Discussion: Concepts and Theories in Nursing

Discussion: Concepts and Theories in Nursing

Discussion: Concepts and Theories in Nursing

Having a nursing degree is a relevant education choice for associate students who wish to join the nursing profession. However, in its initial stage, nursing as a practice dates back to the days of Florence Nightingale but its professionalization is more recent. In the wake of the WWII, nursing began to experience changes and by 1960s, the enactment of the Nurse Training Act formalized that transformation that was happening in the profession (Gunther, 2021). From 1970s to 1980s, the preparation and training of nurses changed from diploma programs to associate degree programs. The changes from nursing diploma programs to associate degrees was as a result of certain actions, forces, and reforms that catalyzed the progression to degree program.

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Martha Rodgers and other nurses started publishing their theories on nursing with the aim of conceptualizing what nurses do in their practice settings. Rogers conceptualized and conceived nursing as a separate and critical discipline and distinct field of study and profession. Imperatively, she worked tirelessly to establish nursing as a discipline in higher education. This was the start of a crucial shift for the nursing profession as its effects had significant results. firstly, it shifted nurses from being at the instructions of physicians to the people who had a holistic and developed vision of what nursing entails. The unitary theory developed by Martha Rogers advanced that nursing care is about the delivery of quality care which needs sufficient knowledge based on formalized nursing conceptual frameworks and theories (Farren, 2021). Through this approach, nursing developed through theoretical models by nurses who formalized the need for increased research to help nurse meet patient needs by delivering holistic and patient-centered care. Further, the creation and adoption of accreditation standards for nursing schools to offer accredited degrees meant that all these programs must undergo and pass rigorous evaluation and assessment as meeting the healthcare needs of a patient. The implication is that nursing education and professional training had to adopt certain standards and curricula to prepare nurses well to meet the diverse patient need in different care settings.

Being recognized as a profession and discipline meant that nursing could understand itself and present itself to other disciplines in healthcare in a manner that bases on organized, specific information and evidence of rigorous assessment and self-evaluation that is supplemental to its abilities as an organized profession. Martha Rogers emphasized through her “unitary human being” theory that patient treatment should focus on the interactions between them and their environment (Larkin, 2021). The implication is that nursing developed due to the fundamental shift in approach to healthcare provision with the input of individual theorists like Martha Rogers who believed that such changes were fundamental in allowing nurses to position themselves to deliver better care by gaining increased levels of education and preparations.

The lasting impact of this shift include the importance of having an effective nursing faculty as it enhanced the professional dimension of the practice and its understanding of the obligations that it has to the people and communities. secondly, the shift also led to the development of new theories concerning training and preparation of nurses and the concept of nursing education. Imperatively, the importance of continuous or lifelong education and training have also emerged, especially for advanced practice nurses and the need for specialization to cater to diverse patient needs. The emergence of evidence-based practice and increased leveraging of nursing research also demonstrate the impact of the shift in the nursing profession (Gunther, 2021). The rise of peer-reviewed journals and professional conferences also demonstrate this shift. These changes remain critical to nursing being considered as a profession aimed at offering care that meets patient needs.

References

Farren, A. T. (2021). The Society of Rogerian Scholars’ Martha E. Rogers Scholars Fund, Inc.:

27 Years of Philanthropy. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science, 27(3), 1-14. https://www.societyofrogerianscholars.org/visions

Gunther, M. E. (2021). Martha E. Rogers: unitary human beings. Nursing Theorists and Their

            Work E-Book, 183.

Larkin, D. (2021). Living Rogerian Unitary Nursing Science in Tumultuous Times and Teaching

Our Next Generation With Healing Stories. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science, 27(4). www.societyofrogerianscholars.org

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Discussion Question:
Consider what was happening in nursing in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s with the change from diploma programs to an associate degree program. Martha Rogers believed that nursing is a separate and essential discipline and a unique field of study. She worked hard to establish nursing in higher education. Explain the importance of this shift and how it impacted nursing as a profession.

Your initial posting should be at least 400 words in length and utilize at least one scholarly source other than the textbook.