Comparison and Contrast: Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and Rosemarie Parse’s Theory of Human Becoming Nursing theory, according to Florence Nightingale, helps to describe and explain what nursing is and what it is not. Nursing theory is important because it assists the profession of nursing to develop and understand nursing practice (Parker, 2006). Two nursing theorists, Jean Watson and Rosemarie Parse, share some common themes and perspectives as well as some significant differences in their theories. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two theories in order to understand these similarities and differences as well as to examine the similarities of other nursing theories to Watson and Parse’s theories.
The way in which a nurse practices can greatly affect the outcome of the patient (Potter & Perry, 2006). For this reason, nursing practices based on theories and concepts should be researched. The process of using concepts, theories, research and practices to form rationales usually begins with a concept or theory and is cyclic in nature, as each component may lead to the other (see Appendix A). In the nursing profession, several concept-directed theories guide both research and practice. The purpose of this paper is to select and analyze one of the many nursing theories that exist.
She is a nurse, writer, professor, and a theorist. The death of her husband made her develop the caring theory. The basis of Watson’s theory is caring for the person holistically. Watson supports the idea of humanistic and holistic care; focus is on “caring”, promoting health, and preventing illness (Duncan & DePew, 2005). Watson also characterizes nursing as a healing art and science dedicate to the pursuit of harmonious and sacred relationships (George, 2011).
To understand the current practice of nursing, one must understand its history. Nursing is an art. One must have a passion for it. To be a nurse, one has to be compassionate, patient and the wiliness to give and to care for the sick. Having knowledge of the foundations and history of nursing provide a context in which to understand current practice, and how it has evolved and developed as a profession throughout the centuries.
Critique of Virginia Henderson: Need Theory Many theorists have come up with conceptual models that tried to define and explain nursing, one of which is by Virginia Henderson (1966). In this model, she stated that “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or peaceful death) that he/she would perform unaided if he/she had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him/her gain independence as rapidly as possible” (Henderson, 1966). This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of Henderson’s nursing theory using Fawcett`s framework of analysis and evaluation of conceptual models of nursing (2000). The person as defined in Henderson’s model is all encompassing; it applies to the sick, the well and the dying.
In order to review the current issues encompassing the profession of nursing, it is necessary to first review the history of nursing and how both societal and historical factors have influenced and shaped the profession. While the current hospital system is thought by many to have been created in the late nineteenth century, nursing scholars and historians argue that the modern hospital has a much longer history, with its foundations being found in the early Christian era (Nelson 2000, p3). During the early Christian period, religious orders fulfilled the early role of nurses, believing it to be ‘an integral part of Christian practice’ (Daly Speed Jackson 2012 p. 18). Followers of the Christian faith would seek to imitate the work of Jesus Christ and would care for the sick in hospices, staffed by members of the congregation who were known as ‘faith community’ nurses (Daly Speed Jackson, 2012 pp. 18-19).
COMPETENCY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADN AND BSN NURSES INTRODUCTION Nursing is science as well as an art. The science of nursing includes both the natural such as biology and chemistry and the human sciences such as sociology and physiology. Nursing is the ability to make strong relationship, do the routine procedures in a skilled manner, prescribe appropriate treatments and provide moral support. Theories provide direction and guidance for structuring professional nursing practice, education, and research. Theories help us like a tool for reasoning, thinking and decision making.
Due to Nightingale’s efforts to develop nursing into a profession and to provide those practicing with proper education, nursing was professionalised. Still nursing was very much focused on practical problem solving with little supporting theory. Even though the theory taken from Nightingale’s writings is seen as the basis for modern nursing, it was only after the Second World War that theory and practice became closer related. In the 1950’s the first theories on nursing were published and from 1960 till 1980 others such as Neuman and Orem followed. At the beginning of the 1980’s a collective view was created on the aspects which were key to nursing being: the person, the environment, health and nursing, also known as ”the metaparadigm of nursing”.
It is also important to know where and how theories can best apply to current nursing practice. Compare and Analyze a Common Core Concept A common core concept among Virginia Henderson’s need theory and Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory is nursing. Both theorists use the nursing concept in their theory to define the role of nursing. Henderson defines nursing as the unique function of a nurse to help a person sick or well in the performance of activities contributing to health or its recovery that the person would perform unaided if he or she had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge. Nursing can also consist of assisting an individual to a peaceful death.
Wall (2003) asserted that during the early Christian era the nursing ideals of charity, service to others, and self-sacrifice were in harmony with the teachings of the early Christian church. Nursing care at this time was more structured, but still it was far from professional nursing. Women continued to carry out most of the care for the poor and the sick. The church set up a system for care that included the role of the deaconess, who provided care in homes (Wall, 2003). Women who served in these roles had to follow strict rules set by the church.