theory on healthcare organizations and delivery of care
• The role of trauma theory in understanding and addressing patients' experiences of trauma
• The importance of resilience theory in promoting mental health and well-being
• The relevance of self-efficacy theory in empowering patients to manage their health
• The integration of social support theory in promoting recovery and healing
• The role of stress and coping theory in addressing patients' emotional and psychological needs
• The influence of empowerment theory in promoting patient advocacy and empowerment
• The application of health belief model in understanding patients' health beliefs and behaviors
• The impact of motivational interviewing in promoting behavior change and adherence to treatment
• The role of patient-centered care in addressing patients' individual needs and preferences
• The relevance of person-centered care in promoting patient autonomy and dignity
• The intersection of cultural humility and cultural competence in providing culturally sensitive care
• The influence of shared decision-making in promoting collaborative care and patient engagement
• The application of trauma-informed care in addressing patients' trauma histories and needs
• The importance of empathy and compassion in nursing care
• The role of reflective practice in promoting professional growth and development
• The impact of interdisciplinary collaboration in improving patient outcomes
• The integration of evidence-based practice in nursing care
• The relevance of quality improvement in promoting patient safety and satisfaction
• The intersection of informatics in nursing practice and healthcare delivery
• The influence of health policy and advocacy in shaping nursing practice and healthcare systems
• The application of leadership and management principles in nursing practice
• The role of mentorship and professional development in nursing education
• The importance of lifelong learning and continuing education in nursing practice
• The role of self-care and well-being in promoting nurse resilience and job satisfaction
• The impact of burnout and compassion fatigue on nursing practice and patient care
• The integration of mindfulness and stress reduction techniques in nursing practice
• The relevance of emotional intelligence in promoting effective communication and relationships
• The intersection of cultural competence and humility in providing inclusive and equitable care
• The influence of social determinants of health on patient outcomes and healthcare disparities
• The application of health literacy in promoting patient education and empowerment
• The importance of patient safety and quality improvement in nursing practice
• The role of teamwork and collaboration in promoting effective healthcare delivery
• The impact of technology and innovation in nursing practice and patient care
• The integration of telehealth and virtual care in expanding access to healthcare services
• The relevance of population health and community nursing in promoting health equity
• The intersection of global health and nursing practice in addressing global health challenges
• The influence of environmental health on patient well-being and healthcare outcomes
• The application of disaster preparedness and response in nursing practice
• The importance of ethical decision-making in nursing practice and patient care
• The role of advocacy and social justice in promoting health equity and human rights
• The impact of healthcare policy and legislation on nursing practice and healthcare systems
• The integration of interprofessional education and collaboration in improving patient outcomes
• The relevance of evidence-based practice in nursing research and scholarship
• The intersection of nursing informatics and technology in healthcare delivery
• The influence of patient engagement and shared decision-making in healthcare outcomes
• The application of health promotion and disease prevention in nursing practice
• The importance of cultural competence and humility in providing patient-centered care
• The role of trauma-informed care in addressing patients' trauma histories and needs
• The impact of resilience and self-care in promoting nurse well-being and job satisfaction
• The integration of quality improvement and patient safety in nursing practice
• The relevance of leadership and management in nursing practice and healthcare delivery
• The intersection of ethics and professionalism in nursing practice
• The application of health disparities and health equity in nursing practice
• The importance of advocacy and social justice in promoting health equity and human rights
• The role of evidence-based practice in nursing research and scholarship
• The impact of nursing informatics and technology in healthcare delivery
• The relevance of cultural competence and humility in providing patient-centered care
• The importance of resilience and self-care in promoting nurse well-being and job satisfaction

These are just a few examples of nursing theory essay topics that you can explore in your academic writing. By delving into these topics, you can deepen your understanding of nursing theory and its application in practice, research, and education. Good luck with your essays!

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Nursing Theories & Theorists Explained

What is nursing theory.

• Nursing Theory Users
• Metaparadigms

Nursing Theorists

Nursing theory in practice.

Nursing theory is "a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and systematic view of phenomena," per the book  Integrated Theory and Knowledge Development in Nursing.

Nursing theory provides the foundational knowledge that enables nurses to care for their patients and guides their actions. Theories are in place, regardless of nursing specialization, to establish guidelines for both broad and specific nursing practices.

Nursing theory is heavily influenced by Florence Nightingale's pioneering work, which significantly influenced the modern  nursing definition . Nightingale's Environmental Theory 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.” 

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By identifying potential risk factors for illness or conditions that would exacerbate an illness and potentially lead to death, Nightingale saw the importance of a patient’s environment to their overall health and well-being. As a result, healthcare professionals, including nurses, began to treat patients differently and the start of population health and public health is seen. 

In Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory, she identified five environmental factors: 

• Efficient drainage 
• Cleanliness or sanitation
• Light or direct sunlight

These factors were essential to decrease the spread of contagious diseases and decreasing mortality and morbidity. 

While Florence Nightingale may have introduced the first nursing theory in 1860, it is still extremely relevant today. In countries where fresh air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness or sanitation, and light or direct sunlight are not present, morbidity and mortality are increased. 

What are Nursing Theories Used For?

Nursing theories provide the foundation for nursing practice and are essential to the care of patients. Academic hospitals and Magnet hospitals will consistently ensure that nursing theories are incorporated into their policies and procedures to ensure best practice is being used. 

Most nurses and institutions will employ a variety of nursing theories within their everyday practice versus just one theory. Most do it unknowingly. 

Nursing theories help bedside nurses evaluate patient care and base nursing interventions on the evaluation of the findings. 

The theories can also provide nurses with the rationale to make certain decisions. An example of a nursing theory in use is seen in the care of a Jehovah’s Witnesses patient that does not believe in blood transfusions. While the patient may need a blood transfusion, Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care theory provides nurses with a solid basis for assisting their patients and giving them the opportunity to express independence and control in caring for themselves. While the nurse may not agree with the patient’s decision to not receive a blood transfusion, Orem’s theory suggests the importance of allowing the patient to make the decision and respecting it as their own choice. 

Oftentimes, the integration of nursing theory is not as obvious as in the aforementioned example. However, it is important for nurses and nursing students to understand and respect the importance of nursing theories and their impact on modern-day nursing and healthcare. 

Who are Nursing Theories Used By?

While all nurses, regardless of position and specialty, utilize nursing theories in their practice, not all nurses are aware of their implications. Generally speaking, most nursing theories are used by nurse educators and nurse researchers. 

Nurse educators will utilize nursing theories in designing course curriculums based on educational principles, research, and theories to provide nursing students with the knowledge and skills needed to provide care to their patients. 

Nurse researchers will conduct theory-guided research in order to create best practices and to predict potential clinical problems or explain existing knowledge. 

Nursing Metaparadigms

There have been countless nursing theories introduced since Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory, including Imogene King‘s Theory of Goal and Dorothy Johnson’s Behavioral System Model. What they all have in common is they center around the nursing metaparadigm.

A metaparadigm is a set of theories or ideas that provide structure for how a discipline should function. Nursing metaparadigms were first classified by Fawcett into four specific categories, 

• Environment

These four concepts are fundamental to all nursing theories and without identification of them and their relevance to the theory, it is incomplete.

Furthermore, these four basic nursing metaparadigms point to the holistic care of a patient and their medical health is interconnected to the four concepts. 

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The Four Main Concepts of Nursing Theory

Fawcett’s four specific concepts help define nursing and set it apart from other disciplines and professions. These four concepts have been used to define the context and content of the nursing profession. The person is the most important concept in nursing theory, but each theorist's interpretation of the other concepts is how to differentiate between them. 

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

2. Environment

Environment or situation is defined as the internal and external surroundings that affect the patient. 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 attributes, characteristics, and actions of the nurse providing care on behalf of or in conjunction with, the client. 

Levels of Nursing Theory

Nursing theories are categorized into three levels including, 

• Grand Nursing Theories
• Mid-range Nursing Theories
• Nursing Practice Theories

Grand Nursing Theories 

These are theories based on broad, abstract, and complex concepts. They provide the general framework for nursing ideas pertaining to components such as people and health. These theories typically stem from a nurse theorist’s own experience.

Mid-Range Nursing Theories 

These are theories that drill down into specific areas of nursing rather than deal with sweeping concepts. They can emerge from nursing practice, research, or from the theories of similar disciplines.

Nursing Practice Theories 

These are theories that narrow their focus even further, specifically focusing on concepts concerning a defined patient population. These theories tend to directly affect patients more than the other two types of theories. Bedside nurses will often use these theories in their everyday practice. 

We talked about Nightingale and Orems' role as nursing theorists and reviewed their respective theories. Let's explore the work of some other notable nursing theorists and how their work helps nurses and other healthcare providers give better patient care.

Virginia Henderson: Nursing Need Theory

Virginia Henderson's Nursing Need Theory centers around the concept of basic human needs. Henderson believed that the role of a nurse is to assist individuals in meeting their fundamental needs and help them increase their independence. 

Her theory emphasizes the nurse's role in supporting patients in activities such as:

Maintaining desired postures

Dress and undress

Cleanliness

Communicating fears, opinions, and needs, and

Worshiping according to their faith

Jean Watson:  Theory of Human Caring

Jean Watson is a contemporary nursing theorist renowned for her Theory of Human Caring . Watson emphasizes the importance of creating a caring and compassionate relationship between the nurse and the patient. 

Her theory focuses on  ten factors:

Upholding humanistic-altruistic values by practicing kindness and compassion

Being genuinely present and fostering faith, hope, and belief systems while respecting the subjective experiences of oneself and others

Cultivating self-awareness and spiritual practices, transcending ego-centeredness to achieve a transpersonal presence.

Developing and nurturing loving, trusting, and caring relationships

Encouraging the expression of both positive and negative emotions, actively listening to others' stories without judgment

Applying creative problem-solving through the caring-healing process

Engaging in transpersonal teaching and learning within a caring relationship, adapting to the individual's perspective and transitioning towards a coaching approach for enhanced health

Creating a healing environment on various levels, fostering an atmosphere of authentic caring presence at an energetic and subtle level.

Acknowledging the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit while upholding human dignity

Embracing the spiritual, mysterious, and unknown aspects of life

Madeleine Leininger: Transcultural Nursing Theory

Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory , also called Culture Care Theory, focuses on providing culturally congruent care by understanding and respecting the values, beliefs, and practices of diverse individuals and groups.

Hildegard Peplau: Interpersonal Relations Theory

Peplau's Interpersonal Theory of Interpersonal Relations emphasizes that the journey of nurse-patient relationships involves three pivotal stages that are essential for their success: 

The initial orientation

A dynamic working phase, and

A  thoughtful termination process

According to Peplau, the nurse's role is to facilitate the patient's growth and development by utilizing therapeutic communication, empathy, and understanding.

Betty Neuman: Neuman Systems Model

The Neuman Systems Model focuses on identifying stressors that have the potential to negatively impact an individual's health and overall well-being. It incorporates various factors such as physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and developmental aspects. 

The theory also provides a flexible structure for assessment, intervention, and evaluation in nursing practice. 

Sister Callista Roy: Adaptation Model

The Roy Adaptation Model is based on the belief that individuals are adaptive systems, constantly interacting with their environment to maintain their physiological and psychosocial integrity. It views the person as a holistic being, consisting of four interconnected adaptive modes:

Physiological Mode: Deals with physical and biological aspects of adaptation, including the body's response to stressors, maintaining homeostasis, and meeting basic physiological needs.

Self-Concept Mode: Focuses on individuals' perception of themselves, including self-esteem and self-image.

Role Function Mode: Considers the roles people have in their lives, such as spouse, parent, employee, or student. 

Interdependence Mode: Emphasizes the importance of social relationships and how individuals interact with others, such as support from social networks.

Martha Rogers: Science of Unitary Human Being

Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings believed that nursing should focus on promoting harmony and balance within the individual and their environment. 

Her theory emphasizes the interconnectedness of human beings with their surroundings and the importance of energy fields in health and healing. Spoken another way, patients cannot be considered as “separate” from their environment.

Patricia Benner: Novice to Expert Theory

Benner's Novice to Expert Theory describes the stages of nursing skill from novice to advanced beginner, and finally, to competent. 

She emphasizes the importance of practical experience and clinical judgment in nursing practice and highlights that expertise develops over time through practice and reflection.

Imogene King: Theory of Goal Attainment

King's Theory of Goal Attainment focuses on the nurse-patient relationship and the mutual goal-setting process. Her theory emphasizes that nurses and patients should collaborate to establish goals that promote the patient's well-being and health.

Katharine Kolcaba: Comfort Theory

Kolcaba's Comfort Theory highlights the significance of providing comfort to patients as a central goal of nursing care. 

Her theory defines comfort as the immediate experience of being strengthened in physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural dimensions.

Kolcalba’s framework proposes that healthcare providers:

Assess if patient’s comfort needs are not being met

Create interventions to meet those needs

Measure comfort prior to and after the interventions

Nursing theories are used every day in practice even if nurses aren’t aware of their use. Theories help guide evidence-based research which then leads to best practices and policies. These policies and procedures keep patients safe, while providing the best care possible. 

Nursing theories also allow nurses to positively influence the health and well-being of their patients beyond taking care of them at the bedside. Nursing theory-guided practice helps improve the quality of care delivered and helps continue to move the nursing profession forward into the 21st century. 

Most bedside nurses will not necessarily know the theories behind their practice so their usefulness is often dismissed. Advanced practice nurses, nurse scholars, nurse educators, and nurse researchers are most likely going to be up to date on current nursing theories and their impact on the nursing profession. 

Nursing theories should continue to guide nursing practice both in academia and at the bedside. It allows nurses to provide current best-practice care to their patients while also impacting them beyond the bedside. Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory was groundbreaking during the 1860s and helped change the course of nursing and healthcare while changing the outcomes of patients through the identification of environmental factors that may hinder their health and well-being. 

Nursing Theory FAQs

What are the major nursing theories .

• All nursing theories encompass person, environment, health, and the nurse and are categorized into three hierarchies: grand nursing theories, middle-range nursing theories, and practice level nursing theories.  

What are examples of nursing theory? 

• Some examples of nursing theories include the Environmental Theory, the Casey Model of Nursing, the Martha Rogers Theory, the Tidal Model, and the Cultural Care Theory. 

What is the Casey model of nursing?

• The Casey Model of Nursing is a model of nursing designed to encompass the child-health relationship with five focuses: child, family, health, environment, and the nurse. 

What is Martha Roger's Theory?

• The Martha Rogers Theory of nursing looks at people as “unitary” human beings that can’t be divided into parts and nursing as a blend of both art and science. 

What is a partnership model in nursing?

• It’s a patient and family-centered care system that focuses on partnership between the two, along with education, support, communication, and collaborative practice.

What are the principles of the tidal model? 

• The tidal model of nursing has 6 principles: curiosity, virtue, mystery investigation, respect of the person, crisis as an opportunity, possessing goals, and pursuit of elegance.

Kathleen Gaines (nee Colduvell) is a nationally published writer turned Pediatric ICU nurse from Philadelphia with over 13 years of ICU experience. She has an extensive ICU background having formerly worked in the CICU and NICU at several major hospitals in the Philadelphia region. After earning her MSN in Education from Loyola University of New Orleans, she currently also teaches for several prominent Universities making sure the next generation is ready for the bedside. As a certified breastfeeding counselor and trauma certified nurse, she is always ready for the next nursing challenge.

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120+ Fresh Nursing Essay Topics (With FAQs and Essay Writing Tips)

Be it writing a nursing assignment or preparing an essay to get admission to a nursing school, choosing the right nursing essay topic is of utmost importance.

An essay can make or break your chance of getting into that school or your chances of scoring the highest in the assignment.

Considering the importance of nursing essays, we have got you some handpicked nursing essay topics that will help you ace the exams.

The article is divided into 3 sections according to the difficulty level. You can opt for them according to your convenience.

You’ll also find an interesting list of topics in the miscellaneous section. So make sure to check that as well.

The following part of the article includes some tips on framing a well-structured essay.

 Basic Level Nursing Essay Topics

• Describe the role of nurses in society.
• What are nursing ethics?
• According to you, what are the challenges associated with nursing?
• Discuss nursing ethics.
• Importance of nursing care for infants.
• What are the possible reasons behind a fewer number of male nurses?
• Throw some light on nurses’ practice act.
• Why is there a need for significant leadership in nursing?
• What are the steps you need to take to cure minor wounds?
• What are the steps you need to take to cure severe wounds?
• Discuss the steps that nurses should take to deal with hyperactive patients and their relatives?
• Are there any differences faced by nurses as compared to doctors when it comes to respect and value?
• What measures can nurses take to cure serious wounds when not having any instruments?
• What steps can nurses take to deal with patients in backward regions, where there is a lack of medical infrastructure?
• Analyze the problems with medical infrastructure.
• How to strengthen medical infrastructure?
• How to perform home nursing?
• Steps to improve mental health.
• Discuss the pitfalls of dieting.
• Importance of technology in nursing.

Moderate Level Nursing Essay Topics

• Throw some light on holistic nursing.
• Should we allow nurses to prescribe medication or antibiotics?
• Discuss the risks associated with nurses prescribing medication?
• Discuss the problems associated with the compensation of nursing jobs.
• How should nurses deal with abusive or rude patients?
• How can civilians be helpful to nurses in treating their patients?
• Infant mortality and its possible causes.
• How to prepare a nursing resume to apply for a job?
• Mental impact on nurses.
• Basic theories to apply in nursing.
• Nursing in India: from struggle to victory.
• Soft skills required in nursing.
• Reasons to choose nursing as a profession.
• How to teach nursing?
• How to deal with depression being a nurse.
• How to deal with patients with dementia initially?
• What efforts should be made to make patients’ stay in neonatal units more pleasant?
• Legalizing euthanasia.
• Importance of midwifery. Is it underestimated?
• How can we help pharmacies strike a balance between helping the patients and earning a profit?

Advanced Level Nursing Essay Topics

• Significance of psychological training to ensure efficient medical working.
• Has covid-19 impacted the chances of nursing being a chosen profession?
• How to avoid hospitalization in covid-19?
• Measure to enhance the efficiency of nurses as assistants of doctors.
• What can nurses do to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease?
• Express your views on applying Henderson’s principles in the nursing area.
• How to convince people to donate organs?
• Chronic diseases and covid-19 pandemic.
• Discuss pediatric ethics.
• Explain acute coronary syndrome.
• Explain the cause behind anxiety disorders.
• Write on obesity and weight management programs.
• What precautions should be taken in the postnatal period?
• Dealing with gestational weight gain challenges.
• Precautions to be taken pre and post-delivery.
• Joint disorders study in elderly people.
• What are geriatrics ethics?
• Menarche and menopause challenges and symptoms.
• Explain reproductive endocrinology.
• Therapeutic injections: pros and cons.

List of Nursing Argumentative Essay Topics

• Are nurses more vulnerable to health risks than doctors?
• How does the increased number of working hours impact the working of nurses?
• Is nursing a female-centric profession?
• How important is the role of a nurse when compared with that of a doctor?
• Difference in the salary paid to day shift nurses vs. night shift nurses
• What should be the adequate amount of nursing staff to have in a hospital?
• Should more emphasis be laid on home nursing?
• How is racial discrimination a problem in nursing?
• Are nurses more empathetic than doctors?
• How important is it for a nurse to work on her emotions?

