Nursing’s Metaparadigm
Person, environment, health, and nursing practice, all these concepts of nursing’s metaparadigm are equally significant to my nursing practice and philosophy of nursing. A person is the receiver of nursing care and thus, is the primary focus of attention for my nursing practice and philosophy (McEwen & Wills, 2011). Each person is unique and has one’s interpersonal, biophysical, and psychosocial needs. The successful nursing practice assumes respecting the individual peculiarities of each person, understanding and valuing him or her, and providing the needed assistance and care. Furthermore, each patient is directly influenced by the surrounding environment. The environment is the setting in which nursing care is provided. The quality of the environment affects the ultimate result of nursing care.
For that reason, a nurse should devote much time and energy to ensure sufficient conditions for a patient. Each important aspect of the environment including hygiene, temperature, air, lightning, and nutrition should be addressed (“Nursing ethics; reports on nursing ethics”, 2009). Health as the concept of nursing’s metaparadigm is to be seen holistically. It is the concord between the physical, mental, and social components of an entity based on the principles of congruity and harmony. Health is more than a person’s physiology and behavior. It is a combination of physical, social, moral, and aesthetic spheres. To meet the demands of the profession, a nurse should have a deep and broad understanding of the concept of health. Finally, nursing practice as the concept of nursing’s metaparadigm is first of all characterized by its holistic implications because it is a combination of care, communication between a nurse and a patient, and restoring treatment aiming to prevent illness. Its significance to the philosophy of nursing is crucial as it defines the relationship between the theory and patient care in real settings.
Nursing as a Cycle
Experts’ statement that nursing is a cycle of nursing research, practice, and theory is beyond doubt as far as I am concerned. From my experience, nursing is an occupation that requires unceasing research, theory development, and implementation of the received knowledge in practice as well as confirmation of the research results in real conditions. As a result, each day of a nursing career is replete with the three above-mentioned components.
Speaking about the idea that entering into the cycle of nursing can be made from any point, I have to state that whereas the stages of nursing research and theory fit into this concept, I cannot agree with this idea on the point of nursing practice. I am confident that nursing practice is inextricably linked with the application of theoretical knowledge. In other words, one is not able to cope with the obligations of a nurse in case he or she has no theoretical base for this task. In contemporary conditions of advanced medical systems with the implementation of complex equipment, complicated treatment methods, and information technology, nursing practice without nursing knowledge is impossible. To illustrate, giving an intramuscular injection without preliminary knowledge is impossible because one is to have enough theoretical preparation regarding this procedure in itself as well as the concepts of handling a patient. Moreover, today’s nursing practice is not only concentrated around treatment procedures but it is also confronted moral and ethical issues as well as legal issues at times. Thus, as far as I believe, a nurse must not enter the cycle of nursing without sufficient theoretical preparation.
References
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2011). Theoretical Basis for Nursing (3rd ed.). New York: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Nursing ethics; reports on nursing ethics findings from E.J. Taylor and co-researchers provide new insights. (2009). Life Science Weekly, 1229.