Professional Development Assignment
Michelle Turner
Aspen University
Theoretical Foundations
N507
Heidi Haldeman
December 6, 2014
Professional Development Assignment
When learning that the next course on my syllabus was Theoretical Basis for Nursing my reaction was just as described in the preface of the assigned textbook “ugh!”. For starters I had no idea how I could apply this to my day to day. Also as I skimmed the content I saw the word research way to many times. But, as I have spent time skimming the pages and reviewing the contents of the text I look forward to the coming days of understanding how theory can be applied to my daily life as a nurse.
Just as any subject there are interesting parts of the course and not so interesting portions. To be assure that this paper ends on a positive note, I will discuss the topics in the text that are not on my list of things to look forward reading about. The first of these is the concept of science and philosophical schools of thought. Spending my evenings saturating my mind with philosophies of science, differentiating between rationalism and empiricism, and human science, modernism, postmodernism, and related worldviews would not be my choice of time well spent. With that said, I do see that understanding the terms and background will be the only way to truly understand the basics of theory and it’s application in nursing.
Another topic I am having a difficult time wrapping my head around and realize I will have to take more time to skouer the chapters discussing nursing theory. Nursing theory focuses on grand nursing theories and grand theories are then divided into three groups. These groups include human needs, interactive process, and unitary process. The concept of middle range theories is to fill the gaps between grand nursing theories and nursing practice. Middle range theories cover topics such as pain, symptom management, cultural issues, and health promotion. More specific, have fewer concepts, and encompass a more limited aspect of the real world. Concepts are concrete and can be operationally defined (McEw , 2014). Middle range theories are a concept that I will need to look for examples in my day to day nursing practice.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a topic in the text that I do look forward to diving into. Our text discusses how evidence based practice relates to nursing theory and application of theory in nursing practice and nursing research. Evidence-based practice is important to the safety of our patients, the development of our profession, and educating. Evidence-based practice is an explicitly formal approach to enhancing efficiency. Evidence-based practice facilitates meeting the needs of patients and delivering care that is effective, efficient, equitable, patient-centered, safe, and timely (Institute of Medicine, 2001).
I may be drawn to this topic because in chapter 12 McEwen and Wills discuss the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care. This was a model developed in 1994 at the University of Iowa to provide guidance for nurses and others in making decisions about practice that affects patient outcomes. I am somewhat biased because I have been a part of the University of Iowa for the past 12 years, but beyond biased this is a concept and a practice that is expected of nursing at Iowa. I have had the pleasure of being a part of and initiating several projects that have bettered the care and safely of our patients.
Quality health care is defined as “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge”. The Institute of Medicine’s 2001 article, To Err Is Human released the statement that medical errors were responsible for between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths annually in the United States (McEwen and Willis, 2014). An immediate demand for accountability and quality in the