Miscellaneous Topics for Students Nursing Research

• Nursing Theory: 
• Nursing theory history and significance
• Strategies for theory construction in nursing
• Nursing theory vs. nursing practice
• Person-centered nursing: theory and practice
• Areas of agreement in nursing theory development
• Nursing Education:
• Critical thinking in nursing education : Literature review
• Future challenges for nursing education
• Curriculum development in nursing education
• New nursing education structure in US/UK/Asia
• Creating innovative models of clinical nursing education
• Nursing Care: 
• Transcultural concepts in nursing care
• Basic principles of nursing care
• Factors influencing why nursing care is missed
• Measuring patients’ satisfaction with nursing care
• Spiritual nursing care: state of the art
• Pharmacology for nursing care
• Nursing Interventions:
• The systematic development of nursing interventions
• The impact of nursing interventions
• Nursing interventions for smoking cessation
• Nursing interventions for patients with chronic conditions
• Nursing interventions for premature infants
• Nursing interventions to promote functional feeding
• Nursing Homes:
• Nursing homes in developed and developing nations: a comparison
• Characteristics of nursing homes that affect resident outcomes
• Infections among patients in nursing homes
• Nursing homes and COVID‐19: What has changed?
• Abuse of patients in nursing homes
• Family involvement in nursing homes
• Nursing Leadership 
• Factors contributing to nursing leadership
• Nursing leadership and patient outcomes
• Leadership and management in nursing
• Transformational leadership in nursing
• ethical leadership in nursing
• Nursing Diagnosis:
• Nursing diagnosis process and it’s relation with critical thinking skills
• Application of nursing process and nursing diagnosis
• Do staff nurses use nursing diagnosis effectively?
• Methods to validate nursing diagnoses
• Accuracy of nursing diagnoses: How effective are they?
• Nurse Burnout:
• Nurse burnout and quality of care
• Nurse burnout: personal and environmental factors
• Impact of nurse burnout on organization
• Predictors of burnout among nurses in US, UK, India
• Pediatric nurse burnout
• Nurse Staffing: 
• Nurse staffing and inpatient hospital mortality
• Hospital nurse staffing and quality of care
• Nurse Patient Ratios
• The effects of nurse staffing on medical costs
• Nurse staffing in critical care and how it affects patient outcome
• Nurse Practitioner Role
• Barriers to developing nurse practitioner role
• Analyze nurse practitioner role in acute care settings
• How case-study research can better implement nurse practitioner role
• Practice and clinical leadership: The core role of the nurse practitioner
• Neonatal nurse practitioner role
• 200+ Great Ideas of Nursing Research Topics to Get Started

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how do you start writing a nursing essay.

The following section includes some tips on how to write a well-curated nursing essay.

• Plan your essay- you need to have a well-planned outline of the essay to write an outstanding one.

Spend a good amount of time in research and shortlist the things that you would want to include, things that you would want to highlight or your personal story if any.

• Start writing- Start your essay with a statement that is catchy and strong. Include an adequate amount of research and evidence to support your point in the body. End it with a conclusion stating a summary of the essay.
• Revision- go through the content and look for grammatical or spelling errors, if any. Focus on the structure of the essay.

2. List tips on how to write a nursing school application essay.

• Focus on being informative- while framing the essay, be mindful of the information you include. Make sure it is backed by some evidence.
• Select the best essay topic- go for such a topic that makes the officers remember you after they have read the essay. At the same time, make sure you are comfortable writing on it.
• Check the structure- the essay should be divided into 3 parts- introduction, body and conclusion. Make it readable and easy to understand.

To sum it up, when you kick-start writing a research paper, make sure you move ahead step-by-step.

Since research is the first step in writing the essay, you first have to gather all the essential list of information that is relevant to your nursing essay topic.

Next, handpick the information and come up with an essay that is well-curated and backed by evidence.

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Nursing Theorists and Theories in Nursing Practice

Nursing practice is a science that depends on a body of knowledge generated through observations, experimentation, and experience, otherwise known as nursing theories.

They are relevant for nursing practice and will most likely be tested in major nursing examinations. You will also probably write research papers, concept analysis papers, and essays on nursing theories.

Each nursing theory organizes concepts, frameworks, and philosophy that help to identify, define, and restrict what nurses do, why they do it, and how to do it.

In this ultimate guide, we will walk you through these theories. You will find information on nursing theories, including the concepts, levels, and a list of the most common nursing theories.

And although we only scratch the surface of what there is to learn about the theories, you can conduct comprehensive research on the respective theories based on the list we have provided. Finally, we wish you success in your nursing degree program; we bet that by the end of it, you will have mastered and expanded your knowledge of nursing theories.

Before anything else, let's get solid on the basics of nursing theories.

What are Nursing Theories? And what makes nursing theories?

Nursing theories refer to an organized body of knowledge that defines what nursing means, nursing practice, and the purpose of nursing practice . It is a collection of models, concepts, purposes, and frameworks that guide nursing practice at a specific and concrete level. The theories are the foundation of nursing practice

The theories help define nursing as a noble, unique, and essential discipline that is distinguishable from other fields such as pharmacy, medicine, chemistry, etc.

Nursing theories also help guide and define nursing care and provide a foundation for clinical decision-making. Since nursing is a science, it often borrows some of the theories from public health and customizes them to fit the context of nursing practice, which is why we have borrowed nursing theories.

Nursing theories contain concepts, definitions, propositions, relational statements, and assumptions to explain a phenomenon of interest. A phenomenon refers to an occurrence, event, situation, or process. The concepts are labels to the phenomenon -phrases that define, identify, and establish the structure for ideas generated by a phenomenon. Propositions are used to describe the relationships between concepts. Concepts can either be abstract - mentally structured or concrete -  developed through experience. Nursing theories have either t heoretical (relating to the theoretical perspective of the concept) or operational definitions (stating how the concepts are measured).

The relational statements define the relationships between the concepts in theory. On the other hand, assumptions are accepted truths based on values and beliefs that explain the nature of a nursing theory's relationships, structure, purpose, definitions, and concepts. You can symbolically represent a theory through words, diagrams, or mathematical models, which become your conceptual model .

Importance/Purpose of Nursing Theories

Across different professions, theories offer the foundation of practice. Nursing being a science, its entire practice is based on nursing theories. Nursing theories act as frameworks that shape the scope of nursing care and practice. It offers nurses guidelines when educating themselves, researching, and practicing care for their patients and themselves. There are many reasons why nursing theories are important:

• They provide a foundation for nursing practice and are essential in caring for patients. As a result, most magnet and academic hospitals consistently integrate nursing theories into their policies, SOPs, and guidelines to ensure best practice is achieved.
• Nursing institutions also use nursing theories to develop nursing curricula. Therefore, the nursing programs are designed with the concepts and models in mind. Besides, the skills that nurse students develop relate to various aspects of nursing theories.
• Nursing theories are also used in the nursing research process. They guide the research process by creating and testing a phenomenon of interest among a given population of interest. Such research enables nursing to address societal challenges and continuously offer means to advance caring through infusing theory, practice, and research. It promotes theory or evidence-based practice.
• Nursing theories are useful in generating concepts of efficient and effective care in the professional practice domain. Therefore, nurses in clinical practice can apply concepts and frameworks from these theories in critical clinical decision-making. It also helps nurses advocate for themselves and their patients. They shape nursing strategies.
• The theories define nursing as helping nurses to accept themselves, their roles, and their purpose in care settings.
• They also offer a foundation for nursing education by generating further knowledge and indicating the correct direction nurses should pursue in personal and professional development.
• Nursing theories also help maintain professional limits and boundaries.
• The theories offer a sense of identity that helps patients, nurses, managers, and other healthcare practitioners to acknowledge and understand the place of nurses and nursing in society.
• They also determine the information nurses gather, help nurses anticipate patient responses, and identify who needs care.
• Theories also help nurses articulate what they do for the patients and its rationale.
• They help nurses establish best practices, select productive research areas, determine the best interventions, and map out objectives and expected outcomes.
• Nursing theories can also influence the choice and development of PICOT questions .

Nursing theory, to a broader scope, helps knit together the systems, people, and settings in healthcare to influence nursing practice, capacity, and efficiency. The theories help nurses to care for themselves and their patients, interpret and address situations, and sustain nursing practice. Since nursing theories are ubiquitous, they also help standardize nursing practice, making it possible for nurses to operate anywhere in the world.

The Nursing Metaparadigm

A metaparadigm is a set of ideas that offer a structure for how healthcare discipline functions.

Metaparadigms comprise concepts that address the primary issues in a discipline, which helps map out the parameter and focus of the domain in question.

The metaparadigm of nursing comprises four main concepts tied to nursing theories: person, health, environment, and nursing. These 4 concepts form a foundation for nursing practice. They interrelate or interact to ensure nurses deliver holistic care. As such, nurses can view patients as holistic and independent persons. They also serve to address the health and environments of the patients and the responsibilities/duties of nurses.

While person, health, and environment relate to the patients, the nursing concept centers on nurses. These concepts define the scope of the context and content of being a nurse. When applied to a nursing process, these concepts allow for a complete approach to patient care.

the person in a nursing metaparadigm focuses on the multiple needs of those under the care of nurses. This includes the patients, their families, and their community.

The nurses can look at the patient's emotional, social, and spiritual aspects and consider them as people with physical needs.

With the holistic view, nurses can care for the patients by emphasizing the need for patients to express their emotions, seek spiritual support, and get social support from family and friends.

The basis of this metaparadigm is that people can be empowered to manage their health when they have positive personal connections.

The health concept relates to the patient's level of wellness when receiving care. It embodies the multiple factors that go into the patient's well-being, including the spiritual, emotional, social, physical, and intellectual components and how they can be integrated to ensure maximum health outcomes.

It considers the quality of healthcare across the lifespan, as health deteriorates, and past health issues can influence different stages and present problems later.

It extends beyond physical wellness and includes the patient's emotional, mental, spiritual, and social health. It also looks at the genetic composition. Nurses should consider all the factors to ensure that they select an efficient treatment plan for the patient.

Health might have different meanings considering patients, clinical settings, and healthcare providers.

Environment

The concept of the environment relates to the surroundings that affect the patient and influence their health and wellness. The premise of this concept is that altering the environment can improve health. It includes the positive and negative conditions or situations that influence the patient and the physical environment that affects families, friends, and close companions.

The nursing component of the metaparadigm addresses what the nurses do and what they know. It focuses on their character, skills, actions, and attributes on behalf of or in cooperation with the patient. Nursing can be defined in many ways depending on the nursing scholar. It focuses on providing safe, efficient, effective, timely, accessible, purposeful, and reasonable patient care for the best outcomes.

When analyzing a nursing theory, you will realize that some will define some components of the nursing metaparadigm while leaving others irrelevant to the theory. Likewise, you will find some theories encompassing some concepts while others have them all.

Classification (Types/Levels) of Nursing Theories

Nursing theories are logical, generalizable, and consistent with everyday observations. They provide a basis for nurses to test hypotheses and guide the nursing practice. Given their importance, nursing theories can be classified into three levels depending on abstraction: grand theory, middle-range theory, and practice-level (nursing practice) theory.

Let's explore each level in-depth.

Grand Nursing Theories

In a simple definition, grand theories are abstract, broad, and complex concepts that offer a general framework for nursing ideas relating to components such as people, environment, and health. They are primarily based on the experiences of the nursing theorists that postulate or develop them.

The grand nursing theories have the broadest scope for addressing diverse concepts and propositions that nurses are likely to encounter in their nursing practice. These theories are centered around conceptual frameworks and models for defining nursing practice in different situations and care settings and the ways of examining phenomena based on these points of view.

The grand nursing theories describe abstract nursing concepts that provide a framework for understanding nursing behavior and do not have too many details.

Examples of grand nursing theories include:

• Environmental theory by Florence Nightingale
• General systems theory by Imogene King
• Roy adaptation model by Sister Callista Roy
• Self-care theory by Dorothea Orem
• Philosophy and theory of transpersonal caring by Jean Watson
• Interpersonal relations model by Hildegard E Peplau
• Science of Unitary Human Beings by Martha E. Rodgers
• Humanistic nursing theory by Josephine Paterson and Loretta Zderad
• Theory of human becoming by Rosemarie Rizzo Parse
• Nursing process theory by Ida Jean Orlando
• Health as expanding consciousness by Margaret Newman
• Modeling and Role Modeling Theory by Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain
• Emancipated decision-making in healthcare by Wittman-Price

Florence Nightingale and Jean Watson are the two most popular grand theorists who have contributed to nursing theory by developing theories used in nursing practice, research, education, and administration.

Middle-Range Nursing Theories

The middle-range theories are more specific in focus and offer more concrete links between grand nursing theories and nursing practice. Notably, the concepts of the middle-range theories in nursing tend to be less abstract and more verifiable through testing or experimentation. In addition, these theories often describe, expound on, explain, and predict certain phenomena related to clinical practice.

Middle-range nursing theories focus on the concept and not all of the nursing, mainly including the concept's name within its title.

While the grand theories are broader and provide an overall framework for structuring ideas, the middle-range theories address narrowly defined phenomena and can be used to suggest an intervention.

Some of the most common middle-range theories include

• The framework of the systematic organization by Marie-Louise Friedemann
• Synergy model by AACN
• Health brief model by Blanche Mikhail
• Theory of uncertainty in illness by Merle Mishel
• Advancing technology, caring, and nursing by Rozzano C Locsin
• Behavioral systems model by Dorothy Johnson
• Quality of nursing care theory by June H Larrabee
• Nurse as a wounded healer by Marion Conti O'hare
• Theory of comfort by Katherine Kolcaba
• Theory of maternal role attainment by Ramona Theme Mercer
• Theory of group power within organizations by Christina Sieloff
• Acute pain management theory
• 11 functional health patterns by Gordon

Practice-Level Theories

The nursing practice theories focus on specific concepts relating to a defined patient population.

These theories are patient-centered and are often used by bedside nurses in their daily practice. They are scenario or situation-specific theories that focus on a specific patient group at a given time.

They directly influence nursing practice compared to the grand and middle-range theories. In most cases, these theories are interrelated with concepts from the middle-range and the grand theories.

Other Relevant Types of theories in nursing (Borrowed Theories)

The nursing discipline also uses theories other than the three primary levels of nursing theories we explored above. Mostly, these are referred to as borrowed theories because they are composed of philosophies and ideas borrowed from other fields and infused into nursing practice.

Ethical theories are used in nursing to address the dilemmas that arise during practice, which require decision-making. These theories explore the integrity and moral obligations of nurses. In addition, they address the use of technology, change in society, healthcare policies, and nursing care environments. The ethical principles in nursing include virtue ethics, principlism, deontology, and utilitarianism. Other ethical concepts that are even integrated into the nursing code of ethics provisions include justice, beneficence, autonomy, accountability, veracity, fidelity, and non-maleficence.

There are also change theories that focus on changing the nursing environment. These theories consider the drivers and resistance factors of change and how to implement change step-by-step. A typical example is Kurt Lewin's change theory of nursing. Other change theories that can be applied in nursing include:

• Lippitt's seven-step change theory
• Roger's five-stage change theory
• Transitions theory
• Spradley's eight-step model of change
• William Bridge's theory of transition
• Chaos theory
• Ronald Havelock's six phases of change
• Innovation diffusion theory

List of important Nursing Theorists and Theories

If you are assigned a nursing essay or research paper to apply nursing theories, you can choose one below, research it further and develop the paper. Make sure to introduce the theorist, the historical context of the theory, the definition of concepts of metaparadigm or theoretical assertions, major assumptions, relationship with other theories, empirical evidence, and application of the specific theory in nursing practice, leadership/management/administration, research, or education. Whence critiquing a theory, do so based on clarity, simplicity, generality, empirical precision, and deliverable consequences.

• Environment theory ( Florence Nightingale)
• Interpersonal theory ( Hildegard Peplau)
• Afaf Ibrahim Meleis � Transitions theory
• Anne Boykin and Savina o. Schoenhofer � The theory of nursing as caring: a model for transforming practice
• Betty Neuman - System model
• Butterfield Upstream Model for Population Health (BUMP Health) by Patricia G. Butterfield
• Dorothea Orem - Self-care deficit nursing theory (SCNDT)
• Dorothy Johnson - Behavioral systems model
• Ernestine Wiedenbach - The helping act of clinical nursing
• Fay Abdella - Twenty-One Nursing Problems
• Faye Glenn Abdellah - 21 Nursing problems Theory
• Ida Jean Orlando - Nursing Process theory
• Critical caring pedagogy by Peggy L. Chinn
• Imogene King - Goal Attainment theory
• Peace and Power by Peggy L Chinn
• Moving Beyond Dwelling in Suffering by Susan DeSanto-Madeya
• Theory of Integral Nursing by Barbara Dossey
• Lisa Campbell - Leveraging Resources model
• Quality-Caring Model-  by Joanne R. Duffy
• Conceptual Model of Nursing (Nursology) and Population Health by Carol Hall Ellenbecker
• Jean Watson - Philosophy and transpersonal caring model
• Kari Martinsen - Philosophy of caring
• Kathryn E. Barnard - Child health assessment model
• Katie Eriksson - Theory of Carative Caring
• Madeleine Leininger - Transcultural nursing theory
• Marilyn Anne Ray - The theory of bureaucratic caring
• Martha Rogers - Unitary Human beings
• Mayra Estrine Levine - Conservation model for nursing
• Winifred Logan - Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing Based on Activities of Living
• From Novice to Expert ( Patricia Benner)
• The Primacy of Caring by Patricia Berner
• Sister Calista Roy - Adaptation theory
• Virginia Henderson - Need Theory
• Lida Nikfarid - Human as Embodied Spirit theory
• The Core, Care, and Cure (Lydia E. Hall)
• Carolyn L. Wiener and Marylin J. Dodd - Theory of illness trajectory
• Cheryl Tatano Beck - Postpartum depression theory
• Cornelia M. Ruland and Shirley M. Moore - Peaceful end-of-life theory
• Ernestine Wiedenbach - The helping art of clinical nursing
• Georgene Gaskill Eakes, Mary Lermann Burke, and Margaret A. Hainsworth - The theory of chronic sorrow
• Susan Luck - Theory of Integrative Nurse Coaching
• Gladys L. Husted and James H. Husted - Symphonological bioethical theory
• Helen C. Erickson, Evelyn M. Tomlin, and Mary Ann P. Swain - Modeling and role-modeling theory
• Theory of Cultural Humility by Cynthia Foronda
• Theory of Emancipatory Compassion for Nursing by Jessica M. Gill
• Situation-Specific Theory by Eun-OK Im
• Donna J. Perry - Transcendent Pluralism
• Beck Cheryl Tatano - Theory of Traumatic Childbirth: The Ever-Widening Ripple Effect (Middle Range)
• Rural Nursing Theory by Helen J. Lee
• Elizabeth R. Lenz - Theory of unpleasant symptoms
• Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness by Anna Stromberg
• Conceptual Model of Nursing and Health Policy by Gail Russel
• Joyce Travelbee - Human-to-human relationship model
• Katherine Kolcaba - Theory of comfort
• Barret Elizabeth - Theory of Power as Knowing Participation in Change
• Kristen M. Swanson - Theory of caring
• Margaret A. Newman - Health as Expanding Consciousness
• Merle H. Mishel - Uncertainty of illness theory
• Nola J. Pender - Health Promotion Model
• Pamela G. Reed -   Self-transcendence theory
• Phil Barker - Barker's tidal model of mental health recovery
• Ramona T. Mercer - Maternal role attainment theory
• Rosemarie Rizzo Parse - Human becoming theory
• Loretta Zderad - Humanistic Nursing
• The Primacy of caring - Judith Wrubel

It is wise to state that nurse theorists such as Jean Watson, Rosemary Parse, and Martha Rogers are considered new worldview theorists. In addition, Myra Levine, Dorothea Orem, and Sister Callista Roy are referred to as contemporary nursing theorists. Finally, Florence Nightingale, Virginia Henderson, Hildegard Peplau, and Joyce Travelbee are considered early nursing theorists. This information can come in handy in your revision.

Related Reading: How to write a great nursing diagnosis .

Nursing Theory Topics to Consider

You can go through the list of nursing theory topic ideas below to develop a unique one on which you can write an entire essay or research paper. Then, if you are stuck, we can help you write a custom essay or research paper with original ideas, an organized presentation, and scholarly-based examples.

