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WHAT : REPLY to the TWO Discussion Posts
FORMAT : APA with In-text Citation and Reference List
REFERENCES : TWO Peer-Reviewed references minimum within last 5 years
INCLUDE : Turnitin Report
* Please and THANK YOU *
_______________________
ReTho
Discussion Post Reply #1
Direction of Nursing Practice in the 21st Century’
As an advanced practice nurse (APN), integrating middle-range or situation-specific
theories into practice becomes paramount for enhanced patient outcomes. The
theories serve as a template for understanding clinical scenarios and guiding
interventions for individual patients. A perfect example of such a theory for use in
primary healthcare practice is ‘Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT)’ (Yip,
2021). The theory focuses on assessing patients’ capacity for self-care and
implementing the necessary interventions. With such theories, APNs can streamline
their decision-making and promote patient-centered practice. Utilizing nursing theories
in AP practice also ensures a systematic approach toward practice, and treatment
plans and assessments can be performed with some degree of standardization.
Bridging the gap between practice and theory must be multidimensional. Incorporating
evidence-based practice (EBP) into practice ensures nursing interventions are research
and proven methods (Almutlak et al., 2023). In addition to experience, mentors and
clinical preceptorship facilitate translating classroom knowledge into practice.
Fostering a culture of professional and continuing learning keeps nurses updated with
new theories and their effective utilization in practice. Besides, incorporating
informatics and computer utilization in nursing practice strengthens data collection,
which nursing theories can feed into and substantiate.
Studying nursing philosophy has expanded my understanding of the discipline’s
foundational concepts, such as the importance of empiric knowledge confirmation in
practice. I have also widened my understanding of nursing theory and its contribution
to patient care, research, and policy. I had been interested in understanding theoretical
practice, and I did it by researching various nursing models and integrating them into
practice. I also learned about the significance of theory improvement and adaptation
to changing healthcare needs. The knowledge has confirmed the significance of
evidence-based nursing and ongoing professional development, and I can continue
being a competent and knowledgeable practitioner.
_______________________________________
KriJo
Discussion Post Reply #2
Before advanced practice nurses can integrate mid-range or situation-specific theories into
practice, they must first be familiar with the theories. This class has been a great introduction
to theories. A spreadsheet or poster would be good to list many of them and a summary of
each theory. Addressing specific patient needs will help to identify what theory would be most
useful, for example, incorporating Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory for a patient needing palliative
care. I am partial to Jean Watson so I feel every patient would benefit from the Theory of
Human Caring or Swanson’s Theory of Caring to build trusting nurse-patient relationships.
Three ways to bridge the theory-practice gap:
1. We are actively participating in one of the ways to bridge the gap by attending a Nurse
Theory class.
2. In a clinical setting, having a poster or having easy access to different theories and
theorists would be beneficial to be able to apply appropriate theories per patient’s
needs.
3. Organizational support would help with consistency in using theories to improve patient
care.
A repertoire is a skill set or knowledge and in the context of philosophy I have gained in-depth
knowledge of one theorist, and familiarity with many theories. My comfort level is high for
applying the Theory of Human Caring in practice. My comfort level is higher than it was for
applying any other theory.
Leaning about theory can improve patient care and outcomes. For every patient situation, a
theory can be applied that will assist with care delivery, critical thinking, decision making,
involvement of patients in the treatment plan, strengthening the nurse-patient relationships,
improving communication, and providing better outcomes for patients (Gains, 2024).
In the opening discussion, my goals were to gain a foundation on what nursing theory is, to be
able to recognize nursing theorists, and to stay on top of assignments so as to not get
overwhelmed with the number of assignments due for this class. I am happy to report that I
achieved all my goals. My previous knowledge of nursing theory consisted only of Florence
Nightingale’s Environmental Theory and the importance of hand washing and a clean
environment. Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing sets the premise on basing nursing practice on
observation of the sick and their environment (Chinn & Kramer, 2011). Now I know that nursing
theories guide nursing practice and influence nurse-patient relationships and interactions. I
have a comfortable base of theoretical knowledge and enhanced skills on theory research to
find what might be best applicable in each situation. The third goal of staying on top of
assignments was attained as evidenced by not being late on any assignments and usually
finishing them with time to spare and focus on other classes. I was initially overwhelmed with
having to read a whole book on top of other assignments, but I enjoyed the book and the
psychology related to it. The excessive case load made this my least favorite class at times.
Sometimes I hated this class. But what I learned will be beneficial and applicable to my
practice as a nurse practitioner, so in the end it was worth it.
