THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEORY

TO NURSING AS A
PROFESSION
• Theory is significant because it helps us to settle on what we know and
what we need to know in the future
-it helps differentiate what should form the basis of practice by
clearly describing what nursing does and what nursing is all about
• The benefits of having a defined body of knowledge include improved
patient care, enhanced professional status, improved communication
between nurse professionals and guide for research and education
• In addition, because the main exponent of nursing – caring – cannot be
measured, it is vital to have the theory to analyze and explain what
nurses do
• Caring: the most unique characteristic of nursing as a profession is that,
it is a CARING profession
• Ideally, nursing theory should provide the principles that support
nursing practice
• In history, many nurses disputed that most theories were not related to
what really happens in the clinical practice
• However, due to various studies and researches, there was a modern
transfer towards evidenced-based practice in which nursing theories
were proven and tested to be helpful in nursing care
• Therefore, knowledge is not static rather it continues to grow in
relation to the goal of nursing for the human and social welfare of the
society
• As Medicine tries to make a move towards adopting a more
multidisciplinary approach to health care, Nursing continues to strive
to establish a unique body of knowledge
• Nursing concepts and theories have improved since Nightingale
stated one of the earliest concept of nursing as about “…a profession
that requires distinct from medical knowledge” (Nightingale, 1860)
• The overall goal of this knowledge is to explain the practice of
Medicine, Psychology and Social work (Chinn and Kramer, 2004)
• When we think about nursing profession, we come up with
ideas and thoughts about the significant of care, love,
compassion and competent clinical practice
• We might have a depiction of a female nurse who is wearing
a shiny white clinical uniform, with a topping of a well-
knitted cap, carrying a complete set of medicinal tray
• To understand the source of these ideas, questions can be
asked: How do these Nursing Theories guide the evolution
and development of the nursing profession?
• Nursing was the subject of sociological studies concerning
professional development and these studies used a variety of
criteria
Helps nurses to understand their purpose and role in
the healthcare setting. Guides knowledge
development. Directs education, research, and
practice. Recognizes what should set the foundation of
practice by explicitly describing nursing
Alligood (2018), argues that a discipline aims at
equipping one with knowledge and skills in a specific
field of study such as the school of nursing, medicine,
engineering, or law. On the other hand,a profession
aims at practicing the knowledge acquired from a
discipline such as a clinical nurse attending to a patient.
 NURSING AS A PROFESSION

• PROFESSION
▪ is a calling that requires special knowledge, skill and
preparation
▪ an occupation that requires advanced knowledge
and skills and that it growsout of society’s needs for
special services
PROFESSIONAL NURSING
▪ Is an art and science, dominated by an ideal service in
which certain principles are applied in the skilful care of the
well and the ill, and through relationship with the
client/patient, significant others , and the other members of
the health team

▪ CRITERIA OF PROFESSION
1. To provide a needed service to the society
2. To advance knowledge in its field
3. To protect its membres and make it possible to practice
effectively
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DISCIPLINE AND NURSING
PROFESSION?
• Alligood (2018), argues that a discipline aims at equipping one with
knowledge and skills in a specific field of study such as the school of
nursing, medicine, engineering, or law. On the other hand,a
profession aims at practicing the knowledge acquired from a
discipline such as a clinical nurse attending to a patient.

• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NURSING THEORY FOR THE

DISCIPLINE?
• They provide a foundational knowledge of care concepts that enable
those in the profession to explain what they do for patients and the
reasons for their actions. This is particularly important because it
helps nurses articulate evidence that justifies the methodologies
behind their practice.
• CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSION
• 1. EDUCATION. A profession requires an extended education of its
members, as well as basic liberal foundation
• 2. THEORY. A profession has a theoretical body of knowledge leading
to defined skills, abilities and norms
• 3. SERVICE. A profession provides basic service
• 4. AUTONOMY . Members of a profession have autonomy in
decision making and in practice
• 5. CODE OF ETHICS. The profession as a whole ha s a code of ethics
for practice. A profession has sufficient self-
impelling power to retain its members throughout lifr.
It must be a mere stepping stone to other occupations
• 6. CARING. The most unique characteristic of nursing as a
profession is that, it is a CARING profession
• NURSING
• - is a disciplined involved in the delivery of health care to the society
• - is a helping profession
• - is service –oriented to maintain health and well-being of people
• - is an art and a science

• NURSE – originated from a Latin word NUTRIX, to nourish

• CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING
• 1. Nursing is caring
• 2. Nursing involves close personal contact with the recipient of
care
• 3. Nursing is concerned with services that take humans into
account as physiological, psychological, and sociological
organisms
• 4. Nursing is committed to promoting individual, family,
community, and national health goals in its best manner
• 5. Nursing is committed to personalized services for all persons
without regard to color, creed, social or economic status
• 6. Nursing is committed to involvement in ethical, legal, and
political issues in the delivery of health care
• PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A NURSE
• 1. Must be a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing
• 2. Must be physically and mentally fit
• 3. Must have a license to practice nursing in the
country