• The importance of integrating nursing theory into practice
• The Role of grand nursing theories in the nursing discipline
• Application of the comfort theory of Nursing in nursing education
• Contribution of Patricia Benner as a nursing theorist
• Nursing Theory and Plan of Care
• Application of Aristotle's ethical theory in nursing practice
• Using Kanter's and Neumann's theories to address nursing retention
• The Roy adaptation model and nursing practice
• Application of Soren Kierkegaard's Ethical Theory to Nursing
• Kant's deontology theory in nursing
• Solving nursing problems through nursing theory
• The impact of the American Idol Nursing Theory contest at the University of West Georgia
• How nursing leaders can use system theory
• Application of change theory in the inpatient nursing
• Role modeling theories and integral nursing
• Application of middle-range theories in nursing
• Use of psychological theories in Nursing
• Understanding borrowed theories in nursing
• Mother Roger's nursing theory
• How nursing theory affects nursing research
• Application of nursing theory in end-of-life Care
• The five essential components of Florence Nightingale's theory of nursing
• Relationship between nursing Theory and quality improvement
• Nursing theory and music therapy
• Using grand theories to solve ethical dilemmas
• Madeleine Hubble's nursing theory of cultural care diversity and Universality
• Applying nursing theories to forensic nursing
• The ultimate goal of nursing theory
• The contemporary nursing theorists and the relevance of their theories in current nursing practice
• Levels of theoretical thinking in nursing theory
• Differences and similarities Between Hildegard Peplau's and Jean Watson's Nursing Theory
• Are nursing theories the foundation of the nursing profession?
• Comparative Analysis of Watson's and Orem's Nursing Theory
• Benefits of incorporating nursing theories in hospital policies
• Do patients contribute to nursing theories?
• The historical development of nursing theories
• Application of the health belief model in healthcare planning

Nursing theories can help you understand the patient's ability and write a  medical plan and your nursing philosophy paper .  

Final Remarks

Knowing the nursing theory to use in your paper is one thing; you can easily do that from the examples of nursing theories we shared above. However, integrating the concepts and applying the nursing theory to a research topic can be difficult for many.

Related Reading:

• How to choose nursing research topics.
• Writing an Abstract poster for a nursing project/capstone
• Steps for writing a nursing capstone paper from BSN to DNP or Ph.D. in nursing.
• Nursing Research Paper Topics
• How to write a brief nursing care plan

NurseMyGrade team realizes that most nursing students either end up in remediation programs or spend more time and money on their education due to failure to deliver high-quality essays and research papers. We will do respective articles with nursing theories summaries. 

For that sole reason, despite striving to be a top nursing student resource, we also have a team of expert nurse writers to help you write nursing papers . They can help you with nursing theory papers and case studies.

Place an order, pay for it, and get a well-researched, edited, organized, and plagiarism-free nursing paper with your preferred nursing theory. The papers are in APA or Harvard format; you will also have free access to the reference list. Place that order today.

References (Links to External Websites)

• Nursing theory Development
• 5 Nursing Theories for Nurses Educators
• Nursing Theories and Models
• Nursing Theories
• Common Nursing- Nursing theories
• What is a Nursing theory? Key concepts for DNPs
• Understanding nursing theories
• Overview of Nursing Theories
• Intro to nursing theories
• Nursing theorists and theories

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Essays on Nursing Theory

Nursing theory essay topics.

As a college student, choosing the right essay topic is crucial to your success. It's an opportunity to showcase your creativity and personal interests while also demonstrating your understanding of nursing theory. This page is designed to help you explore a variety of essay topics and provide guidance on how to structure your essays effectively.

Essay Types and Topics

Argumentative essay.

• The impact of nurse-patient ratios on patient outcomes
• Ethical considerations in nursing practice
• The role of technology in modern nursing

Paragraph Example: The debate over nurse-patient ratios has been a topic of much controversy in the nursing community. In this essay, we will examine the impact of nurse-patient ratios on patient outcomes and explore the ethical considerations surrounding this issue. It is clear that this is an important topic that requires careful consideration and analysis.

Paragraph Example: It is evident that nurse-patient ratios have a significant impact on patient outcomes. As we move forward, it is crucial to consider the ethical implications of these ratios and strive for solutions that prioritize patient well-being.

Compare and Contrast Essay

• Traditional nursing practices vs. modern nursing practices
• The role of evidence-based practice in nursing
• The impact of culture on nursing care

Descriptive Essay

• A day in the life of a nurse
• The challenges of providing palliative care
• The impact of a nurse's role in patient recovery

Persuasive Essay

• The importance of mental health support for nurses
• Advocating for nurse-led initiatives in healthcare
• The need for increased diversity in nursing leadership

Narrative Essay

• A personal experience that inspired a career in nursing
• An impactful patient interaction
• The journey of overcoming a nursing challenge

Engagement and Creativity

Choosing an essay topic that interests you is the first step to engaging your readers. Your personal connection to the topic will shine through in your writing, making it more compelling and authentic. Don't be afraid to explore topics that excite you and spark your curiosity.

Educational Value

Each essay type offers unique opportunities for developing essential skills. Argumentative essays enhance your analytical thinking and persuasive writing abilities. Compare and contrast essays help you practice critical thinking and analysis. Descriptive essays hone your ability to paint vivid pictures with words, while persuasive essays strengthen your argumentation skills. Finally, narrative essays allow you to explore storytelling techniques and connect with your audience on a personal level.

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A concept paper on cultural competence in nursing, the application of management theories in the field of nursing, concept analysis on jean watson’s theory of human caring, boykin and schoenhofer's nursing as caring theory, florence nightingale and her impact on nursing, the place of the family in nursing, my educational journey and personal philosophy of nursing, how the middle range theory of human caring can help to handle high turnover rates in hospitals, metaparadigm of nursing concepts: my personal nursing philosophy, dorothea orem's theory of self-care deficit, personal philosophy of nursing: caring in nursing, my personal philosophy of nursing, personal leadership philosophy and nursing leadership, analysis of evidence-based practice in nursing, medical nursing for veterinary technician research project, foundations of nursing practice: dorothea orem's self-care theory, 11 categories of gordon's functional health patterns assessment, commitment to nursing: elderly in intensive care, family genogram: its significance and cfam model, relevant topics.

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633 Nursing Essay Topics

Nursing plays a vital role in healthcare delivery. There are numerous issues to investigate, and that’s why we offer you this compilation of nursing essay topics. Delve into unique nursing essay questions and titles and examine the diversity of nursing practice, education, patient care, challenges, and innovations that shape the modern nursing landscape.

👩‍⚕️ TOP 10 Nursing Essay Topics

🏆 best nursing essay titles, 👍 catchy nursing essay questions, 🌶️ hot nursing essay topics, ❓ more nursing research questions, 🎓 interesting nursing essay topics, 💡 simple nursing essay titles, ✍️ nursing essay topics for college.

