Theoretical Base for Practice will Integrate theories and knowledge from the arts,

humanities, sciences and nursing to develop a foundation for nursing practice (FSU, 2015). The
benefits of having a defined body of theory in nursing includes a useful tool for reasoning,
critical thinking, decision making, quality and safe patient care, enhanced professional status for
nurses, improved communication between nurses and guidance for research and education. It
provides the basis for implementation and development of nursing care in all areas on the health
care continuum. There are many nursing theories that can apply to different nursing practices.
The challenge facing nurses today is to translate nursing theory into current day to day nursing
practice. I feel that this outcome was achieved as evidenced by the following works. The
collaborative slide presentation Mandatory Childhood Immunizations; No Shots-No School,
analyzed the scientific, popular culture, media and lay public thought processes and perspectives
involved in shaping the decreasing trend in childhood vaccination against preventable disease.
Through root-cause analysis and critical thinking, the anti-vaccine counter culture and its impact
on childhood health was explored, resulting in scientific, evidenced based responses to antivaccine myths and misconceptions developed for targeted patient education. Specific actions to
promote childhood vaccinations and a policy statement were authored to guide frontline nursing
practice in this critical area of health prevention.
The synopsis on hurricanes as a natural disaster, and the analysis of response plans on the
individual, community and national level in light of nursing initiated literature and nursing
theory regarding disaster management was an exercise in critical thinking and a critique of
government, community and healthcare sector decision making. The ability to reflect on the reallife natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina and to analyze what was right and what went wrong

within the disaster response continuum allowed for the testing of current scientific knowledge
and served to identify new areas for disaster response research and education. These efforts can
guide future healthcare sector responses, and in particular, innovations in nursing practice in
response to a natural disaster.
Ferris State University. (2015). BSN program outcomes
[Nursing]. Retrieved from http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/alliedhe/Nursing/BSNprogram-outcomes.htm