• “A professional nurse therefore, is a person who has

completed a basic nursing education program and is
licensed in his country to practice professional
nursing.”
• WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF NURSING PROFESSION?
• Nurses advocate for health promotion, educate patients
and the public on the prevention of illness and injury,
provide care and assist in cure, participate in rehabilitation,
and provide support. No other health care professional has
such a broad and far-reaching role.
• WHY IS THEORY SIGNIFICANT IN THE PROFESSION OF
NURSING
• Theory is integral to the research process where it is
important to use theory as a framework to provide
perspective and guidance to the research study. The primary
purpose of theory in the profession of nursing is to improve
practice by positively influence the health and quality of life
of patients.
• HOW IMPORTANT IS NURSING AS A
PROFESSION?
• Nursing is a health care profession that involves
caring for the sick or injured. Nursing is one of
the rewarding professions you can choose.
Besides taking care of the patients, a nurse will
get an opportunity to work with the latest
technology in the field of medicine.
 CRITERIA OF A PROFESSION
BY WILLIAM SHEPHERD (1948)
1. A profession must satisfy an indispensable social need and be based upon well
established and socially accepted scientific principles
2. It must demand adequate pre-professional and cultural training
3. It must demand the possession of a body of specialized and systematized
training
4. It must give evidence of needed skills which the public does not possess; that is
skills which are partly inherent and partly acquired
5. It must have developed a scientific technique which is the result of tested
experience
6. It must require the exercise of discretion and judgment as to time an manner of
the performance of duty. This is in contrast to the kind of work which is subject to
standardization in terms of unit performance or time element
7. It must have a group of consciousness designed to extend
scientific knowledge in technical language
8. It must have sufficient self-impelling power to retain its
members throughout life. It must not be used as mere
stepping stone to other occupations
9. It must recognize its obligations to society by insisting that
its members live up to an established code of ethics
 CRITERIA OF A PROFESSION
BY FLEXNER A. (1915)
1. A profession applies its body of knowledge in practical services that are vital to human
welfare and especially suited to the tradition of seasoned practitioners shaping the skills of
newcomers to the role
2. It constantly enlarges the body of knowledge it uses and subsequently imposes on its
members a lifelong obligation to remain current in order to “do no harm”
3. A profession functions autonomously (with authority) in the formation of professional
policy and in monitoring its practice and practitioners
4. It utilizes in its practice a well-defined and well-organized body of knowledge that is
intellectual in nature and describes its phenomenon and practitioners
5. A profession has a clear standard of educational preparation for entry into practice
6. A profession is distinguished by the presence of specific culture, norms and other values
that are common among its members
• These criteria have historical significance because they provide
an understanding of the developmental path that nursing
followed.
• There are similarities and differences in the sets of criteria used
to evaluate the status of professions; however, they all include
the importance of developing and using a body of knowledge
that is basic to the practice of a certain profession - nursing
• This commitment to theory-based practice is helpful to the
nurse-patient relationship because it provides an organized,
educated approach to nursing practice
• It also serves the profession of nursing because nurses are known
for the contribution they make in the healthcare of humanity
• These criteria have historical significance because they provide an
understanding of the developmental path that nursing followed.
• There are similarities and differences in the sets of criteria used to evaluate
the status of professions; however, they all include the importance of
developing and using a body of knowledge that is basic to the practice of a
certain profession - nursing
• This commitment to theory-based practice is helpful to the nurse-patient
relationship because it provides an organized, educated approach to nursing
practice
• It also serves the profession of nursing because nurses are known for the
contribution they make in the healthcare of humanity
• Professional practice requires a systematic approach that is focused on the
patient
• Nursing theoretical works provide a perspective of the patient
• The conceptual models of nursing are complete and they guide the
reader to the details of practice
• The nursing theories are more specific and they provide more
direction for practice
• The application of existing theories to nursing forms a new
knowledge; it is the way in which existing information is combined
and used that makes it unique
• For the nursing practice to grow and develop, application of
knowledge is of great importance to expand competency and
effectiveness on nursing interventions to improve client outcomes
• In a nutshell, nursing theories give out an immense source of
knowledge to interpret explain and clarify the essence of what really
nursing is
• Moreover, it is a useful tool for reasoning, critical thinking and
decision making in nursing practice
 NURSING THEORY AND THE NURSE
PRACTITIONER
• Theory helps the nurse to:
▪ organize, examine and analyze patient’s data
▪ make decisions about effective and efficient
nursing
▪ make a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Time-bounded) plan of
care
▪ predict and evaluate outcomes
 THINGS TO REMEMBER

Nursing Theory (Theory-Based Provides the principles that support

Practice) nursing practice
Profession Specialized field of practice; line of work
Nurse Practitioner Practices the profession of nursing with
the application of acquired nursing
knowledge and concepts
Criteria Sets of rules and principles against which
something may be evaluated