• Nursing as a Science and an Art
• Loss of Vision: Nursing Diagnosis and Treatment
• Nursing: Dorothy Johnson’s Behavioral System Model
• Nursing Student’s College Experience
• The Importance of Nursing Education
• Philosophy and Major Domains in Nursing
• Friedman Family Assessment and Nursing Diagnosis
• Motivational Theories in Nursing
• New Zealand Cultural Safety in Nursing Practice
• Technology in Nursing Practice
• Vision Impairment: Nursing Diagnosis and Planning The nursing diagnosis should state the obvious patient difficulties that represent the body’s response to external factors, including the development of the disease.
• Importance of Nurse Manager Role in Budgeting Nurse managers set objectives and outline the budget (typically in association with the finance division) for their own duty center or nursing team.
• Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory and Concepts Patient-centered care converges with the Orem model of nursing where patients are required to be actively involved in the care process.
• Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory Role in Nursing Nursing theories provide very important principles to nursing practice. This paper presents a discussion of the environmental theory developed by Florence Nightingale.
• Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory in Nursing Practice The self-care deficit theory was formulated by Dorothea Orem in 2001 and has become of the most popular nursing theories in contemporary practice and education.
• Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory in Nursing Orem’s self-care deficit theory emphasizes the importance of patients’ focus on the promotion of their health via a set of activities that have a beneficial impact on their bodies.
• Jean Watson’s Nursing Theory and Application Strategies The concept proposed by Jean Watson provides for a humanistic approach to the activities of medical personnel.
• Optic Neuritis: Nursing Diagnosis and Care Plan There are short term and long-term goals that should be taken into consideration. Short term goal – the patient will not experience pain while moving her eye.
• Ida Jean Orlando Theory: Case Study Example This paper describes and evaluates the application of the deliberative nursing process theory by Ida Jean Orlando that can be recognized as a grand or middle-range theory.
• Advanced Nursing Practice vs. Advanced Practice Nursing The idea of distinguishing advanced nursing practice from advanced practice nursing was established in the recognition of the tasks of all nurses at the graduate rank.
• Career Plan in Nursing Nursing is a profession that requires extensive education, skills, special knowledge, and preparation to handle the vast and dynamic challenges.
• Nursing: Human Becoming Theory by Rosemarie Parse Rosemarie Rizzo Parse is the author of the theory of human becoming that aims to guide nurses and make them focus on patient living quality.
• Kotter’s Change Management Theory in Nursing Practice Kotter’s change management theory can be successfully applied to achieve quality improvement in nursing practice. The model helps to ensure the acceptance of the change.
• New Technologies in Nursing In this research paper, some of the current trends in nursing technologies as well as the significance of new technologies for both nurses and other persons are discussed.
• Meta-Paradigms in Nightingale’s Nursing Philosophy The core concepts of metaparadigms of nursing are the person, health, nursing, and environment. These metaparadigms are present in each of the nursing theories and philosophies.
• Nursing Care Plan for Left Middle Finger Tenosynovitis Finger tenosynovitis is a condition that occurs during an inflammation that narrows the effective species within a sheath surrounding tendons in an affected finger.
• Nursing: Family Centered Care Family Centered care therefore is a collaboration of the nurses and the family of the patient to provide intensive care.
• Nursing Student’s Individual Success Plan In this paper, I am going to share my plan with several improvement needs, goals, a timeline, requirements, and challenges which have to be overcome until graduation.
• Nursing Philosophy and Developing Factors The essay reviews nursing philosophies and factors influencing the development of the personal nursing philosophy, such as accountability and compassion.
• Impact of Nursing to the Community The nursing profession is very important to society since the wellness of society is its main principal objective.
• Nursing Metaparadigm Concepts and Interrelationship This paper describes and explain thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the four concepts of nursing metaparadigm and their inter-relationship to each other.
• Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory in Nursing For the purpose of the current discussion, it was chosen to focus on Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory that was developed to enhance the level of patients’ independence.
• Self-Reflection in Nursing Practice Self-reflection is an essential and integral part of the work of health professionals, especially nurses. Professional self-reflection is a correct subject that nurses should use.
• Case Management in Nursing: Benefits and Disadvantages The introduction of case management into nursing and the subsequent expansion of the roles and responsibilities of nurse managers had a positive effect on patients.
• Nursing State Board vs. Professional Organizations This paper will analyze similarities and differences between the roles of the state board of nursing and the roles of professional organizations.
• The Nursing Research and Its Advantages The nursing research helps nurses to develop and advance their skills in the field, stay updated to the current technological trends in nursing.
• Nursing Theory of Virginia Henderson Virginia Avenel Henderson was born on November 30, 1897, in Kansas City, MO. She graduated from the U.S. Army School of Nursing in 1921.
• Betty Neuman’s Systems Theory of Nursing The Nueman systems model, a contemporary nursing theory, is a comprehensive guide for various fields of nursing such as practice, education, research as well as administration.
• Nursing Career and Reasons to Choose It This essay will discuss several benefits of the nursing profession. One of the most obvious reasons for choosing to be a nurse is its influence on people’s lives.
• Nursing Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Research For nurses, it is paramount to be able to properly select a research design for their study. This paper compares quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research.
• Computers in Patient Care and Nursing Administration Computer technologies implementation brings a wide range of benefits concerning disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment enhancement.
• Anne Boykin’s Theory of Nursing as Caring This paper includes a brief description of the Boykin framework’s major concepts, its application to health care, and the role Anne Boykin played in the theory’s development.
• Critical Thinking in Nursing Process Critical thinking in nursing practice is a reasoning process that enables the nurses to generate and implement approaches for dealing with patients.
• Nursing Leadership and Management This essay explores the similarities and differences between leadership and management in nursing. It focuses on how nurse leaders and managers perceive quality improvement.
• Chickenpox, Its Epidemiology and Nursing Role This paper describes the nature of chickenpox and its development in the epidemiologic triangle, explores the roles of the community health nurse and national agencies.
• ICARE Model and Nursing Interprofessional collaboration is complex and requires the alignment of numerous factors to achieve efficiency. This report investigates how a nurse can use the iCARE model to contribute to this improvement.
• Nursing Theory of Music, Mood, and Movement by Murrock and Higgins The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed description and analysis of the nursing theory of music, mood, and movement by Murrock and Higgins.
• Statistics Application in Healthcare and Nursing Statistical analyses are efficient mechanisms for obtaining accurate data based on calculations and affecting not only the quality of care.
• Peplau’s Interpersonal Theory – Interpersonal Relations in Nursing The interpersonal theory was developed by psychiatric-mental health nurse Hildegard Peplau. The theory emphasizes the importance of nurse-patient communication.
• Global Poverty and Nursing Intervention It is evident that poor health and poverty are closely linked. Community nurses who are conversant with the dynamics of the health of the poor can run successful health promotion initiatives.
• Nursing Theories Differences: High-Range, Middle-Range, and Low-Range Nursing Theories Nursing is a constantly developing profession. Nowadays, nurses obtain unique knowledge and skills that are based on profound scientific research.
• Four Basic Metaparadigm Concepts in Nursing In the process of nursing development, four key metaparadigms were identified, which were formed historically and became the basis to which many specialists adhere.
• Disaster Management in Nursing Practice Nurses play a significant role in disaster management – they disseminate knowledge, care for people, and develop improvement strategies.
• Barrett’s Power Theory and Change in Nursing There are many ways of how to use power in the field of nursing. Barrett offers to determine it as a possibility to participate in organizational change knowingly.
• Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory: Concept Analysis The concept that presented in this paper is extracted from the Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory. This paper will analyze the concept of environment in seven separate parts.
• Gap in Nursing Education and Practice Nursing education is a field that prepares and equips students with apposite dexterities and theoretical models that can be applied in different clinical settings.
• Negotiation in Nursing: Approaches and Advantages A qualified nurse is expected to negotiate based primarily on his or her emotional intelligence, experience, sensitivity, respect to patients and colleagues.
• Betty Neuman’s Systems Model in Nursing The nursing theory under analysis is the Neuman systems model developed in 1970 by Betty Neuman, a counselor, professor, and community health nurse.
• Madeleine Leininger’s Theory of Transcultural Nursing A nursing theory turns out to be a group of significant related concepts and relationships the purpose of which is to guide practice and promote the delivery of care.
• Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Decision-making is the essence of nursing practice, as nurses must make choices about treatment and patient care countless times a day.
• Virginia Henderson Nursing Need Theory This work was written for familiarization with Virginia Henderson Nursing Need Theory – theory description, an evaluation of the theory, and application.
• Nursing Informatics: Electronic Health Records Nursing informatics entail the use of health care technology such as the EHR. Electronic health records provide integrated data that nurses can use to support safe and patient-centered care.
• Future Nursing Profession Analysis Nursing profession leads in honesty and moral standards since all practices are guided by a code of ethics, facilitating a significant relationship with patients.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing Ethical conduct is repeatedly mentioned in the NCSBN model rules, the same document insists that nursing education must include the topic of ethics.
• Nursing in the Maternal Role Attainment Theory The meta-paradigm of nursing in Ramona Mercer’s Maternal Role Attainment Theory is concerned with the health of nontraditional mothers who have an insufficient maternal identity.
• Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory and Its Application This discussion focuses on Henderson’s Need Theory and its application to professional practice in improving telehealth through choosing appropriate specialists.
• Application of Herzberg’s Theory in Nursing Herzberg’s theory provides a good platform for the action, as that theory equips nurses with motivations for the roles and responsibilities they carry out.
• The Role of Professionalism in Nursing Professionalism in nursing means being confident, punctual, patient-oriented, and having developed theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
• Patient Falls and Teaching Program in Nursing Home: SWOT Analysis Staff training is an essential part of the responsibilities that are assigned to advanced practice nurses since it provides the opportunity to educate nurses and improve care services.
• Nursing Communication Process The five elements of the communication process include the sender, message, receiver, channels, and feedback.
• Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation The paper states that healthcare providers are vital in treating chronic diseases such as kidney diseases, hypertension, and diabetes.
• The Nursing Professional Code of Conduct This paper focuses on the nursing professional code of conduct and the corresponding ethical principles upon which the code is built.
• Change Management in Nursing This paper will reflect and support the change process that is present in the change management in nursing practice since nursing is an occupation requiring special change.
• Nursing Change Theory and the Diffusion of Innovation Model A considerable part of the United States gross domestic product devoted to health care does not result in satisfactory outcomes.
• Importance of Therapeutic Communication in Nursing The paper states that therapeutic communication is a key element in nursing care, and all professionals must be able to utilize it in their practice.
• Trends and Issues in Nursing: Leadership and Management The health sector is one of the most important sectors in any society. Through proper management and leadership of nurses, reliable services will be delivered.
• Summary of Family Health Assessment and Nursing Wellness Diagnoses The primary goal of the paper is to present the summary of family assessment while covering different topics such as sexuality, nutrition, and coping strategies.
• Nursing Ethics in “Invisible Patients” Documentary Invisible Patients is a documentary that describes the work of a nurse practitioner who helps the most vulnerable patients to live and struggle with their illnesses.
• Helvie Energy Theory of Nursing and Health The objective of this paper is to pay specific attention to the concept of the environment, as viewed in the energy theory of health and nursing developed by Carl Helvie.
• Occupational Health Nursing Theory and Model This article explores an occupational health nursing model and how it can be applied to nursing practice, nursing research, nursing leadership, and nursing management.
• Nursing: Transitions Theory by Afaf Ibrahim Meleis The transitions theory is the result of long and serious work that Afaf Ibrahim Meleis began in the mid-1960s and ended in the 1980s.
• Nursing Education: Course Evaluation Methods Nurse graduate employers presume that qualifications and subsequent state licenses are granted because they meet competency requirements.
• Living Arrangements of the Elderly and Institutionalism Prevention in Nursing Homes Raising the awareness of issues associated with elderly care plays a significant role in nursing as it identifies the need for change and improvement.
• Employee Selection Process in Nursing Practice The process of recruiting and selecting employees in the nursing practice is an important one because it influences the quality of care that patients receive.
• Optic Neuritis: Nursing Diagnosis and Care Plan To conduct a presumptive nursing diagnosis, the nurse needs to interview the patient for their sensory data, study their health history, and conduct a physical assessment.
• Disturbed Sensory Perception as Nursing Diagnosis A nurse should determine the presumptive nursing diagnosis that furnishes details of the concrete symptoms of the illness and defines the patient’s problems.
• Organizational Behavior in the Nursing Settings The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leadership approach designed to manage the issues associated with organizational behavior in the nursing setting.
• Nursing Informatics in Leadership Nursing informatics is the field that integrates healthcare, data science, computer science to manage and communicate a significant amount of information and advances.
• Nursing Education in Kenya and Ireland The subsequent writing is set out to investigate the political history and development condition of nursing education in Kenya and Ireland and their current systems.
• AACN Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing This paper focuses on outlining essentials, that directly affect the quality of the clinical practice in a healthcare setting and explains their importance and interpretation.
• Concept Comparison and Analysis: Nursing Theorists The theorists view nursing from different perspectives. This paper discusses nursing theories developed by the theorist; comparing and contrasting their concepts on nursing.
• Intensive Care Unit Nursing ( ICU) Intensive Care Unit Nurses are those specially trained nurses who handle critical care patients with life-threatening conditions within the confines of the Intensive Care Unit.
• Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research Difference Evidence-based practice (EBP) and nursing research are critical to the nursing practice because they provide the knowledge necessary to improve the quality, safety of care
• Henderson Nursing Theory Applied to Care for Adolescent Mothers Henderson’s theory claims that nurses should assist patients in the performance of daily activities but do such a way as to help them gain independence.
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Course Reflection The Essential VIII that is proposed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education can be viewed as a tool for reflection.
• Primary Nursing Care Delivery Model’s Pros & Cons If I were the manager of my healthcare unit, I would prefer to utilize the primary nursing model that involves the provision of individualized care.
• Nursing Theory of Vigilance and Its Values Caring is one of the fundamental requirements that all professions are required to provide. Professional vigilance is the most important aspect of nursing care.
• Regulations for Nursing Practice: Staff Development Meeting The United States consists of the state board and the national board of nurses. Each of them must carry out its instructions and regulate medical activities.
• PICO Format in Nursing Clinical experience is an essential part of nursing, it is vital not to ignore recent developments in guidelines and research that offer modern, practical solutions for patients.
• Examples of Environment in Nursing Metaparadigm The metaparadigms that form personal nursing philosophy include such wide conceptions as patient, nurse, health, and environment.
• Nursing Care Delivery Models: Pros and Cons Holistic nursing is a type of nursing practice that focuses on curing the whole person. In team nursing, staff is divided into teams, and each team is assigned to a group of patients.
• Nursing: Kotter’s Change Model Theory Kotter’s Change Model through the Bedside Handoff Initiative can help nurse leaders change the way patient information is transferred from one nurse to the next.
• Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators (NSQI) The analysis of nurses’ job satisfaction enables medical organizations to trace the changes in the working atmosphere and assess the effectiveness of some measures and changes.
• Leininger’s Nursing Theory in Application Nursing education and training institutions should ensure that future nurses are capable of delivering effective care depending on patients’ unique circumstances.
• The Five R’s Approach to Ethical Nursing Practice Personal and professional values influence the choices in life and nursing practice because principles are correlated with beliefs and knowledge.
• Nursing Leadership and Management: Quantum Leadership The quantum approach is essential in the management of complex situations that are experienced in contemporary work situations.
• Impacts of Grand and Middle-Range Theories on Nursing Practice As the examples of the analyzed grand theory of self-care and middle-range theory of comfort indicate, theories may also target distinct aspects of nursing.
• Nursing Profession: Health and Economic Issues The research served for the exploration of several issues related to health and economics that are advantageous or harmful for nursing.
• Dorothy Johnson’s Behavioral System Model in Nursing The main concepts of Dorothy Johnson’s Behavioral System Model include human beings as identities consisting of two major systems, the behavioral and the biological systems.
• Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing The purpose of this paper is to find out what traditional practices that are inconsistent with evidence are used by nurses, and how often.
• Making Decisions in Nursing Practice To make quality choices, the nurse must consider many factors that will ensure ethical and skilled treatment care.
• Integration and Application of Technologies in Nursing Practice Technology improves the efficiency of the nursing practice, which implies that nursing professionals need to be skilled for them to operate the ever-evolving gadgets
• Evidence-Based Nursing Practice: A Literature Review Evident-based nursing is the process of developing and identifying concrete research outcome and applying them to improve the nursing practices.
• Nursing Metaparadigms and Culturally Proficient Care Nursing meta paradigms represent sets of theories and ideas that offer a perspective on how the discipline should be functioning.
• McCormack and McCance’s Person-Centred Care Nursing Framework In the present day, the concept of person-centered care is becoming immeasurably significant within nursing on a worldwide basis.
• Nursing Research and Its Components The paper identifies the main types of nursing research and its components, including the analysis of methodologies and sampling practices for conducting credible studies.
• The Four Ps of Marketing in Nursing The application of the four Ps of marketing, namely product, price, place, and promotion, to nursing makes its development possible.
• Nursing as an Art and a Science This paper identifies factors that evidence that nursing is a science, as well as founds arguments that support the notion that nursing is an art.
• Nursing Philosophy: Personal Nursing Beliefs Nursing is defined as an integral aspect of a health delivery system that provides evidence-based, culturally competent, timely, and adequate care to clients with diverse needs.
• Nightingale Pledge Meaning, Role, and Purpose in Nursing This paper accounts for definition, discussion, purpose, ethical implementation, limitations and debate concerning the Nightingale Pledge.
• What Are the Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing?
• How the Five Phases of Nursing Process May Be Used to Provide Effective Nursing Care?
• How Utilizing Nursing Research Benefits Our Nursing Practice?
• How Should the Chief Nursing Office Impact Nurses in Their Everyday Duties?
• How Patient Centered Care Is a Core Component of Nursing?
• How Oral and Written Communication Is Used in Nursing?
• What Is the Importance of Transcultural Nursing in Nursing Practice?
• What Are the Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing?
• What Are the Four Periods of Nursing?
• Why Transcultural Nursing Theory Is Applicable?
• Why the Nursing Leadership Is Important?
• What Is Philosophy of Nursing?
• Why Should State Nursing Program Requirement Should Be the Same?
• What Is the Theoretical Basis of Nursing?
• Why Are Nursing Skills an Integral Part of an Interdisciplinary Team?
• What Influences Nursing Education Program Evaluation?
• What Are Bases Practice on Current Evidence From Nursing Science?
• What Are the Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing?
• Wat Is the Nature of Theoretical Thinking in Nursing?
• What Clinical Nursing Phenomena Are You Most Interested in Application?
• Why a Critique of Cultural Education in Nursing Is Crucial?
• What Constitutes and How Exactly to Define Professionalism in Nursing?
• How Not to Clarify Concepts in Nursing?
• How Did Nursing Change Social Roles of Northern Women During the Civil War?
• How Does Margaret Newman’s Nursing Theory Affects the Assessment and Intervention?
• S.M.A.R.T. Goal Strategy in Nursing In order to achieve certain preset objectives, nurses together with other professionals ought to apply S.M.A.R.T. goal strategy in their diverse roles.
• The Importance of Theory in Nursing This paper explores King’s Theory of Goal Attainment insofar as its contribution to the nursing profession is concerned.
• Ethics in Nursing Overview and Analysis Nursing ethics are truly essential in making the right, responsible and literate decisions, and professional development.
• Nursing Critique: Comfort Theory Katharine Kolcaba’s comfort theory focuses on providing comfort as one of the main purposes of nursing care along with patient safety and patient satisfaction.
• The Circle of Caring Model in Nursing Practice The Circle of Caring Model is a powerful theory that guides practitioners to engage their colleagues and health beneficiaries.
• Nephrotic Syndrome: Diagnosis and Nursing Care Nephrotic syndrome is a condition of collective symptoms caused by kidney damage such as the presence of proteins in the urine, and reduced albumin levels in the blood.
• The Essentials of Nursing Informatics: Computer Skills The article deals with the essentials of nursing informatics emphasizing the fact that having advanced computer skills is important for nurses.
• Nursing Care for Elderly Patients Only geriatric advanced practice nurses have the special preparation for elderly care; the other nursing specialists often lack it.
• The Letter to Dean of the Nursing Department The letter highlighted the issue that led to the poor performance and the steps that it has undertaken to overcome it.
• Florence Nightingale’s and Personal Nursing Philosophy My philosophy of nursing is associated with the assistance to people aimed at improving their health outcomes by providing treatment and also preventative measures.
• Nursing Professional Development Plan Registered nurses (RNs) possess adequate skills that empower them to deliver desirable services to their patients.
• Importance of Evidence Based Practice in Nursing Evidence based practice is a life-long, self-directed, issue-based learning that involves assessment of the relationship between clinical reasoning and research evidence.
• Metaparadigms in the Personal Philosophy of Nursing The present paper will explain my personal philosophy of nurses, describe its application to practice, and analyze its strengths and limitations.
• Civil Law and Its Impact on Nursing Practice Civil law presents one of the topics that are connected with all spheres of human activity because it helps to regulate the relationships between individuals.
• Patient-Centered Versus Team Nursing Care Model This paper analyses a patient-centered care delivery model which was identified in the process of practice setting observation, and a team nursing care model.
• Shortage and Its Impact on Nursing The nursing shortage has to be discussed from a number of perspectives to comprehend its essence, drivers, and outcomes
• Nursing Leadership, Technology, and Informatics Technology and informatics can help address the issue of poor nurse-to-patient ratios by providing informed IT-based solutions that reinforce nurses’ evidence-based staffing.
• Nursing Process and Plan of Care The nursing process functions as a systematic guide to client-centered care with 5 sequential steps: assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Community Health Nursing: Concept and Scope Community Health Nursing is a specific field of nursing characterized by the combination of public health, nursing skills, and some elements of social assistance.
• Professionalism and Accountability in the Nursing An essential role in the nursing profession relates to the autonomous practices that relate to self-direction in nursing care with emphasis on system of professional functioning.
• Florence Nightingale’s Conceptual Nursing Model The conceptual model developed by Florence Nightingale, an outstanding nursing theorist, is based on her environmental theory of Nursing.
• Implication for Nursing Practice This essay discusses how nurses’ previous abusive relationships affect their practice, especially when giving help to domestic violence victims.
• Nursing Discussion Questions and Issues This paper discusses nursing issues such as interdisciplinary collaboration, behaviors of an innovator, and what parameters the nurse must abide by in a healthcare setting.
• Emergency Nursing Journal Conclusion The module dedicated to resuscitation addressed the core responsibilities of a nurse and communication approaches, such as pain and disaster management.
• Medical Negligence and Malpractice in Nursing Medical malpractice arises due to the failure of a professional practitioner to take appropriate action in accordance with the expected professional standards.
• Leadership Style and Nursing People have come up with different leadership styles to enable them to manage, motivate and direct their employees.
• Three Philosophies of Nursing Including Nightingale, Benner, and Watson Each theory is based on morality, and nursing itself is considered a ‘moral endeavor’. None of the theories can be equivalent or better than the other.
• Quantitative Research in Nursing Practice The primary goal of any nurse is to provide high-quality care to the patients based on the latest evidence obtained through research.
• Transcultural Nursing vs. Henderson’s Need Theory This paper aims to compare two nursing theories (Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory and Transcultural Nursing Theory) and their applications in nursing practice.
• Patient’s Medical History and Nursing Care Plan This study assesses the patient’s past medical history, personal and social history examines physical examination, and includes a nursing care plan.
• Adolescent Pregnancy and Nursing Role in Prevention Adolescent pregnancy is a pressing issue in the United States that poses significant economic concerns, as well as risks to the health and wellbeing of the younger generation.
• Communication and Leadership in Nursing Communication is an essential part of life. No institution can operate without communication between its staff and leaders. In nursing, leaders have to utilize effective communication strategies.
• Educational Preparation in Nursing The ultimate goal of nursing is to ensure more individuals in every corner of the globe get quality care. Nursing education prepares and equips learners with adequate competencies.
• Analysis of Nursing Comfort Theory The Nursing Comfort Theory can make it easier for caregivers and RNs to support the changing health needs of patients from diverse backgrounds.
• Nursing Home Care For Elderly Assisting families in the care of the elderly at home by a competent specialist may make the life of the patient independent and the aging process comfortable.
• Medication Errors: Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing The nursing profession should underscore the impact of medication errors and train all stakeholders as a means of eliminating the frailty.
• Patricia Benner’s Nursing Theory The theory explains how “practical knowledge produces new ideas in applied disciplines such as nursing and medicine”.
• Primary Care vs. Team Nursing Models The primary care model was identified because one nurse was assigned to each patient to take responsibility for the treatment.
• Honesty and Withholding Information in Nursing The work of an advanced nurse practitioner presents a complex system of rules and priorities to be followed for the delivery of high-quality services.
• Callista Roy’s vs. Betty Neuman’s Model in Nursing Callista Roy and Betty Neuman define the metaparadigm concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing and use the reciprocal interaction worldview.
• Cataract: Nursing Diagnosis and Care Plan
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Nursing Care Plan
• Patient with Sore Throat: Nursing Health Assessment
• Evaluation in Nursing Education and Healthcare Organization
• Personal Philosophy of Nursing Care
• Nursing Shortage: Causes, Consequences and Solutions
• Analysis of Cardiac Nursing Role
• Continuing Education in Nursing
• The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes
• Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing Practice
• Quality Improvement and Safety in Nursing
• Nursing Orientation Program Proposal
• Nursing: “Building Your Resiliency” by Sherman
• College Experience for Nursing Practice
• Drug Interactions Prevention in Nursing Guidelines
• Nursing Department’s Strengths and Threats
• Nursing Care Philosophy, Assumptions and Beliefs
• Nursing Leadership and Management: Isaac’s Case
• Nursing Theories: Concept Comparison and Analysis Across Theories
• PICOT Question: Nursing Practice
• Nursing Leadership and the System of Christian Values
• Obesity Issue: Application of Nursing Theory
• Total Care Model in Nursing Practice
• Conflict Resolution in Nursing
• Transformational Leadership and Theory Y in Nursing
• Nursing Professional Values and Characteristics
• Holistic Nursing Care’ Principles and Essentials
• Nursing and its Ethical Issues: End-of-Life Care
• Nursing Practicum and Experience Gained From It
• Locating Credible Databases and Research Nursing
• Nursing: Learning Needs Assessment
• The Main Aim of the Wound Care Nursing
• Nursing Philosophy and Personal Worldview
• Dorothea Orem’s Nursing Theory of Care
• Future Goals in Nursing
• Nursing College Education and Career
• Hypertension: Nursing Diagnosis and Care Plan
• Afaf Meleis’ Transitions Theory in Nursing
• Professional Organizations and Ethics in Nursing
• Transcultural Models Comparison in Nursing Practice
• Nursing as a Science and Nursing as an Art
• Nursing Shortage and Turnover Management
• Quality Improvement in Professional Nursing
• Nola J. Pender’s Health Promotion Model in Nursing
• Nursing in Israel: History and Changes
• Calculating Nursing Staffing for Hospital Units
• School Nursing and Its Importance
• Variables in Nursing Research
• Reflection of Advanced Practice in Nursing
• Nursing Need Theory in the Contemporary World
• Mental Illness: Nursing Care Plan
• Maternal Health Nursing Theories and Practice
• Analysis of Economic Theory in Nursing
• Principles of Communication in Nursing
• Conservation of Resources Theory: Nursing
• Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory
• Team, Primary, and Hybrid Nursing Care Models
• Need Theory vs. Transcultural Nursing Theory
• Nursing Theories Variety, Its Pros and Cons
• Collaborating Community Nursing and Faith-Based Nursing
• Models of Nursing Care
• Social Media in Nursing Practice
• Alzheimer and Dementia Patients Nursing Care
• Cultural Competence in Nursing
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Nursing Intervention
• The Future of Nursing Education
• Theory of Interpersonal Nursing
• The Development of the Nursing Profession over the 1800s
• New Nursing Documentation System Implementation
• The Language Barrier in Nursing
• Nursing Care: Differentiated Practice Model and Patient Safety
• Quality of Nursing Care: Challenges and Difficulties
• Faculty Role in Curriculum Development: Tools for Nursing
• Pros and Cons of Mandatory Continuing Nursing Education
• Importance of the Middle-Range Theory in Nursing
• Palliative Care in Nursing
• Fay Abdella’s Twenty-One Nursing Problems Theory
• Preceptorship in Nursing and Career Development
• Virginia Henderson’s Theory Impact on Nursing
• Critique of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies in Nursing
• Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials Reflection
• Nursing Operating System, Its Types and Features
• Hospital Admissions in Nursing Homes
• ICARE Principles in Nursing
• Nine Tenets in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Theories Comparison: Hildegard Peplau` Theory and Ida Jean Orlando’s Deliberative Nursing Theory
• Learning Theories of Nursing Practice and Training
• Nursing Malpractice: Legal and Ethical Implications
• The Concept of Human Needs Theory in Nursing
• Nursing Definition: A Science, an Art, or Both?
• Imogene King’s Theory of Goal Attainment in Nursing
• Social Factors and Trends in Professional Nursing
• Madeleine Leininger’s Culture Care Theory in Nursing
• The Concept of Nursing Informatics
• Evidence-Based Practice and Its Effects on Nursing Practice and Patient Care
• Synthesis of Information for Nursing Practice
• The Problem in Nursing Workload
• Impaired Nurses in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge
• Applying Ethical Principles: Ethical Problems in Nursing Management
• Family Health and Nursing Process
• Nightingale’s Environmental Nursing Theory
• The Four Roles of Advanced Nursing Practice
• Comparison of Nursing Theories: Orem’s Self-Care Theory and the Neuman’s System Model
• Analysis of Orem’s Nursing Theory
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Nursing
• Betty Neuman’s Theory and Implementation in Nursing
• Integral Nursing Theory in Master’s Education
• Nursing Theoretical Frameworks: Joyce Travelbee’s Human-To-Human Relationship Model
• Readiness and Barriers to Change in Nursing
• Personal Nursing Philosophy and Theoretical Foundation
• Nursing Education and Practice
• Staffing Issues in Nursing
• Nursing: Research Questions and Hypotheses
• Bridging the Education-Practice Gap in Nursing
• Concept Comparison and Analysis across Nursing Theories
• Leadership Theories in Nursing Practice
• Clinical Reasoning in Nursing
• Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice
• Relational Practice: Reflections on Family Nursing
• Betty Smith Williams Reinventing the Theory and Practice of Nursing
• The Philosophy of Nursing Communication
• Nursing Professional Standards Among Newly Graduated Registered Nurses
• A Mental Health Nursing Social Interventions for Patients With Schizophrenia
• Tuberculosis: Desciption and Role of Nursing
• Nursing: Management Concept
• Nursing Process: Approach to Care
• Nursing Code and Ethical Practices
• Ethical Dilemma in Palliative Care Nursing
• The Nursing Tuition Reimbursement
• Collaboration and Leadership Reflection in Nursing
• Nursing History: Brief Overview
• Science-Based Theories in Nursing
• Using the Systems Theory in Solving Problems in Nursing
• F. Nightingale’s Environmental Nursing Theory
• Teamwork and Collaboration in Nursing
• Nursing Role in Care of Chronic Illness Patient
• Virginia Henderson as a Nursing Theorist
• Nursing: A Science or Art?
• Domestic Violence in Nursing
• Person, Health, Environment in Nursing Philosophy
• Scatter Plots’ Benefits in Nursing Research
• Blended Family History and Nursing Diagnoses
• The Family Health Assessment in the Nursing Practice
• Community Health Nursing: Family Health Assessment
• The Role of Cultural Competence in Nursing
• Exacerbation of Asthma and Nursing Management
• Implementation of the Roy Adaptation Model in Nursing Practice
• Preparing and Presenting Research Posters in Nursing
• Nursing Philosophy: Meta-Paradigms and Concepts
• Analysis of Nursing Theory Concept
• How to Develop an Effective Nursing Course Design
• The Use of Personal Digital Assistants in Nursing
• Nursing: Identifying a Problem
• Holistic Nursing Practice: Assessment and Management of Chronic Pain
• Nursing Job Application Form
• Community Health Nursing: Home Care
• Nursing Development: The Transition From a Student to Nurse
• How Research Impacts Nursing Practice
• AIDET Nursing Communication Framework
• Critical Analysis of “Nursing Pain Management”
• Problem-Solving Skills in Nursing
• The Use of Self-Transcendence Theory in Nursing
• Jean Watson’s Nursing as Caring Theory
• Johnson’s Behavioral System Model in Nursing
• Evidence-Based Practice Star Model in Nursing
• Holistic Approach to the Practice of Nursing
• Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing
• The Integration of Theory into Nursing Practice
• Ace Star Change Model in Nursing Development
• Law and Ethics in the Nursing Profession
• Madeleine Leininger’s Transcultural Nursing Theory
• Primary and Progressive Nursing Care Models
• Nursing Empowerment and Professional Expertise
• Nursing Legal and Ethical Issues Case
• Nursing Informatics Policy and Its Influence on Healthcare Delivery
• The Role of the Leadership in Nursing
• Reflection on Interpersonal Skills for Nursing Practice
• Chaos Change Theory in Nursing
• Nursing Interventions to Prevent Pressure Ulcers in Bedridden Residents
• Nursing Issues: How to Deal With Difficult Patients
• Presentation of Change Models in Carrying out Indication-Based Training in Nursing
• Ethical Decision-Making in Nursing
• Religion and Spirituality in Nursing
• Nursing-Quality Indicators and Their Role
• Application of Middle Range Theory to Problem in Nursing
• The Concept of Grief in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Image Petition: A Letter to the Editor
• Cultural Competence in Nursing: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement
• Professionalism and Professional Values in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Understaffing : PICOT Question
• Evidence-Based Practice, Paradigms, and Theories in Nursing
• Standards of Professional Performance in Nursing
• Nursing Course: Curriculum Design and Evaluation
• Marlaine Smith’s Nursing Theory of Unitary Caring
• Nursing Research Designs and Purposes
• Community Health Nursing and Occupational Safety
• Nursing Malpractice and Liability for Negligence
• Nursing Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflection
• Behaviorism and Cognitivism in Nursing Curriculum
• Guidance and Coaching in Nursing Care
• Professional Ethics in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Care Models
• Global Health Nursing Position Statement
• Nursing Concept of Pain
• Disaster Triage and Nursing Utilitarian Ethics
• Nuclear Family Health Assessment in Nursing
• Nursing in a Community Environment: Learning Plan
• Drug Safety Approach in Administration and Nursing
• Family-Focused Nursing and Community-Based Services
• Nursing Management for Patient Satisfaction
• Nursing Community Practice and Its Objectives
• Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery
• Arguments Favor and Against the Nightingale Pledge – Nursing
• Pathophysiology and Pathopharmacology in Nursing
• Leadership Competencies in Nursing
• The Importance of Delegation in Nursing
• The Nasogastric Tube Placement in Nursing
• The Person-Centered Care Nursing Framework Analysis
• Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: Plastic Surgery
• Middle Range Nursing Theories
• Strategic Planning: Nursing Shortage
• Transformational Leadership the Field of Nursing
• Nursing Research Methods Methodology
• Innovative Nursing Care Delivery Models: A Transitional Care Model
• Confidentiality in Nursing Practice
• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Nursing Practice
• Improvement of Nursing in Psychiatric Hospitals
• E-Learning and Its Advantages in Nursing Education
• Nursing Informatics: Professional Networking
• Socialization and Nursing Theories in Practice
• The Ethical Principles in Nursing Research
• Educational Practicum Experience in Nursing
• Pathophysiology in Nursing – Case Study
• The Link Between Culture and Nursing Practice
• Overcoming Communication Barriers in Nursing
• Professional Development of Nursing Professionals
• Professional Practice Scenario: Nursing
• Maintenance of Health and Nursing Intervention
• The Role of Nursing Metaparadigms in Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcers Patients
• High-Quality Nursing Care in the Nursing Home
• Effective Delegation in Nursing
• Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Its Application in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Research Designs and Applications
• The Concept of Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing
• Roles in Advanced Practice Nursing
• Unified Model of Patient Safety and Nursing Care
• Roy Adaptation Model for Nursing Care
• Nursing Degree and Its Benefits
• Patricia Sawyer Benner’s Nursing Theory
• Nursing Mission, Vision, and Personal Goals
• Nursing Philosophy and Conceptual Framework
• Nursing Teaching Exemplar: Risk Assessment
• Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
• Nursing Barriers and Overcoming Strategies
• Transtheoretical Model for Advanced Nursing Practice
• Nursing Assessment and Patient Interview
• Central Vision Loss: Nursing Diagnosis and Care Plan
• Nursing Care Models’ Analysis
• Role, Conflict, Social Exchange Theories in Nursing
• Older Adults Needs and Nursing Care: Learning Plan
• Watson’s Care Theory and Its Application in Nursing
• Liberal Education Background and Nursing Practice
• Conflict Management in Nursing Practice
• Falls Prevention: Hopkins’ Evidence-Based Nursing
• Dorothea Orem and the Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory
• Nursing Care Delivery Model
• 1st and 4th Tenets in the Nursing Code of Ethics
• Democratic Style of Leadership and Attributes of Leadership in Graduate Nursing
• Collaborative Model of Care in Nursing Communication
• The Nursing Carrier Concept Map
• Dying and Death From a Nursing Perspective
• The Impact of Advanced Practice Nursing in Healthcare
• Maintaining Cost Benefit Analysis in Nursing
• Nursing Assessment of Patient With Respiratory Disease
• Correctional Nursing Stress Theory of Adaptation and Resilience
• Telemedicine and Informatics in Nursing
• Information Technology Application in Nursing
• Project Management Tools in Nursing
• American Organization for Nursing Leadership
• Congestive Heart Failure: Nursing Diagnosis & Care Plan
• Nursing Leader and Manager as Different Roles
• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Studies in Evidence-Based Nursing Practice
• Transformational Leadership in Nursing
• Nursing Shortage: A Critical Discussion
• Nursing Theory: The Health Belief Model
• Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators
• Nursing: Low Middle-Range Theories
• Quantitative Studies on CAUTI in Nursing Homes
• Codes of Ethics, Nursing, and Professional Skills Development
• Continuous Professional Development in Contemporary Nursing Practice
• The Practice of Nursing Research: Drug Round Tabards
• Measurement Level in Nursing Practice
• “Towards an Alternative to Benner’s Theory of Expert Intuition in Nursing” Article by Gobet et al.
• Nursing Philosophies, Models, and Theories in Preventing Respiratory Complications
• Transformational Leadership Style in Geriatric Nursing
• Philosophy of Nursing Leadership: Transformational Leadership Philosophy
• Reflective Journal. Nursing Ethics
• Practical Nursing Skills: Guided Dialogue
• Second Life Program for Virtual Nursing Education
• Nursing: Curing & Healing
• Leadership Strategies for Conflict Management in Nursing
• Nursing: The Importance of Communication
• Human Disease Course Importance for Nursing Students
• Nursing and Florida State Action Coalition Future
• Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Nursing
• The Social Purpose of Nursing
• Nursing Students’ Attendance at Learning Activities
• Nursing Care Issue: Medication Error
• Professional Nursing Accountability and Ownership
• Nursing Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, Education
• Community Nursing Roles in Occupational Health Settings
• The Problem of Burnout in Nursing
• Pediatric Obesity and Self-Care Nursing Theory
• Advanced Nursing Practice and Related Roles
• Patient Safety and Nursing Satisfaction Project
• Collaborative Care Model in Nursing Practice
• Jean Watson’s Nursing Theory of Human Caring
• Impaired Skin Integrity: Nursing Diagnostics
• Health Law: Bill H.R. 2581 on Nursing Staffing
• Systems Theory in Nursing Department
• Nursing: Social, Political and Cultural Developments
• Perioperative Nursing and Patient-Centered Care
• Nursing as a Distinct Profession
• Ethic-of-Care and Ethic-of-Justice in Nursing Leadership
• Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Nursing
• Master’s Education in Nursing and Leadership Skills
• Chronic Kidney Disease Patient Nursing Care Plan
• Technologies Importance in Nursing Documentation
• Nursing Interventions for Smoking Cessation
• Lupus and Perioral Dermatitis in Nursing Care
• The Nursing Need Theory by Virginia Henderson
• Primary Nursing Care vs. Relationship-Based Care
• Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
• Nightingale Pledge Benefits and Limitations – Nursing
• Nursing Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Continuous Glucose Monitoring PICOT (Nursing) Project
• The Transformational Leadership in Nursing
• The PICOT (Evidence-Based) Format in Nursing Practice
• Telehealth Technologies in Nursing Practice
• Evidence-Based Medicine and Nursing
• Women in Nursing During American Civil War
• Genomics in Patient Assessment in Nursing
• Collaboration Problems in Nursing Practice
• The Nursing Shortage: Challenges and Possible Solutions
• Mandatory Drug Tests for Nursing Students
• Nursing Shortages and Effect on Patient Care Outcomes
• Examining Nursing Specialties
• Nursing: The IOWA Model
• The Field of Nursing Overview and Analysis
• Translating Research Findings to Nursing Practice
• Applying Theory to a Practice Problem in Nursing
• Theoretical Basis for Nursing
• Nursing Education Analysis
• Evidence-Based Nursing: A Review of Literature
• National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators
• Contract Law Case: Nursing Home vs. Paul
• Gender Effect on the Growth of Nursing as a Knowledge-Based Profession
• Nursing Care for Patients With Mental Illnesses
• Personal Philosophy of Nursing Reflection Paper
• Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing
• Ethical Concerns Related to Nursing Informatics
• Health Care Delivery Models and Nursing Practice
• Nursing Leadership and Management Styles Analysis
• Change as a Concept in Contemporary Nursing Practice
• Collaborative Nursing: Care by the Mental Health Professionals
• The Attributes of Critical Thinking in the Nursing Practice
• Nursing Course Reflection and Future Plans
• Nursing Skills and Behaviors Assessment
• Change Theories in Nursing
• From Novice to Expert: Nursing Theory
• The Highest Calling of Leadership in Nursing
• Importance of Effective Communication in Nursing
• Self-Care in Elderly as a Nursing Concern
• Pediatric Asthma Readmission: Nursing Study
• Childhood Obesity Prevention: The Role of Nursing Education
• Cuban Ancestry in Nursing Cultural Communication
• Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory
• Causes of Bullying in Nursing
• Teamwork and Conflict Management in Nursing
• Issues and Trends in Nursing
• The Future of Nursing
• Nursing Ratios and Nosomial Infections: Literature Review
• Roy’s Adaptation Model of Nursing
• Personal Nursing Philosophy and Benner’s Theory
• “Nursing Malpractice” Article by E. Croke
• Transcultural Nursing: Interview with a Russian Patient
• Introduction and Policy Involvement in Nursing
• Academic Integrity in Nursing Education: Is It Declining?
• Academic Integrity in a Nursing Program
• Abortion Nursing Care and Patient’s Rights
• Nursing: Cultural Theories and Conceptual Frameworks
• Nursing Research and Its Fundamentals
• Sleep Apnea and Nursing Management
• Nursing Care for the Elderly
• The Link Between Nursing Leadership and Cultural Diversity
• Master of Science in Nursing Program
• Nursing Industry’s Standards: Importance and Purposes
• Four Metaparadigms of Nursing
• Benner’s Nursing Theory “From Novice to Expert”
• Major Beliefs and Domains of Personal Nursing Philosophy
• Clinical-Driven Innovation in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Leadership: Plan of Action
• Nursing as a Science and Art Combination
• Nursing Metaparadigms and Practice-Specific Concepts
• Theory of Integral Nursing
• Ethical Issues and Strategies in Nursing Practice
• Importance of College Experience in Nursing Career
• Discharge Planning in Nursing Practice
• Randomized Control Trial in Nursing Research
• Patient Safety as Nursing Core Competency
• Nursing Theories in Adolescents Issues Treatment
• Evaluation and Appraisal of Aacn’s Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing
• Stress Influence in Emergency Nursing
• Transcultural Nursing and Hispanic Patient’s Outcomes
• The Role of Nursing on the Patient Health Improvement
• Patient Advocacy in Nursing Practice
• Compassionate Communication and Humanism in Nursing
• Good Leadership and Its Importance in Nursing
• Non-Verbal Communication in Mental Health Nursing
• Nursing: Aspects of Comfort Theory
• Advocating for Workplace Health and Safety in Nursing
• Evidence-Based Practice and the Nursing Shortage
• Nutrient Delivery: Adult Health Nursing
• Episodic or Focused SOAP (Nursing) Note on Rhinitis
• Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Need Theory
• Barriers to LGBT Health Care Access and Effective Nursing Interventions
• Nursing Theory and Practice
• Evidence-Based Nursing Case Study
• Nursing Professional’s Skills and Functions
• Mental Health Nursing, Interventions and Strategies
• Community Health Nursing Social Media Campaign
• Information Literacy in Advanced Nursing Practice
• Coordination and Continuum of Care in Nursing Homes
• Developing Your Identity and Role in Adult Nursing
• Social Justice in Nursing Practice
• Nurse Turnover as a Crucial Nursing-Sensitive Quality Indicator
• Quantitative and Qualitative Nursing Research
• Global and Local Evidence in Nursing
• Integrating Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
• Nursing Shortage and Mandatory Overtime
• Nursing Attitudes toward Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Pediatric Patients
• The Importance of Teaching in Nursing
• Theory Core Nursing Courses, Description, and Sample Syllabus
• The Use of Social Media in Nursing

