The development of nursing theory has become one of the fundamental factors contributing to the emergence of useful and valuable approaches to patient care and conducting relevant research. However, according to Tobbell (2018), significant changes in the practice of nurses occurred only in the 1950s when educators and scholars were involved in creating nursing as an individual academic discipline. As a result of this intervention, new methods of care were developed, and one of the main changes was the promotion of research activities.
The contribution of this change to nursing education is significant. As Tappen (2016) argues, the outstanding work of those individual educators who are known today as active researchers in this field have become the background of the knowledge that is available to contemporary medical professionals. In addition, introducing nursing as an individual academic discipline made it possible to separate the basic principles of care from doctoral practice and concentrate on the methods associated with the provision of patient-centered medical assistance. These achievements provided an opportunity to help patients comprehensively and, at the same time, share the responsibilities of medical staff in accordance with their qualifications and education.
The historical changes that occurred in the late 1950s in the medical community made it possible to train more qualified specialists. Evans-Agnew, Boutain, and Rosemberg (2017) state that the basic principles laid down during the reorganization of approaches to education in nursing became the background for the successful training of specialists of the highest possible profile, in particular, DNP (Doctorate of Nursing Practice). Accordingly, the advantages of all the amendments are an opportunity to provide patient-centered care, conduct active research, and educate highly qualified medical professionals.
References
Evans-Agnew, R. A., Boutain, D. M., & Rosemberg, M. A. S. (2017). Advancing nursing research in the visual era: Reenvisioning the photovoice process across phenomenological, grounded theory, and critical theory methodologies. Advances in Nursing Science, 40(1), E1-E15. Web.
Tappen, R. M. (2016). Advanced nursing research: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Tobbell, D. A. (2018). Nursing’s boundary work: Theory development and the making of nursing science, ca. 1950-1980. Nursing Research, 67(2), 63-73. Web.