Copyright 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams
Copyright 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams Wilkins
Copyright 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams Wilkins
Chapter 1 discusses foundational concepts related to nursing, including its classification as a profession, its scientific basis, and its theoretical and knowledge frameworks. The chapter explores whether nursing meets the criteria of a profession by examining characteristics such as formal training, socialization, autonomy, and ethical standards. It highlights that all professions are occupations, but not all occupations qualify as professions, emphasizing nursing’s unique attributes.
Nursing’s knowledge base is multifaceted, incorporating formal education, altruism, ethics, and socialization processes. As an academic discipline, nursing possesses a distinct perspective, terminology, and particular research questions, supported by conceptual frameworks and theories. It draws upon various sciences, including basic sciences like physiology and biology, and aligns with social sciences, making it a practice-oriented applied science.
The relationship between science and philosophy is fundamental to understanding nursing. Science is a process of acquiring and verifying knowledge through empirical methods, focusing on causality and problem-solving. Philosophy, by contrast, explores broader questions about existence, morality, and human purpose. Both disciplines aim to increase knowledge, with science emphasizing hypothesis testing and objective verification, while philosophy addresses existential and value-based questions.
Various branches of philosophy such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics underpin the foundational principles of nursing philosophy. These explore the nature of reality, the origins of knowledge, moral values, and aesthetic appreciation, informing the moral and conceptual framework of nursing practice.
Nursing philosophy articulates the core assumptions, beliefs, and principles about the nature of knowledge, the human entities it concerns, and their relationships. It provides essential perspectives for practice, research, and scholarship, integrating epistemology (study of knowledge) and ontology (nature of being).
The worldviews of science and philosophy significantly influence nursing. Empiricism or positivism, dominant in physical and biological sciences, focuses on objective, measurable phenomena, emphasizing reductionism, prediction, and control. In contrast, phenomenology, constructivism, and humanism prioritize subjective perception, lived experiences, and interpretive understanding, emphasizing context, multiple truths, and discovery.
Nursing science encompasses the systematic study of human responses to health and illness across biological, behavioral, social, and cultural domains. It is both a practice science, utilizing quantitative methods like controlled experiments, and a human science, employing qualitative approaches such as phenomenology and ethnography. Recent scholarly debates advocate for methodological pluralism, integrating both research paradigms to fully capture nursing’s complex phenomena.
In terms of knowledge development, nursing epistemology examines how knowledge is created, validated, and applied. It encompasses empirical knowledge—objective, research-based, and quantifiable; aesthetic knowledge—subjective, expressive, and experiential; personal knowledge—self-awareness and interpersonal understanding; and ethical knowledge—moral principles guiding practice. All these ways of knowing contribute to the holistic practice of nursing and inform decision-making.
Contrary to the misconception that only empirical science provides valid knowledge, nursing recognizes multiple ways of knowing, including the art of nursing, moral reasoning, and personal understanding. Theories of knowledge, such as those from Carper and others, support this comprehensive view, emphasizing the importance of integrating scientific, aesthetic, personal, and ethical epistemologies.
Empirical knowledge underlies the scientific approach, delivering objective, testable, and verifiable information that explains and predicts phenomena. Aesthetic knowledge involves empathy, intuition, and the expressive arts of nursing, facilitating therapeutic relationships. Personal knowledge fosters authentic clinical encounters, grounding practice in self-awareness and genuine understanding. Ethical knowledge guides moral decision-making, balancing conflicting norms and principles in complex situations.
In conclusion, nursing as a discipline amalgamates science, philosophy, and a diverse array of knowledge types to foster a holistic, ethical, and evidence-based approach to healthcare. Recognizing the multifaceted nature of nursing knowledge enriches practice and research, supporting the profession's ongoing development and societal value.
References
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- Carper, C. (1978). Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 1(1), 13-23.
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