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Nursing theories essay examples

Importance of Nursing Theory

Nursing theory was largely neglected after Florence Nightingale first defined nursing in 1860 with her writing of Notes on Nursing: What it is, What it is Not (Zborowsky, 2014). Nursing theory and models grew exponentially beginning in the 1950’s (McCrae, 2012). Early nurse theorists recognized the need to distinguish the profession from medicine and the traditional “handmaiden status”; the path to accomplish this is through theory by establishing nursing as a “thinking profession (McCrae, 2012) nursing theories essay examples. Continuing to develop nursing theory and define the nursing profession is what will protect and define nursing as a profession rather than a discipline.

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The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of nursing theory for the nursing profession, to discuss Kristen Swanson’s Theory of Caring, how this theory meets all four recognized relationships of the nursing metaparadigm and its application to the role of nurse practitioner.

Importance of Nursing Theory for the Nursing Profession

Nursing theory is essential to the profession of nursing on many levels. Theories help to define the discipline and play an important role in research and  concept development helping to discover more facets of nursing for research (Im and Chung, 2012). Generating theory consolidates the nursing profession and ensures new roles are created and founded on “critically appraised science base” (Power, 2016, p.42) Nursing is never static; roles are expanding providing care once done by doctors. Nursing theory ensures a close linkage to research making implementation at the practice level more practical as well as providing the evidence base needed for further theoretical development (Warelow, 2013). Theory is crucial in propelling the profession of nursing and to “protect and preserve the focus and clarity of nursing’s distinct contribution to health care” (Wilson et al. 2015, p.146). In today’s multidisciplinary setting of healthcare, the nursing profession continues to strive to define and maintain its professional boundaries as well as expand its body of knowledge (Warelow, 2013).

The study of nursing theory aids in application of theory to everyday practice and patient/client interactions. Through study of nursing theory, graduate students reflect upon experiences from their practice and how application of theory aided in treatment of patients or how the lack of knowledge in theory hindered the person-nurse relationship. According to Hatlevik (2011), the teaching of nursing student in using reflective skills directly influences coherence of theoretical knowledge to practice.

Swanson’s Theory of Caring

Kristen Swanson first introduced the Theory of Caring with the introduction of Five Caring Processes in 1991 with the publishing Empirical Development of a Middle Range Theory of Caring , later expanding and reorganizing the caring processes in 1993 and 1998 (Wands, 2011;  Amendolair,2012). The five caring processes identified are maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling.

The process of maintaining belief is a “fundamental belief in persons and their capacity to make it through events and transitions and face a future with meaning” (Wands, 2011 p.182). Nurses who maintain belief in their patients help patients find belief in themselves that they can get through whatever circumstance, by offering hope to them. “Knowing is the anchor that moors the beliefs of nursing/nursing to the lived realities of those served (Swanson, 1991, p.164)” (Amendolair, 2012, p.15). Knowing is learning and attempting to understand events and how they affect the person (Wands, 2011). Swanson’s third caring process is being with;  be with the patient, giving time to the patient and offering presence. Offering of one’s self and time conveys a message to the patient that they matter (Wands, 2011). Preserving life and dignity through caring actions is the fourth process of doing for (Amendolair, 2012). Doing for is not just the action, but predicting what the person would do if they could do it for themselves. Lastly, Swanson defines enabling as “to facilitate the other’s capacity to grow, heal, and/or practice self-care (p.164)” (Wands, 2011, p.184). Enabling equips the patients with the tools and empowerment to care and provide for themselves. These processes provide the foundation of Swanson’s Theory of Caring as well as the research of caring (Wands, 2011).

Theory of Caring and the Nursing Metaparadigm

The widely accepted metaparadigm concepts introduced by Fawcett are person, nurse, environment, and health (Alimohammadi, Taleghani, Mohammadi & Akbarian, 2014). Swanson’s five processes presented in the theory of caring meets all facets of the metaparadigm; person and health, person and environment, health and nurse, and person, environment and health. Maintaining belief and being with fulfills the person-environment-health metaparadigm, knowing is the person-environment, health-nurse can easily be related to doing for, and enabling fulfills the person-health concept of Fawcett’s nursing metaparadigm.

Maintaining belief and being with is a fundamental process in the person-environment-health relationship. Maintaining belief in the person is to encourage and give hope that the person can and will transition out of the current situation (Amendolair, 2012). Being with is arguably the most misunderstood process for nurses but is the most important (Wands, 2011). Spending one-on-one time by being emotionally present with the patient builds a trusting relationship encouraging the patient and nurse’s reception and giving of information from the other (Wands, 2011). These concepts lend to the metaparadigm by acknowledging the person, establishing trust, providing hope and being emotionally present helping to enhance the interaction the nurse has with the person-health-environment. These two processes are holistic in nature by maintaining belief and being with recognizing the person as a whole and all the facets of; the person, their health and their environment. This relationship is always interacting; one affects the other and so on.

Knowing is learning and appreciating the lived experiences of the patient. Knowing relates to the person-environment through subcategories Swanson describes in 1998. These subcategories are avoiding making assumptions, thoroughly assessing, seeking cues, centering on the person who is receiving care and engaging personhood (Wands, 2011). Avoiding assumptions relies on the nurse to have a good understanding of self and their own beliefs as to not make assumptions of the person but rather “knowing the other from place of meaning and deliberate intention” (Wands, 2011). The nurse needs to thoroughly assess and seek cues that can help the nurse understand the person-environment relationship. How does the patient present? Does the body language match verbal cues? These are just a sample that can lead the nurse to examine deeper the person-environment metaparadigm and understand the patient and their life events. Through this investigation and knowing, the nurse can better understand how to empower the patient to manipulate the environment to meet their immediate health and wellness needs.

Doing for is the most recognized process by nurses (Wands, 2011). The health and nurse metaparadigm is relatable in the process of doing for. This is the tasks of nursing, the act of doing for the patient when they cannot do it for themselves leading to a better state of health. Doing for requires more than just technical skills, it requires experience and scientific evidence-based knowledge to support the decisions and actions taken. “Care that is, doing for is comforting, anticipatory, protective of the other’s needs, and performed competently and skillfully (Swanson, 1991, p.164)” (Wands, 2011).

Enabling as defined by Swanson is empowering the patient to cope with their illness by teaching, explaining, supporting, and providing feedback about the illness in turn enabling them to make decisions about their care (Amendolair, 2012). The person is then educated about resources and empowered to make changes that are necessary to improve health and promote wellness. Empowerment through enabling supports the person and helps them find meaning and strength to move forward with their decisions, no matter what that decision may be.

Caring, being the central phenomena of nursing, is supported by Swanson’s theory of caring (Ahern, Corless, Davis & Kwong, 2011). Theory can feel abstract and not easily translated to practice, leading to practitioners to experience a disconnect from caring science theory and caring practice (Ranheim, Karner & Bertero, 2012). Swanson’s theory of caring, being a middle-range theory, lends itself to easy implementation and application to the interaction of nurse practitioners and their patients.

Application of Swanson’s Theory of Caring for Nurse Practitioners

Understanding caring as the central phenomena of nursing is an integral part of becoming a successful nurse practitioner. By using Swanson’s five caring processes a nurse practitioner (NP) practices patient-centered care. Patient-centered care ultimately enables and empowers the patient to make necessary decisions and actions that will promote well-being. Establishing a trusting, respectful relationship through maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling is an important part of the patient-NP relationship. The NP-patient relationship is characterized by the willingness of NPs to talk with patients and to attentively listen(knowing and being with) to create treatment regimens (doing for) while providing teaching and health promotion (enabling) all the while maintaining belief in the patient.

In my own professional experience I have used the five processes of Swanson’s theory of caring. In 2004, I was the nurse taking care of a new mother that had suffered with HELLP that ultimately led to fetal demise. She was transferred into our ICU after the birth of her stillborn baby. Knowing I had recently experienced this myself, I was assigned to the mother. I could connect with her in ways others felt they could not. I was able to offer her and her family hope through maintaining belief that she will get through this. Knowing her by learning what her fears were, her dreams for the baby were and what she wanted in the future. Being with was simply holding her hand or a hug and crying with her. Doing for her the things she could not at the time due to IV lines and weakness. Enabling her, by providing resources to help with child loss and grief and a journal to express her anger, sadness, and hopelessness. Through all of this, I was able to help her not bring closure, as I believe there is no closure when losing a child, but I rather equipped her with tools to help her to try to make sense of what happened.

Ahern et al. (2011) cared for a 38-year old Caribbean woman that had undergone several invasive and diagnostic procedures relating to a neoplasia. While suffering depression and the recent loss of her parents, she received a diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia. After missing two appointments she arrived at the clinic and expressed her fears and anxiety related to the diagnosis and pain of the procedure. The procedure was explained in depth to her hoping to ease her fears. Unfortunately, she was unable to finish the procedure. The authors surmise that if a holistic advanced nurse practice model had been utilized, there may potentially been a different clinical outcome. Swanson’s theory of caring and its five care processes: maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling became part of the clinics holistic approach for their advanced practice nurse model.

