In the graduate education, every course has their own objectives to accomplish and new things to teach students. As an advanced practice nursing (APN) student, theory fundamentals play an important part in the future of an APN career because theories are what make nursing practice a profession (Cruz,2008). The graduate nursing theory course provided understanding about the purpose of nursing theories and application of theories into the advanced practice setting. The purpose of this paper is to further discuss how nursing theories can be applied in practice, how theories are used to evaluate ideas, explore application of nursing metaparadigms of nursing theory and discuss application of various theories in advanced nursing practice.
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Nursing theory serves as a resource to guide practice. Nursing theories are based on research findings from theorist observations. Application of theories into practice allows for APNs to make appropriate decisions and evaluate patient care outcomes with evidence from theory findings (Davidson,2012). Applying theories also allows APN to thoroughly examine, assess, set guidelines, apply abstract principles and critical thinking gathered from the knowledge of theoretical frameworks into practice (Davidson,2012). “When nurses view their practice through the application of theory, it opens them to more self-reflection for professional development” (Davidson,2012). Nursing theories are better understood when applied into practice. In the APN profession, multiple nursing theories are used because every patient is different, requiring different needs to be met (Burges, 2009). Here is an example of a how a nursing theory is applied into practice. A post-operative patient who had a knee replacement is experiencing a lot of pain constantly rating pain ten out of ten. The …show more content…
A useful theory that can be applied in patient care situations in the APN role is Lippitt change theory. Patients are seen by healthcare providers because something is not within the patients’ “normal”. It is up to the patient’s determination to work with the healthcare provider to change for the better. Lippitt’s theory of change involves using assessment, diagnosing, intervention and evaluation through seven stages. The seven stages are diagnosing the problem, assess the patient’s motivation, assess the resources available, choose objectives and goals, monitor progress, maintain change and terminate the helping relationship (Mitchell, 2013). “Lippitt 's stage of 'maintaining the change ' is crucial because successful change can often regress to former, outdated practices” (Mitchell, 2013). The theory of change is a problem solving approach to help patients apply change. When APNs use this theory they need to consider the patient’s willingness to change to improve their own
Nursing theory serves as a resource to guide practice. Nursing theories are based on research findings from theorist observations. Application of theories into practice allows for APNs to make appropriate decisions and evaluate patient care outcomes with evidence from theory findings (Davidson,2012). Applying theories also allows APN to thoroughly examine, assess, set guidelines, apply abstract principles and critical thinking gathered from the knowledge of theoretical frameworks into practice (Davidson,2012). “When nurses view their practice through the application of theory, it opens them to more self-reflection for professional development” (Davidson,2012). Nursing theories are better understood when applied into practice. In the APN profession, multiple nursing theories are used because every patient is different, requiring different needs to be met (Burges, 2009). Here is an example of a how a nursing theory is applied into practice. A post-operative patient who had a knee replacement is experiencing a lot of pain constantly rating pain ten out of ten. The …show more content…
A useful theory that can be applied in patient care situations in the APN role is Lippitt change theory. Patients are seen by healthcare providers because something is not within the patients’ “normal”. It is up to the patient’s determination to work with the healthcare provider to change for the better. Lippitt’s theory of change involves using assessment, diagnosing, intervention and evaluation through seven stages. The seven stages are diagnosing the problem, assess the patient’s motivation, assess the resources available, choose objectives and goals, monitor progress, maintain change and terminate the helping relationship (Mitchell, 2013). “Lippitt 's stage of 'maintaining the change ' is crucial because successful change can often regress to former, outdated practices” (Mitchell, 2013). The theory of change is a problem solving approach to help patients apply change. When APNs use this theory they need to consider the patient’s willingness to change to improve their own