Theory can feel abstract and not easily applied to everyday practice. The graduate prepared nurse offers patients care through full understanding of theory and its implications in caring for the person. McCrae (2012) states the ability to generate and apply theory is what lends to a legitimate profession. Swanson’s theory of caring, being middle-range, is evidence based through interactions of patients and professional nurses. Offering empirical evidence, in today’s evidence-based health care system her theory lends itself to easy application.  “Theory is central in developing nursing knowledge and to asserting nursing as a professional occupation” (Power,2016, p.45).

Nurse practitioners implement caring theory by maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling resulting in a holistic approach to patient-centered care. Upon reflection and examination of the five processes of Swanson’s theory of caring and the nursing metaparadigm, the author acknowledges that all five processes are related to each of the four metaparadigms. Not unlike the nursing metaparadigm, all five processes build upon each other; no process is independent of the other.

Ahern, R. L., Corless, I. B., Davis, S. M., & Kwong, J. J. (2011). Infusing Swanson’s Theory of caring into an advanced practice nursing model for an infectious diseases anal dysplasia clinic. The Journal Of The Association Of Nurses In AIDS Care: JANAC , 22 (6), 478-488. doi:10.1016/j.jana.2011.06.010

Alimohammadi,N., Taleghani, F., Mohammadi,E., & Akbarian,R. (2014). The nursing metaparadigm concept of human being in Islamic thought. Nursing Inquiry 21 (2), 121-129. doi:10.1111/nin.12040

Amendolair, D. (2012). Caring model: putting research into practice. International Journal for Human Caring 16 (4), 14-21.

Im, E. & Chang, S.J. (2012). Current trends in nursing theories. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 44 (2), 156-164. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2012.01440.x

Hatlevik, I.K.R. (2011). The theory-practice relationship: reflective skills and theoretical knowledge as key factors in bridging the gap between theory and practice in initial nursing education. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68 (4), 868-877. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05789.x

McCrae,N. (2012). Whither nursing models? The value of nursing theory in the context of evidence-based practice and multidisciplinary health care. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68 (1), 222-229. doi:10.11111/j.1365-2648.2011.05821.x

Power, L. (2016). Nursing theory and the delivery of compassionate care. Nursing Standard 30 (24), 41-46.

Ranheim, A., Karner, A. & Bertero, C. (2012). Caring theory and practice-entering a simultaneous concept analysis. Nursing Forum 47 (2), 78-90. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2012.00263.x

Wands, L.M. (2011). Caring for veterans returning home from middle eastern wars. Nursing Science Quarterly 24 (2), 180-186. doi:10.1177/0894318411399450

Warelow, P.J. (2013). Changing philosophies: a paradigmatic nursing shift from Nightingale. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing 31 (1), 36-45.

Wilson, R., Godfrey, C.M., Sears, K., Medves, J., Ross-White, A. & Lambert, N. (2015). Exploring conceptual and theoretical frameworks for nurse practitioner education: a scoping review protocol. JBI Database of Systemic Reviews and Implementation Reports . 13 (10), 146-155. doi:10.11124/jbisrir-2015-2150

Zborowsky, T. (2014). The legacy of Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory: nursing research focusing on the impact of healthcare environments. Health Environments Research and Design Journal 7 (4), 19-34.

Grand Theorist Report

There are many grand nursing theories that have helped to set the foundation for the nursing profession. Faye Abdellah was one of the first pioneers for shaping nursing as a profession using her framework for Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing. Abdellah’s theory is easy to apply to nursing practice in a healthcare institution because her framework is readable and clear (McEwen & Wills, 2014). In addition, another rationale for implementing her theory into practice at a healthcare institution is the fact that it clearly addresses the four metaparadigms—person, environment, health, and nursing. In this paper, we will discuss the theorist Faye Abdellah, her theory on Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing, and how this theory can be integrated into practice at a healthcare institution.

Description of Theorist

Faye Abdellah was born in New York City on March 13, 1919. Abdellah decided at a very young age she wanted to pursue a career in nursing. She received her original certification in nursing from Fitkin Memorial Hospital. She continued her study of nursing at Columbia University getting her BA in Nursing along with her doctorate degree, which focused on psychology and education (Dewey, 2016).

Abdellah was highly influential in the profession of nursing. She was the Chief Nursing Officer and Deputy United States Surgeon General until 1993, and she was ranked as a Rear Admiral. She retired in 2000 from her last position as Dean of the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniform Services University of Health Sciences (McEwen & Wills, 2014). As a whole, throughout her career Abdellah received many academic honors for her achievements in nursing. Her main focus was to reshape nursing as a profession by encouraging nurses to look past a physical illness or diagnosis and see “patients as people with a complex of emotional and psychological needs” (Dewey, 2016, n.p.). Clearly, this concept of looking at patients as more complex beings significantly helped to influence and shape her Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing.

Category of Theory

Abdellah’s Patient Centered Approaches to Nursing is considered a grand nursing theory that is based on human needs. She believed that patients should be seen as ‘people’ who have individual unique needs that require personalized care from nurses. Furthermore, Abdellah developed her theory based on how she practiced while providing care to patients—which is what helps to make the theory highly applicable. McEwen & Wills (2014) further explain that Abdellah’s theory is applicable not only in the hospital setting, but also in the community setting.

Assumptions Underlying the Theory

Abdellah’s original theory did not have any stated assumptions; however, as time passed she did add the following six assumptions related to: 1) change and anticipated changes that impact the nursing profession, 2) the importance of how social enterprises and social problems are related, 3) how poverty, racism, pollution, education, etc. impact health and health care delivery, 4) changes in nursing education, 5) continuing education for nurses, and 6) development of nursing leaders (McEwen & Wills, 2014).

In addition, it is important to clearly define the metaparadigm concepts/assumptions underlying the theory as well. Abdellah’s Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing is all encompassing, and the metaparadigms addressed in the theory are related to person, environment, health, and nursing.

Person is defined as the patient needing care. McEwen & Wills (2014) explain that Abdellah’s theory views the patient as the “individual who needs nursing care and who is dependent on the health care provider” (p. 141). When using Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing, it is important to know that Abdellah emphasized the significance of individualized care and knowing the person’s needs.

• Environment

When using Abdellah’s theory, it is important to know that the environment from the patient’s standpoint is interconnected to include not only the physical environment, but also external factors that impact the patient such as social problems, poverty, racism, etc. These are all factors within the environment that affect the health of patients and how they approach health care delivery (McEwen & Wills, 2014).

Health can be viewed as a better state of being. The purpose of Abdellah’s theory is to identify problems that are negatively impacting patients and eliminating these problems. Later we will discuss Abdellah’s 21 Nursing Problems and nursing’s responsibility to identify these problems.

Nursing is considered “a service to individuals and families to society, which helps people cope with their health needs” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p. 141). Nursing is expected to identify nursing problems and work collaboratively with the healthcare team to ensure that patients get desired outcomes.

Major Concepts of the Theory

The major concepts related to Abdellah’s theory involve using ten steps to identify and develop treatment to nursing problems related to patients. Abdellah explains that there are 21 basic nursing problems related to patients, and it is important for nurses to know these identified nursing problems so they can use them while trying to identify what needs to be the plan of care. Below is an abbreviated version of Abdellah’s 21 Nursing Problems.

Abdellah’s 21 Nursing Problems

(McEwen & Wills, 2014)

Clearly, it is very important to know the 21 Nursing Problems because these are the problems nurses must link to their findings while using the ten steps for identification and development of a nursing care plan. The ten steps build upon each other from learning about the basics of a patient, then getting more specific to identify the exact nursing problem(s) that need to be addressed. Below are the ten steps that nurses must follow to successfully develop a plan of care and reach expected patient outcomes.

Ten Nursing Skills to Identifying Problems & Developing a Treatment Plan

Understanding how to use the 21 Nursing Problems along with the Ten Nursing Skills is important for nurses to grasp in order to see the full potential of this nursing theory for patients. Each of the Ten Nursing Skills needs to be followed so nurses can individualize care plans and work collaboratively with the patient and family to improve the patient’s state of health.

Major Propositions

The major proposition of Abdellah’s theory focuses on looking at the patient as a human being, not an illness.  While her theory touches on many factors, it primarily focuses on patient centered care (McEwen & Willis, 2014).  Due to its broad nature, it is testable in principle such as patient satisfaction and nursing care.

How has it been used?

In the past, Abdellah’s theory has been used in nursing education and nursing research.  In nursing education, her theory has been used to organize lectures and curricula by categorizing nursing problems based on the patient’s needs and developing a classification of nursing skills and treatment (McEwen & Willis, 2014).  Abdellah’s nursing theory has also been used in research such as patient-centered approach to nursing, evolution of nursing, perspectives on nursing theory, public policy impacting on nursing care of older adults, and preparing nursing research for the 21 st century to name a few (McEwen & Willis, 2014).

Action Plan

It would behoove this institution to adopt Abdellah’s theory as a foundation of practice.  The following action plan could be used as daily practice for all nurses to not only hone their critical thinking skills, but to also give more person centered care (PCC).  PCC is important and has been a focus for many healthcare institutions for years.  In 1969, Edith Balint described person centered care as “understanding the patient as a unique human being” (Santana et al., 2017, p. 430).  Many healthcare systems are adopting a PCC to help gauge high quality care.

This action plan would focus around the Person-Centered Nursing (PCN) Framework developed by McCormack and McCance.  The PCN Framework comes from research focusing on PCC with older people and the experience of caring in nursing (McCance, McCormack, & Dewing, 2011).  The PCN Framework is comprised of four steps.

The first is prerequisites, which focuses on the professional competence of the nurse and his or her commitment to their job.  The nurse needs to be able to demonstrate their beliefs and values and know himself or herself before they can move on.  The second step is the care environment.  This includes if the nurse and the service line are an appropriate fit, making sure the nurse is equipped with the skills and the knowledge to take care of patients.  It is important that the heath care system is organized and can offer a supportive system for its employees so that they can safely deliver patient care and have effective relationships with one another.  Third is person-centered process, which can be thought of as one of the most important steps.  This step includes care that is focused on cultural competence, employee and patient engagement, staff being present, and providing holistic care.  The fourth and final step is outcomes.  This is known as the central component of the PCN Framework and where we can tie it all together.  This includes patient and nurse satisfaction, feeling of well being, and obtaining a therapeutic work environment (McCance et al., 2011).

Integration

A PCC Team would need to come together to develop current data within their hospital.  Data would include patient satisfaction scores, nurse satisfaction scores, readmission rates, and a basis of patient-centered care knowledge among nurses by developing a questionnaire for them to fill out.  The PCC Team would them form a class for all currently employed nurses with an in depth explanation of the PCN Framework and what each step includes.  Role-playing and case studies could be used in order to help staff put PCC into play in a practice setting.  This portion would be integral to the roll out of PCC because it helps nurses to see the importance of person-centered care within their own healthcare setting and would help them to deliver higher quality care (McCance et al., 2011).  Once staff is completely trained, leaders will be able to put the PCN Framework into action.  According to McCance et al.,  “using the Framework ‘in action’ within the workplace as a tool to evaluate care during handovers or during analysis of critical events, both positive or negative; and using the Framework to assess the experience of patients being cared for in each site” (para. 17) we can evaluate the outcomes listed previously: patient satisfaction scores, nurse satisfaction scores, and readmission rates.  It would be important to reevaluate the nurses after one year with the same questionnaire that was handed out at the beginning of the PCN Framework roll out.  The PCC Team would be able to assess their effectiveness in delivering the information and the data from the satisfaction scores and readmission rates would give them the ability to verify how well the PCN Framework works.

After data is collected, the PCC Team would move forward in presenting the information to all new hire nurses and developing a curriculum for preceptors to be able to teach the PCN Framework and to help to develop new nurses within it.  It would be important to continue with the PCC knowledge questionnaire so the PCC Team can continue to evaluate the efficiency of their team.  After one year of new hire education, the team will then collect satisfaction scores and readmission rates to submit to the Board of Directors for the healthcare institution so that the PCN Framework can be presented as a standard of practice in all hospitals within the healthcare institution.

In conclusion, health care costs are rising at an exponential level and due to this rise; patients and their insurance companies are expecting higher-grade care.  Nursing as profession needs to move towards a more patient centered approach.  Without this approach, nursing is just assumed to be medicine and patients will continue to feel that they have no place in their care team.  Currently, patients are being told what medications they should take, when they should take it, and who will be overseeing their care.  In order to reduce readmission rates and subsequently cut costs, patients need to have ample say in their treatment plan and should be able to have open conversations with their caregivers about how they feel about their illness and their plan of care.  If they feel their nurses are competent in their skills and that they truly care about their wellbeing, patients will feel safer and more willing to speak up when they do not understand something and will trust in their care plan to continue it after discharge, thus reducing their risk of readmission.

Dewey, J. P. (2016). Faye Abdellah. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia . Retrieved from

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=b8238afd-f12d-4800-89ca-ff4e2c58d36d%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzL

WxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=113931050&db=ers

McCance, T., McCormack, B., & Dewing, J. (2011, May 2). An exploration of person-centeredness in practice. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 16 . http://dx.doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol16No02Man01

McEwen, M., & Willis, E. M. (2014). Theoretical Basis for Nursing (4 ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Santana, M. J., Manalili, K., Jolley, R. J., Zelinsky, S., Quan, H., & Lu, M. (2017, September 30). How to practice person-centred care: A conceptual framework. Health Expectations , 429-440. http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/hex.12640

Abraham Maslow

Maslow focused his theory of motivation on the hierarchy of human needs (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). The hierarchy of human needs is divided into two different categories: deficiency needs and growth needs. Deficiency needs or basic needs, are the needs at the bottom of the pyramid, these needs must be met before it becomes possible for a person to move into the growth area (Buskirk-Cohen, April 24, 2012). Growth needs or Meta needs, are the higher needs, these needs may emerge once the basic needs are met (Buskirk-Cohen, April 24, 2012).   The hierarchy of needs is then broken down into five subcategories: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011).

Physiological needs are the most basic cluster of needs in the hierarchy of needs; this includes the needs for water, food, oxygen, sleep, elimination, and sex (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). Safety needs are the second cluster of needs in the hierarchy of needs; these needs include the need for order, security, and predictability (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). Belongingness and love needs are the third cluster of needs in the hierarchy of needs; these needs include the needs for affiliation with others and for the feeling of being loved (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). Esteem needs are the fourth cluster of needs in the hierarchy of needs; these needs include the need for status, prestige, competence, and confidence (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). The last cluster in the hierarchy of needs is the self- actualization, this is the highest level which can only be reached if the preceding need levels have been met; the self-actualizing individual operates at full capacity and is B-motivated rather than D-motivated (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011). A D-motivated, or deficiency motivation, person is a person that is influenced by the absence of the things such as food, love, or esteem; these people are characterized as people who are not self-actualizing (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011).  B-motivated people are people who have met the level of self-actualization; these people include values such as truth, goodness, beauty, justice, and perfection (Hergenhahn & Olson, 2011).

According to the personality theories workbook, Cindy was malnourished baby, she did not receive much love when she was a baby, and her living conditions were not the safest in the world. Cindy’s pediatrician noticed that Cindy was not the correct weight during her first checkup, babies are usually supposed to lose some weight when they stay in the hospital and then they are supposed to regain that weight and sometimes more by the time they are two weeks old (Ashcraft, 2009). But the pediatrician noticed that four week old Cindy did not gain additional weight after leaving the hospital (Ashcraft, 2009). Noticing these things about Cindy, she obviously was not meeting the first need of physiological need of being fed and being taken care of.

Children and Youth Services were then called and Cindy was put into a foster home. The foster home she was placed into did not really care for Cindy either; they were in it for the compensation checks (Ashcraft, 2009). The foster parent’s showed her little affection, never holding her and never talking to her (Ashcraft, 2009). At age twelve months, Cindy would cringe as someone’s touch, having gotten very little during her first year of life; she barely got any interaction with people and she had a lack of love from her biological family and her foster parents (Ashcraft, 2009).

When Cindy lived with her mom, she had a very unstable life. Cindy was around drugs because her mom was a drug addict; her mom did not have a home for the two of them to live in so they went from house to house (Ashcraft, 2009). Cindy would be taken to the pediatrician by her grandmother, who was sickly and elderly, one time Cindy was so dehydrated to the point that she was in medical danger (Ashcraft, 2009). This is an example of Cindy not meeting the safety needs in the hierarchy of needs.

After the year of going through all of that, the caseworker put Cindy into a foster family that was loving, caring, lived in a nice neighborhood, and loved Cindy. Cindy was at first hesitant about them because she was never given that much attention, but the foster family understood what she went through and took everything slow until Cindy was ready for the affection that they were willing to give her. She then met the three basic needs of physiological needs, safety needs, and belongingness and love needs. Cindy is now a happy and confident four year old that lives with this family.

Ashcraft, D. (2009). Personality theories workbook. (5 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Biskirk-Cohen, Allison. April 17, 2012.

Hergenhahn, B.R., & Olson, M.H. (2011). An introduction to theories of personality. (8

Nursing Theories and Theorists

What are nursing theories.

Nursing theories  are organized bodies of knowledge to define what nursing is, what nurses do, and why do 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 the practice of nursing 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.

Defining Terms

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

• Philosophy.  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 thinking behind the theory 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 . Domain is the perspective or territory of a profession or discipline.
• Process.  Processes are a series of 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.

History of Nursing Theories

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 environment of the patient 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 puts emphasis on 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” that 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 the professional function of nursing 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  states 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 states 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 who strives to 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

There are four major concepts that 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 surrounds 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 attributes, characteristics, and actions of the nurse providing 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 in accordance with their orientation, nursing experience, and different factors that affect the theorist’s view of nursing. 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 a set of 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 responses 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 independent of a specific time or place.
• Concrete Concepts . Are directly experienced and related to a particular time or place.

Definitions

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

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

Assumptions

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

Why are Nursing Theories Important?

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 it 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 providing a definition of nursing, nursing theory also helps nurses to 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, helps generate further knowledge, and indicate in 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 values in nursing, thus further defining nursing and increasing knowledge base.
• Nursing theories aim to define, predict, and demonstrate the phenomenon of nursing (Chinn and Jacobs, 1978).
• It can be regarded as an attempt by the nursing profession to maintain and preserve its professional limits and boundaries.
• In many cases, nursing theories guide knowledge development and directs education, research, and practice although each influence the others. (Fitzpatrick and Whall, 2005).

Purposes of Nursing Theories

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

In Academic Discipline

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. The unique language in these models 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 to enhance the status of the profession.

In Research

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 the societal duties and responsibilities, there need 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.

In Profession

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, the introduction of 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 Nursing Theories

• Grand theories are abstract, broad in scope, and complex, therefore requiring further research for clarification.
• Grand nursing theories do not provide guidance for specific nursing interventions but rather provide a general framework and ideas about nursing.
• Grand nursing theorists develop their works based on their own experiences and the time they were living explaining why there is so much variation among theories.
• Address the nursing metaparadigm components of person, nursing, health, and environment.

Middle-Range Nursing Theories

• More limited in scope (as compared to grand theories) and present concepts and propositions at a lower level of abstraction. They address a specific phenomenon in nursing nursing theories essay examples.
• Due to the difficulty of testing grand theories, nursing scholars proposed using this level of theory.
• Most middle-range theories are based on the works of a grand theorist but they can be conceived from research, nursing practice, or the theories of other disciplines.

Practice-Level Nursing Theories

• 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 as compared to more abstract theories.
• These theories are interrelated with concepts from middle-range theories or grand theories. nursing theories essay examples.

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. nursing theories essay examples.
• There are two types of descriptive theories:  factor-isolating theory  and  explanatory theory .

Factor-Isolating Theory

• Also known as category-formulating or labeling theory.
• Theories under this category describe the properties and dimensions of phenomena.

Explanatory Theory

• Explanatory theories describe and explain the nature of relationships of certain phenomena to other phenomena.

Prescriptive Theories

• 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.

Other Ways of Classifying Nursing Theories

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  nursing theories essay examples.
• Interaction Theories.  These theories placed the emphasis of nursing on the establishment and maintenance of relationships and highlight 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 by using their knowledge of the human physiological and behavioral systems. 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 . 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 . 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 nursing theories essay examples.
• Middle-Range Theories.  Are precise and answer specific nursing practice questions. They address the specifics of nursing situations within the perspective of the model 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 purpose in generating a knowledge base for nursing. In this section, we’ll 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.

Florence Nightingale

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 selectiozn 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 nursing theories essay examples.

Hildegard E. Peplau

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 especially 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.
• Helps nurses and healthcare providers develop more therapeutic interventions in the clinical setting.

Virginia Henderson

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 result of the nurse’s creativity in planning for care.” nursing theories essay examples.

Faye Glenn Abdellah

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 the care of 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.

Ernestine Wiedenbach

• 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 nursing theories essay examples.

Lydia E. Hall

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

• Developed the  Care, Cure, Core Theory  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 that will facilitate the development of the core.
• The “care” circle defines the primary role of a professional nurse such as providing bodily care for the patient. The “core” is the patient receiving nursing care. The “cure” is the aspect of nursing which involves the administration of medications and treatments.

Joyce Travelbee

• 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.

Kathryn E. Barnard

• 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 nursing theories essay examples.
• 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.

Evelyn Adam

• Focuses on the development of models and theories on the concept of nursing.
• Includes the goal of the profession, 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.

Nancy Roper, Winifred Logan, and Alison J. Tierney

• 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.

Ida Jean Orlando

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 have an 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.

Jean Watson

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 on 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 nursing theories essay examples.
• Presents a different view of how health care organizations and nursing phenomena interrelate as wholes and parts in the system.

Patricia Benner

• 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 during a time when nurses are rewarded more for efficiency, technical skills, and measurable outcome.
• States that caring practices are instilled with knowledge and skill regarding everyday human needs.

Kari Martinsen

• Philosophy of Caring
• “Nursing is founded on caring for life, on neighborly love, […]At the same time, it is necessary that the nurse is professionally educated.”
• Human beings are created and are beings for whom we may have administrative responsibility.
• Caring, solidarity, and moral practice are unavoidable realities.

Katie Eriksson

• 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 as the basis of research, education, and clinical practice. nursing theories essay examples.

Myra Estrin Levine

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, is externally and internally consistent, has breadth as well as depth, and is understood, with few exceptions, by professionals and consumers of health care.

Martha E. Rogers

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 the science of nursing creatively to help better the life of the patient.
• A patient can’t be separated from his or her environment when addressing health and treatment.

Dorothea E. Orem

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 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.

Imogene M. King

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 the goals towards good health.
• Explains that the nurse and patient go hand-in-hand in communicating information, set goals together, and then take actions to achieve those goals. nursing theories essay examples.

Betty Neuman

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) and is conceptualized as an inner core (basic energy resources) surrounded by concentric circles that include lines of resistance, a normal line of defense, and a flexible line of defense.

Sister Callista Roy

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 promotion of health for individuals, families, groups, and society as a whole.”
• Views the individual as a set of interrelated systems who strives to maintain balance between various stimuli.
• Inspired the development of many middle-range nursing theories and of adaptation instruments.

Dorothy E. Johnson

See Also:  Dorothy E. Johnson: Behavioral Systems Model

• The  Behavioral System Model  defined Nursing as “an external regulatory force which acts to preserve the organization and integration of 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 the fostering of 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.

Anne Boykin and Savina O. Schoenhofer

• 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.
• The focus and aim of nursing as a discipline of knowledge and a professional service is “nurturing persons living caring 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.”

Afaf Ibrahim Meleis

• Transitions Theory
• Began with observations of experiences faced as people deal with changes related to health, well-being, and 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 nursing theories essay examples.

Nola J. Pender

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 environment in health promotion.
• 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.

Madeleine M. Leininger

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 with the goal of providing 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 with regard to nursing and health-illness caring practices, beliefs, and values with the intention to implement significant and efficient nursing care services to people according to their cultural values and health-illness context nursing theories essay examples.
• Focuses on the fact that various cultures have different and unique caring behaviors and different health and illness values, beliefs, and patterns of behaviors.

Margaret A. Newman

• 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.

Rosemarie Rizzo Parse

• 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 are inseparable, and that nursing is a human science and art that uses an abstract body of knowledge to help people.
• Centered around three themes: meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence.

Helen C. Erickson, Evelyn M. Tomlin, and Mary Ann P. Swain

• 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.

Gladys L. Husted and James H. Husted

• 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 nonaggression among rational people that forms the foundation of all human interaction.

Ramona T. Mercer

• 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 in which the mother becomes attached to her infant, acquires competence in the caretaking tasks involved in the role, and expresses pleasure and gratification in the role. (Mercer, 1986) nursing theories essay examples.
• Provides proper health care interventions for nontraditional mothers in order for them to favorably adopt a strong maternal identity.

Merle H. Mishel

• Uncertainty in Illness Theory
• Presents a comprehensive structure within which to view the experience of acute and chronic illness and to 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.

Pamela G. Reed

• 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.

Carolyn L. Wiener and Marylin J. Dodd

• 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 a 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 the organization of care nursing theories essay examples.

Georgene Gaskill Eakes, Mary Lermann Burke, and Margaret A. Hainsworth

• 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.

Phil Barker

• Barker’s Tidal Model of Mental Health Recovery  is widely used in mental health nursing.
• Focuses on the fundamental care processes of nursing, 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 moment 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.

Katharine Kolcaba

• 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. In addition, 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.

Cheryl Tatano Beck

• 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.

Kristen M. Swanson

• 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.

Cornelia M. Ruland and Shirley M. Moore

• 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.

Leading Educational Theories in Nursing

Nursing theories can be applied to many different circumstances. However, the leading nursing programs, including the program at Duquesne University, incorporate the grand theories into the master’s in nursing curriculum. Grand theories are considered the theoretical framework that supports the principles and key concepts of nursing.

Self-Care Nursing Theory

Introduced by Dorothea Orem, the Self-Care Nursing Theory (also known as the Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory) focuses on the nurses’ role in supporting the patients’ ability to be self-sufficient and responsible for their own care. The theory is based on the idea that people must be knowledgeable about their health problems to provide adequate self care. The theory is made up of three interconnected theories: the theory of self-care, the theory of self-care deficit and the theory of nursing systems.

Orem said she based her theory on her practice as a nurse and contemporary nursing literature and thought. During her career, she published several books that explored and expanded her theory, including  Guides for Developing Curricula for the Education of Practical Nurses  and  Nursing: Concepts of Practice .

Culture Care Theory

As a nurse, Madeleine Leininger recognized a lack of cultural and care knowledge as a missing component in nursing and patient care. From her experiences, she developed transcultural nursing and the Cultural Care Theory to study and explain the outcomes of transcultural nursing.

Leininger’s theory is focused on providing care that is in harmony with a patient’s cultural beliefs, practices and values. In the 1960s, she coined the phrase “culturally congruent care,” which is the primary goal of transcultural nursing. Some of the basic tenets of transcultural nursing include an understanding of the following:

• Cultural care diversity and universality, which refers to the differences and commonalities between different cultures.
• Cultural and social structure dimensions, which includes factors that include religion, social structures and economics that set cultures apart. nursing theories essay examples.
• Cultural care preservation or maintenance, which relates to nursing care activities that help specific cultures to retain the core cultural values related to healthcare.

Humanistic Nursing Theory

Also called the holistic approach, the Humanistic Theory looks to meld mental and emotional health with physical health. The theory is based on the idea that patients grow in healthy and creative ways. This approach to nursing, created by APRNs Josephine Paterson and Loretta Zderad, looks at each patient as an individual who needs personalized care.

Paterson and Zderad developed five phases of nursing, called phenomenological nursing, to accompany the Humanistic Theory:

• Nurses prepare for “coming to know” or start investigating a case.
• Nurses create an “I-You” relationship so they can understand their patients and use their intuitive knowledge.
• Nurses apply scientific knowledge and begin a subject-object or “I-It” relationship, which allows nurses to reflect on their own experiences and put them into context for the current situation.
• Nurses synthesize their knowledge to become a source of continually evolving information.
• Nurses transform from the “many to the paradoxical one” to apply knowledge to a practical clinical setting.

Theory of Interpersonal Relations

The Interpersonal Relations Theory, developed in 1952 by Hildegard Peplau, focuses on the importance of the nurse-patient relationship. Nurses are able to prove better care to their patients if they build a strong relationship based on mutual respect. Peplau’s theory evolves in three phases:

• Orientation: The nurse-patient relationship is initiated by a patient’s needs. The nurse helps the patient get acquainted with the treatment process and answers questions.
• Working: As the nurse-patient relationship develops, the patient concentrates on expressing reactions to the illness and becomes an active participant in care.
• Termination: The nurse helps the patient follow through on care that has been provided and return to a normal productive life.

During the different phases, the nurses take on many roles, including resource person, teacher, surrogate and counselor.

Need Theory

Developed by Virginia Henderson, an RN who was inducted into the American Nurses Association’s Hall of Fame, the nursing Need Theory focuses on a nurse’s role in assisting patients to maintain health, recover from injuries or achieve a peaceful death. In her work, she continually stressed nursing’s duty to focus on helping the patient rather than the doctor.

Henderson, considered the mother of modern nursing care, outlined four basic needs—psychological, physiological, social and spiritual — that are required for patients to live independently:

• Psychological needs including communicating and handling fears.
• Physiological needs    including eating and sleeping.
• Spiritual needs including worship and faith.
• Social needs including recreational activities.

Among Henderson’s noted works was  Nursing Research: Survey and Assessment  and  Nursing Studies Index , published in 1964 and 1972 respectively.

Application of Nursing Theory

Nursing theory helps makes sense of our complex healthcare system and has provided the foundation that defines the nursing profession by organizing thoughts and ideas identified by nursing theories (Karnick, 2016). Concepts offer an understanding of theories and combine evidence based practice towards clinical practice to improve patient health outcomes. Theory can further provide a framework to create a positive work environment by implementing strategies defined in a theory set out to improve work environments. Nurse retention directly reflects a cohesive positive work environment revolving around a supportive health care team and management system outlined in Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring (Twigg and McCullough, 2014).

Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring was published in 1979. This theory is designed to care for another person utilizing the 10 Caritas meaning to “cherish” or give special loving attention to someone. This theory can assist nurse leaders with a framework to create a positive work environment for health care team members aiding in nurse retention rates. The basis of this theory is recognizing a “caring moment” to establish an authentic caring relationship with another person. The formation of an authentic relationship is a sacred encounter connecting both parties on a spiritual and emotional level enabling a positive impact for one another. When allowing oneself to be authentically present in a “caring moment,” Watson believed this sets the tone for daily connections made with each other through communication, therapeutic touch, and any type of interaction where a person feels cared for. Leaders are empathetic and compassionate towards their health care team members by practicing the Carita of love, kindness, and equanimity to facilitate staff retention (Norman, Rossillo, and Skelton, 2016).

As more patients require health care services, the nursing shortage and the inability to retain staff threatens our health care system since hospitals are unable to provide staff to meet these needs. The purpose of this paper is utilizing Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring to encourage and effect staff retention. The layout of the paper includes a description of the issue or concern, the application of selected nursing theory to issue or concern, and finally, the conclusion.

Description of Issue or Concern

The United States continues to face a nursing shortage crisis and is unable to meet the demands projected for years to come. The World Health Organization estimates an average nurse shortage by 2020 of 285,000 and 500,000 by 2025 (Twigg and McCullough, 2014). The statistics presented are alarming and concerning. Whenever an insufficient number of nurses are available to produce high quality of care in a hospital setting, the effects of a nursing shortage are noticed. The nursing shortage is a result of an imbalance in supply and demand credited by demographics, qualifications, and availability of nurses willing to perform work (Hellerava, and Adambarage, 2015). The nursing shortage combined with the inability to retain staff poses economic factors and poor-quality healthcare care being delivered. Not only does this influence individual health organizations and the health care industry, but this crisis affects the patients who are at the receiving end of patient care nursing theories essay examples.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing is the leading profession for employment growth between 2010 and 2020. Due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation, the healthcare reform, and the ever-changing economy will cause healthcare to continually assess various methods to retain nursing staff. By 2020, half a million nurses will retire. Nurses who are unable to retire will face an overwhelming prediction of being unsatisfied in the workplace. Retention rates for these nurses are very poor (Dotson, Dave, Cazier, and Spaulding, 2014).

The individual hospital and corporation are affected by decreased retention rates due to financial burdens. Hiring a new nurse can cost a hospital an estimated 62,000 to 67,000 dollars in 2002. Inflation caused an average of 82,000-88,000 dollars spent on hiring a nurse in 2007. The costs were considerably higher if a new graduate nurse was hired since they are required to take additional classes and training to provide safe practice. Of the nurses hired, 10% of the new hire population will quit. An average of 17% to 85% of the new graduate nurses hired will quit. A 1% change in turnover or retention has the ability to save or cost a hospital an average of 373,200 dollars, according to Woten (2017).

The effects of nurse turnover and the inability to retain staff is noticed during patient care. Decreased nurse retention rates cause the rest of the nursing staff to be short-staffed each day. This requires one nurse to endure the responsibility desired for two nurses correlating with a decrease in quality of care. One study compared years with sufficient staff versus insufficient staff that yielded results linking a decrease in medication errors, falling incidents, and adverse event incidents when enough staff was present during a shift. Nurse turnover damages patient satisfaction and organizations due to lack of continuity of care, additional time required to manage fellow employees, and a loss in staff productivity. As more experienced nurses are reaching retirement and inexperienced nurses continue to have high turnover, the medical floors are experiencing inadequate skills, limited knowledge, and unfavorable patient care causing an issue and concern relating to poor health care (Hayes et al., 2012) nursing theories essay examples. Nurse turnover triggers unsafe patient care.

The most common reason related to nurse turnover is organizational factors. Nurses were more likely to stay if they had a positive relationship with a nurse leader in their organizational structure. Positive nurse leaders empower fellow health care team members by providing access to resources and information, providing support when needed, and offering learning opportunities to develop confidence that guides nursing practice. If inconsistencies arise in the workplace, the health care team members believe their goals will be unfulfilled causing them to quit (Goodare, 2017). Twigg and McCullough (2014) state nursing leaders provide a positive work environment by encouraging and supporting team members to perform to the best of their ability. An example might include when nurse leaders recognize team members when the nurse exceeds the expectations of the hospital. Positive work environments also consist of nursing autonomy, flexibility of scheduling, shared governance of the workplace, and continuous mentoring and support of health care teams.  A leader that is present and willing to be a part of authentic relationship with his or her health care team begins the process of nurse retention and satisfactory working conditions.

The nursing shortage and inability to retain staff is causing many healthcare systems to have unsafe patient ratios. They are unable to supply the demand needed to provide safe patient care. The concern of the nursing profession is safe working environment which the patient safety and positive patient outcomes being the center of focus in nursing practice. The hospitals and organizations are affected by the financial burden, patients are affected by poor quality healthcare, and nurses are all effected by unsafe nurse-patient ratios caused by nurse turnover; which is detrimental to health care. The statistics are alarming and a strategy needs to be implemented to retain staff. Nursing literature states an influential nurse leader who values support, encourages, empowers, and believes in authentic relationships is paramount to nurse retention.

Application of Selected Nursing Theory to Issue or Concern

Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is based on concepts such as caring, “caring moments,” and a transpersonal authentic relationship. A “caring moment” transpires into an authentic transpersonal relationship where the 10 Caritas are applied to care for another person. The 10-Caritas used to explain and define caring include practicing equanimity, being physically and emotionally present, intentional assisting with basic needs, establishing a trusting authentic relationship, being culturally sensitive, engaging in a learning experience to create a “wholeness,” by creating an environment revolving around holism and humanism (Norman, Rossillo, and Skelton, 2016).

Research proposes a positive nurse leadership and environment is more effective towards nurse retention than increasing salaries (Twigg and McCullough, 2014). Implementing Watson’s Theory of Human Caring from a nurse leader standpoint is a possible strategy to decrease nurse turnover rate. Caring occurs when the nurse leader encompasses the 10-Caritias previously defined to empower his or her health care team.

Norman, Rossillo, and Skelton (2016) state practicing love, kindness, and equanimity that is empathetic and compassionate towards a team member’s needs is providing a safe work environment. Team members are always aware of a nurse leader’s actions, and when both party’s views and values and beliefs are aligned, an authentic relationship to ensue. For example, a nurse leader enforcing a zero-tolerance relating to workplace bullying is practicing this Carita by protecting his or her health care team from verbal or physical abuse.  Tending to health team members basic needs may mean being a team player when help is needed or providing learning opportunities and resources to allow a nurse to become confident in his or her knowledge and skills nursing theories essay examples. A positive leader will even go above and beyond and model an exemplary attitude and caring approach portrayed by Watson’s theory to motivate other team members to display a caring demeanor. Nurse leaders who recognize fellow nurses that display kindness, love, and equanimity in nursing practice are more satisfied with his or her work environment. Any kind act or encouraging words will never go unnoticed.

At a hospital, a nurse leader is utilizing Jean Watson’s theory if he or she is interacting with healthcare team members and developing a sacred encounter. A sacred encounter can transpire by communication, therapeutic touch, or any action where a team member feels cared for by the offering person. Each team member is positively affected creating a deeper human connection. A team member feels cared for when the nurse leader is authentically present and actively listening to his or her concerns and issues during these encounters. Trust and rapport are built between the two parties. Being able to create authentic caring relationship with healthcare team members allows them to feel supported which increases nurse retention and quality of care delivered in nursing practice (Norman, Rossillo, and Skelton, 2016).

Future research conducted would be to include if a caring nurse leadership approach that increased nurse retention caused a hospital to reach magnet level status. Tai, Wai, and Bame (2017) state magnet hospitals are the result of qualified nurse retention, better quality of patient care, acceptable patient satisfaction, and decreased mortality rate. Magnet level hospitals have acceptable nurse-patient ratios that decrease adverse events and patient mortality providing a safer environment for patient care. Are hospitals reaching a magnet level status due to sufficient staffing caused by a positive nurse leader being able to retain his or her staff?

            As the nursing shortage and staff retention continues to become more visible in the workplace, it is imperative that the nursing profession utilizes theory as a framework to follow. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring can be incorporated and guide clinical practice by including the 10 Caritas empowering other healthcare team members. The purpose of applying the Human Caring theory is to improve patient healthcare and outcomes, decrease the financial burden the hospital faces, and create a positive working environment with sufficient safe staffing ratios. The theory is built on the concepts of caring, caring moments, and transpersonal caring relationships that a nurse leader must feel comfortable being a part of. To care for someone, is the ability to be aware of a “caring moment” and seizing the opportunity to build an authentic relationship with fellow healthcare team members. This essentially builds trust and rapport and increases job satisfaction that leads to increased nurse retention rates.

As I reflect over the new knowledge gained from my research efforts, I have learned that theory will always provide the foundation for which the nursing profession has been established. Nurses will continue to be satisfied as management remains present and acknowledges the hard work that is put out to create and provide safe patient care. Empowering others utilizing Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is incredibly important to fulfill the goals of health care team members to motivate them to stay within the hospital nursing theories essay examples. Being able to positively manage health care team members is necessary to ensure job satisfaction and reduce turnover and nursing shortages.

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Goodare, P. (2017). Literature review: Why do we continue to lose our nurses. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34 (4), 50-56. Retrieved from eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=8d62a810-605f-4be1-a743-c7fccea99

Hayes, L., Pallas, L., Duffield, C., Shamian, J., Buchan, J., Hughes, F., Laschinger, S., & North, N. (2012) Nurse turnover: A literature review- an update. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49( 7), 887-905. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.10.001

Hellerava, K., & Adambarage, A. (2015). The nursing shortage impact on job outcome. Journal of Competitiveness, 7 (3), 75-94. doi: 10.7441/joc.2014.03.06

Karnick, P. M. (2016). Evidence-based practice and nursing theory.  Nursing Science Quarterly,   29 (4), 283-284. doi:10.1177/0894318416661107 nursing theories essay examples

Norman, V., Rossillo, K., & Skelton, K. (2016). Creating healing environments through the theory of caring. AORN Journal, 104 (5), 401-409. doi: 10.1016/j.aron.2016.09.006

Tai, T., Wai, C., & Bame, S. (2017). Organizational and community factors associated with magnet status of u.s. hospitals. Journal of Healthcare Management, 62 (1), 62-76. Retrieved from http://proxy.chamberlain.edu/8443/login?url=https://search-proquest-com

Twig, D., & McCullough, K. (2014). Nurse retention: A review of strategies to create and enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51( 1), 85-92. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.05.015

Woten, M. (2016). Recruitment and retention of healthcare personnel: Nursing Residency. CINAHL Nursing Guide . Retrieved from eds.a.ebscohost.comproxy.chamberlain.edu: 8080/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=5db30734

Nursing Theories and Their Works

• Florence Nightingale (“Environmental Theory”)
• Nursing as “act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery”
• Nightingale’s Concepts:
• Person: Patient who is acted on by nurse; Affected by environment; has reparative powers nursing theories essay examples.
• Environment: Foundation of theory; Included everything, physical, psychological, and social
• Health: Maintaining well-being by using a person’s powers; Maintained by control of environment
• Nursing: Provided fresh air, warmth, cleanliness, and good diet, quiet to facilitate person’s reparative process
• Virginia Henderson (“The Nature of Nursing”)
• “The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible. She must in a sense, get inside the skin of each of her patients in order to know what he needs”.
• Dorothea Orem (“Self-Care Model”)
• Nursing is “ an art, a helping service and a technology”
• The theory includes:
• Self care – practice of activities that individual initiates and perform on their own behalf in maintaining life ,health and well being
• Self care agency – is a human ability which is “the ability for engaging in self care” -conditioned by age developmental state, life experience sociocultural orientation health and available resources nursing theories essay examples.
• Therapeutic self care demand – “totality of self care actions to be performed for some duration in order to meet self care requisites by using valid methods and related sets of operations and actions”
• Self care requisites -action directed towards provision of self care.
• Sister Calista Roy (“Adaptation Model”)
• Nursing is “a theoretical system of knowledge that prescribes a process of analysis and action related to the care of the ill or potentially ill person”
• Patiency- The person receiving care
• Goal of nursing- Adapting to change
• Health-Being and becoming a whole person
• Direction of nursing activities- Facilitating adaptation
• Betty Neuman (“Health Care Systems Model”)

–     Nursing is “a unique profession in that is concerned with all the variables affecting an individual’s response to stressors, which are intra, inter, extra personal in nature” nursing theories essay examples.

–     The model represents the client within the system perspective, holistically and multi-dimensionally. It illustrates the components of five interacting client variables; physiological, psychological, developmental, sociocultural and spiritual in relation to environmental influences upon the client as a system consisting of basic structure, lines of resistance and lines of defense.

• Martha Rogers (“Unitary Human Beings”)
• Nursing is “a humanistic science dedicated to the compassionate concern with and maintaining and promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for and rehabilitating the sick and disabled”
• Imogene King (“Goal Attainment Theory”)
• Nursing is “a helping profession that assists individuals and groups in society to attain maintains and restores health. If this is not possible, nurses help individual die with dignity”
• Open systems framework nursing theories essay examples.
• Human beings are open systems in constant interaction with the environment
• individual; perception, self, growth, development, time space, body image
• Interpersonal
• Personal System: Individual; perception, self, growth, development, time space, body image
• Interpersonal: Socialization; interaction, communication and transaction
• Society: Family, religious groups, schools, work, peers
• The nurse and patient mutually communicate, establish goals and take action to attain goals
• Each individual brings a different set of values, ideas, attitudes, perceptions to exchange
• Hildegard Peplau (“Interpersonal Relations Model”)
• Based on psychodynamic nursing
• using an understanding of one’s own behavior to help others identify their difficulties
• Applies principles of human relations
• Patient has a felt need
• Peplau’s Concepts
• Person: An individual; a developing organism who tries to reduce anxiety caused by needs; Lives in instable equilibrium
• Health: Implies forward movement of the personality and human processes toward creative, constructive, productive, personal, and community living
• Nursing: A significant, therapeutic, interpersonal process that functions cooperatively with others to make health possible
• Jean Watson (“Philosophy and Science of Caring”)
• Caring can be demonstrated and practiced
• Caring consists of carative factors nursing theories essay examples
• Caring promotes growth
• A caring environment accepts a person as he is and looks to what the person may become
• A caring environment offers development of potential
• Caring promotes health better than curing
• Caring is central to nursing
• Lydia Hall (“Care Core and Cure Theory”)
• The “Core, Care, and Cure” Theory was developed in the late 1960’s.  She postulated that individuals could be conceptualized in three separate domains: the body (care), the illness, (cure), and the person (core).
• Hall believed patients should receive care ONLY from professional nurses. Nursing involves interacting with a patient in a complex process of teaching and learning. Hall was not pleased with the concept of team nursing–she said that “any career that is defined around the work that has to be done, and how it is divided to get it done, is a “trade” (rather than a profession).
• Ida Jean Orlando (“Deliberative Nursing Process”)
• The deliberative nursing process is set in motion by the patient’s behavior
• All behavior may represent a cry for help. Patient’s behavior can be verbal or non-verbal.
• The nurse reacts to patient’s behavior and forms basis for determining nurse’s acts.
• Perception, thought, feeling
• Nurses’ actions should be deliberative, rather than automatic nursing theories essay examples.
• Deliberative actions explore the meaning and relevance of an action.
• Katherine Kolcaba (“Comfort Theory”)
• Holistic comfort is defined as the immediate experience of being strengthened through having the needs for relief, ease, and transcendence met in four contexts of experience (physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental)

The Importance of Nursing Theory

Nursing theory can be defined as a rigorous yet creative structure of ideas that emanate a purposeful, tentative, and systematic view of healthcare phenomena. Nursing theories incorporates many theories; with this culmination an introduction of action is placed into model practice. These theories are used to define, revolutionize, and disseminate current nursing knowledge and advance healthcare into the next era. Utilizing these theories provide for a plan for reflection and gives certainty for which the plan should be headed. With each new situation encountered, the framework of nursing theory provides an order for management, research, and decision making. These theories also provide a structure of communication for nurses amongst one another and with other healthcare professionals within the team. Nursing theories assist the nurse in developing goals, beliefs, and values. nursing theories essay examples.

Foundations of theory are and will remain an important aspect of nursing and advanced practice nursing education. Today, theory play an even larger role in nursing with increased emphasis on nursing research and evidence-based practices for advanced practice nurses. With this being said, it is expected of nurse practitioner graduates to demonstrate competencies in skills and knowledge in order to provide safe and quality care to a diverse population of patients in a very complicated health care system.

With increase in acuity of patients, hospitalization length decreasing, and the boom of healthcare technology and specialization, the need for highly experienced nurses have increased. With this increase in need, the responsibility and complexity of current nursing practice requires constant, long term career development. According to the AACN, many Master’s level nursing programs were reported to have wide varying clinical practicum requirements, didactic course work experiences, and titling. Unfortunately, in certain instances, new graduates from these nursing programs reportedly had no direct care experiences in their chosen master’s programs such as adult health, community health, and child health (AACN, 2011). nursing theories essay examples.

From Novice to Expert, a theory formulated by Patricia Benner, is probably one of the simplest nursing theories to understand. Benner’s theory proposes that in gaining and developing skills, a nurse must pass through five proficiency levels: as a novice, an advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and lastly, an expert. Advancing through each level reflects a movement from dependence on abstract principles to the application of past concrete experiences. As a nurse advances through each step, she builds upon the previous step and gains clinical expertise with each advancement (Benner, 1982).

In Benner’s first stage of clinical competence, the novice or beginner has little to no experience in circumstances in which they are expected to perform in. There is lack of confidence in demonstrating safe practice and the requirement of continuous verbal and physical cues are present. Practice is within an extended period of time and the individual is unable to make and use discretionary, independent judgement. An example of this would be a nursing student in the first year of clinical education; upon observation, the observer will witness limited and inflexible behavior in the clinical setting. Novices lack the ability to predict and ascertain what may occur in certain patient situations, i.e., mental status change, this knowledge may be obtained once a novice nurse has gained experience working with patients who have had similar symptoms (1982 nursing theories essay examples.

The next stage of clinical competence, advanced beginner, the nurse demonstrates slightly acceptable performance due to prior experiences in actual situations. The nurse is competent and skillful in certain areas of practice, requiring minimal verbal and physical cues with continued knowledge development. These are nurses who have obtained a first job, acquired experiences which allow them to recognize situations in which they have been previously exposed and have the knowledge combined with the know-how to respond but still lack in depth experience.

Benner’s third stage, Competence, is demonstrated by the nurse who has been practicing in the same job/situation for at least two to three years. The nurse holds the ability to demonstrate efficiency, possesses coordination and confidence in her actions. A plan effectively establishes a perspective and is based on substantial abstract, conscious, logical contemplation of the situation. The deliberate, conscious planning associated with this skill level assists the nurse in achieving efficiency and organization with care completion in an appropriate timeframe with no supporting cues.

For Benner’s next stage, Proficient, the nurse’s perception of a situation is whole rather than in bits and pieces. The proficient nurse understands and views the situation a whole due to the ability to perceive the meaning in terms of long term goals. The Proficient nurse obtains knowledge from experience from typical situations, how to respond to these situations and how to modify plans in response to these situations. The Proficient nurse holds the ability to recognize what is an atypical event/situation. The Proficient nurse perceives decision making as holistic and decision making becomes less arduous due to gained experience nursing theories essay examples.

For Benner’s last stage, Expert, the nurse has the ability to intuitively grasp each situation and event which allows for accurate assessment and addressing of certain problems without unnecessary wasting of consideration, time, and solutions. The Expert nurse functions from a deep understanding of the situation as a whole. Performance becomes flexible and fluid with high proficiency. For situations in which the nurse has had no exposure or experience, a high skilled analytic ability is necessary.

When applying the metaparadigm in Benner’s perspective, the perception is that the person does not enter this world pre-defined but is defined through the course of living life; a self – interpreting being, the view is of the person being a participant in common meanings (Tomey & Allgood, 2002). According to Benner, the person must understand and handle the role of the situation, the body, the personal concern, and temporality. Benner’s focus on health was through the lived experience of being healthy and sick. Benner defined health as objective assessment, with well-being as experienced by health and wholeness. For Benner, environment, or situation, is used to suggest a social atmosphere. This is defined by Benner as the person’s involved interaction, perception, interpretation, and understanding of the situation.

According to Huffstutler, newly graduated nurse practitioners often express feelings of being a “fake” or “imposter, as they make the transition from nurse to nurse practitioner (2006). After exceeding the stages of novice to expert, the newly graduated nurse practitioner must once again gain experience and get established in a “new” situation and role. Huffstutler suggests strategies for new nurse practitioners to develop during this transitional phase is to be aware of the transition. Self-reflection and calm inward looking may assist with this transitional process. The novice nurse practitioner should acknowledge initial lack of command as a nurse practitioner.

As I review this theory and its stages, I have the ability to ascertain where my methods and practice arise from. Applying Benner’s stages, I had no knowledge, I gained knowledge, I developed confidence, and I became an expert. As a nurse, it is crucial that we recognize and are able to differentiate between cultures and the many different views of healthcare, amongst life and death and are able to work within these frameworks to provide the best and most effective quality of care for our patients nursing theories essay examples.

American Associations of Colleges of Nursing (2011). The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing. Retrieved from  http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf. 

Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley, pp. 13-34.

Huffstutler, S. Y. (2006). The Impostor Phenomenon in New Nurse Practitioner Graduates.  Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing EJournal,  6(2).

Tomey, A. M., & Allgood, M. R. (2002). Nursing Theorists and Their Work. International Journal of Nursing Studies,  42(1), 114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2004.05.009  nursing theories essay examples

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Nursing Theory Essay Question

Nursing Theory Essay Question Nursing Theory Essay Question Nursing Theory Essay Question McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. · Chapter 2: Overview of Theory in Nursing “Nursing’s Metaparadigm” ePages 40 – 45 · Chapter 6: Overview of Grand Nursing Theories · Chapter 10: Introduction to Middle Range Nursing Theories There are global areas of knowledge in professional nursing that provide an organizing structure to theory and knowledge development. Nursing is organized by a metaparadigm, which consists of four concepts that define the discipline. The concepts within a metaparadigm help to form a central focus of the nursing discipline. Another way of thinking about this is that a dominant metaparadigm helps form the world view of a discipline (Parker & Smith, 2015). Research, theory, and practice are oriented around this dominant way of thinking about the discipline’s world. Reflection Look at the theories in your text, think about the many concepts in those theories, and reflect on the values, beliefs, and principles that were part of your nursing education and are part of your nursing practice. All of these make up the dominant metaparadigm of nursing (Parker & Smith, 2015).   Within any profession, there must be a consensus about the concepts of the metaparadigm. For a nursing theory to comprehensively reflect the profession of nursing, each of the key concepts must be addressed, explained, and applied to practice. In doing so, research ideas may be generated, resulting in knowledge development. Once the metaparadigm concepts are agreed upon, theory and knowledge development have organization or a central theme. Several nursing theorists developed different variations of terms and concepts for the metaparadigm. For professional nursing, consensus in the literature identifies person, environment, health, and nursing as being the concepts within our metaparadigm (Parker & Smith, 2015). This is the most commonly accepted metaparadigm and was initially developed by Fawcett in 1978 and revised in later years. Metaparadigm  Click each term and review the definition Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Nursing Theory Essay Question Background Jaqueline Fawcett, RN, PhD, ScD (hon), FAAN, ANEF was the original theorist who identified the nursing metaparadigm. What follows is an interview with Dr. Fawcett conducted on July 2011 by a professor of nursing as part of a learning activity for an online nursing course. The Interview   Rebecca Lee (RL): Would you please share with the students your own educational pathway to nursing? Jacqueline Fawcett (JF): I earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing in 1964, a master’s degree in parent-child nursing with a minor in nursing education in 1970, and a PhD in nursing in 1976. RL: What originally inspired you to develop the metaparadigm concepts? JF: I was asked to present a paper, “The What of Theory Development,” at a conference sponsored by the National League for Nursing in 1977 (Fawcett, 1978). Viewed through the lens of Kuhn’s (1970) work on the structure of scientific revolutions, Dubin’s (1969) idea of the central concepts of a discipline became nursing’s central concepts, which evolved into the concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing (Fawcett, 2005). RL: How did these concepts influence the discipline of nursing, both at the time of creation and in the years since? JF: The metaparadigm concepts, indeed the very idea of a metaparadigm of nursing, influences nurses’ understanding of what nursing is, and especially their understanding that nursing is an intellectual discipline and not only skills used in the care of people who are sick. I believe that a considerable amount of nurse burnout could be reduced if nurses took the time to step back from their concrete clinical practice activities and examine their practice from an abstract theoretical perspective. One theoretical perspective is the concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing. I think that in doing so, nurses will begin to realize that nursing is an intellectual enterprise that encompasses clinical practice activities that are guided by theoretical rationale. Thinking in this way requires nurses to embrace change, which can be scary! But all of us must be willing to take the risks that are inherent in change to grow. RL: How have your original metaparadigm concepts evolved over the years? JF: The central concepts I included in my 1978 paper (Fawcett, 1978) were man, society, health, and nursing. Later, I changed man to person in the interests of gender-neutral language, and I changed society to environment in the interests of a broad perspective of the surroundings of nurses and nursing participants. The most recent change, from person to human beings, was in response to the critique that person is not recognized in some cultures. I described these changes in detail in my book, Contemporary nursing knowledge: Analysis and evaluation of nursing models and theories (Fawcett, 2005). In that book, I also present other versions of the metaparadigm concepts offered by several nurse scholars There has been some discussion as to whether “nursing” is a tautological concept within the metaparadigm of nursing. However, I have maintained that the inclusion of nursing as a distinct metaparadigm concept is necessary to capture the notion of the definition, goals, and processes of nursing. RL: Would you please discuss the relevance of the metaparadigm concepts to the profession of nursing in 2011, and beyond? JF: The concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing, whether my version or another version, are as relevant today as at any other time in nursing’s history, because they are a way to identify what are the boundaries and scope of the knowledge of nursing. Specifically, the metaparadigm concepts identify the global areas of knowledge needed for nursing at the bedside and in administration, education, and research. Individuals who might dismiss the idea of a metaparadigm of nursing as dated should consider their position carefully. For if people do not accept that there is a body of knowledge that constitutes nursing that is distinctive and different from other disciplines, then they do not have the right to say that they are practicing a profession or that they are members of a professional discipline. Instead, they are functioning as trades people. RL: Could you share with us your own vision for the future of professional nursing? JF: I regret that I am not optimistic. Too often, we behave as if we are members of a trade rather than of a professional discipline by ignoring the metaparadigm of nursing and by denying the utility of nursing’s discipline-specific knowledge. Instead, we willingly assume tasks and functions given to us by physicians who would rather not bother with certain tasks and functions. See, for example, Sandelowski’s (1999) seminal paper about the history of intravenous nursing. RL: In closing, do you have any advice for my students as they embark on their educational journey? JF: Keep going! Don’t be afraid to envision possibilities in your own future. That takes courage! You will no doubt reach a point at which you want more education, so it is best to pursue that education while you are used to being a student. Above all, have the faith of your convictions and don’t be afraid of being alone. (Lee, & Fawcett, 2013, p. 96-97). The focus of this week’s content can be summarized by the following question: “Should the nature of nursing knowledge be abstract or concrete?” To answer this question, the following questions need to be considered first: · How can something abstract be useful at the bedside? · How can something concrete consider all of the diversity of possible nursing care situations with individuals, families, and communities? Order Now

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Nursing Theory (Essay Sample)

Nursing theory.

In the current field of nursing, there is no doubt that nursing theories help in health care deliveries. The discovery of nursing theories began in the 1800s with Florence Nightingale. However, many nurses do not understand the concept of nursing theory and some have no clue on the presently developed theories on nursing that become a guide in their daily health care services. Therefore, nursing theories encompass frameworks and concepts that are developed to guide nursing practices. The models involve three categories such as the grand theory,  the middle-range theory, and the nursing-practice theory. Thus, nursing theory drives the basis of patient care which depends on the care practice that a nurse gives to a patient. Nurses with advanced knowledge on nursing theories, practices and research provide the best care practices. For example, an examination of the theory of Self Care Deficit by Orem reveals that a patient with an illness or a problem has little ability to take care of himself. Therefore, nurses take the initiative to care for the patient until he recovers. The paper henceforth discusses nursing theory levels, the application of nurse theories and reasoning in the nursing profession.

Nursing theory has four levels which include practice level, nursing theory, and grand theory. The practice level has four parts which include the factor isolating, factor relation, situation relation and situation-producing control. The middle range theory level delves on the research and practices which reveal the basis of an action for any activity that leads to health care improvement. The grand theory level increases the nursing service perspective to the world view while the meta theory expounds on the experience of nurses in varied situations.

Regarding nursing theories, Florence Nightingale noted in the civil war that nurses have a duty that goes beyond assisting the physicians to the facilitation of the body of a patient to recover quickly through altering the environment for better. Therefore, nurses should be in constant communication with the patients to enhance their speed of recovery as revealed in the theory of Peplau and King both in 1952 and 1971 respectively. Both the theories borrow an idea from Florence Nightingale and postulate that nursing is a service in unique situations that improve the environment to suit recovery process for a patient. Besides, nursing noted as an educational tool that helps in the promotion of productive living for a patient. Therefore, patients under pathetic conditions need a better environment that reduces stress, increase their competence and euphoria to ensure that such a person overcomes both physical and psychological pain. Therefore, nurses have to be emotionally and mentally stronger to make sure that patients develop positivity in their recovery processes.

Theories such as Self-care by Orem and Roy which reveal that nursing is important to patients who are unable to care for themselves to fulfill their needs socially, biologically and psychologically. Thus, nursing as a service becomes an aspect of human life. Therefore, the role of nurses should be appreciated just like those of physicians.

The practice of nursing services by theories majorly relies on the clinical reasoning. A patient usually has both biological and behavioral needs that require nurse assistance. Nurses often take the responsibility to understand the needs of patients either mental or physical needs based on the diagnosis outcome, treatment and recovery among others. Therefore, nurses have the responsibility to assure patient and train them to face reality. Such incidences need clinical reasoning that provides solutions to the problems. Besides, the clinical reasoning comes from the conclusions of research studies that give ideas on the best methods for improving a condition of a patient. Thus, nurses can communicate such reasoning to the patients regarding the best methods for recovery.

In conclusion, the best nursing practices found their basis on nursing theories that relate to care. Besides, the nursing guidelines provide uniform and up to date procedures that help nurses to work according to the required regulations and procedures in caring for the patients in a given environment.