Personal Views on the Five Ways of Knowing in Nursing
In all areas of health care, knowledge is an important fundamental base for practice. Many theorists in nursing has tried to identify the ways of knowing since the time of Florence Nightingale, although it wasn’t until Carpers seminal article which highlighted the four ways of knowing that types of knowing other than empirical knowledge were identified (Bonis, 2009). While there have been identified five individual ways of knowing, these ways of knowing do not exist in isolation. The nurse must use knowledge from all domains to effectively care for the patient as each contributes to the nursing profession. Empirical knowing is the science, Esthetics is the art, personal is the self, …show more content…
Often times in healthcare, nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas, personal choices are made that may be deemed fundamentally wrong to others (Carper, 2012). While nurses are in the profession to help, it may be difficult for them to watch a patient make a potential life threatening choice, or one that goes against the nurse’s beliefs. Nurses often feel obligated to do what has to be done (Silva, Sorell &Sorell, 1995). Examples of ethical knowing are seen in many instances in nursing. One such exemplar may be observed in the palliative care setting. When a patient has exhausted all options, the transition to palliative care is potentially difficult for the patient and family. Often the nurse encounters situations where the patient has come to terms, and requested to not have any resuscitative measures preformed. Occasionally this is difficult for the family, who is asking the health care practitioners to use every means possible to keep their loved one alive. The nurse must reconcile the patient’s wishes with the families, which may or may not be in conflict with her own …show more content…
The nurse can bring identified problems to the attention of those in management to try and effect changes in a larger setting. An example of sociopolitical knowing is observed in the example of an aboriginal patient who presents with advanced breast cancer because she was unable to attend a screening program. The nurse could use this knowledge to advocate for more screening programs in rural areas, and possibly an aboriginal coordinator for programs near reserves to bridge the gap with this population.
Conclusion
Nursing knowledge is very diverse, encompassing many different areas. The effective nurse must be familiar with the science, art, ethics, and politics of nursing. Carper has identified four distinct forms of nursing knowledge, which was enhanced by Whites addition of sociopolitical knowledge. While these patterns of knowing are diverse, they do not exist in isolation. Often the nurse must employ several methods of knowing in their interaction with the patient to provide a complete, holistic approach to nursing
In all areas of health care, knowledge is an important fundamental base for practice. Many theorists in nursing has tried to identify the ways of knowing since the time of Florence Nightingale, although it wasn’t until Carpers seminal article which highlighted the four ways of knowing that types of knowing other than empirical knowledge were identified (Bonis, 2009). While there have been identified five individual ways of knowing, these ways of knowing do not exist in isolation. The nurse must use knowledge from all domains to effectively care for the patient as each contributes to the nursing profession. Empirical knowing is the science, Esthetics is the art, personal is the self, …show more content…
Often times in healthcare, nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas, personal choices are made that may be deemed fundamentally wrong to others (Carper, 2012). While nurses are in the profession to help, it may be difficult for them to watch a patient make a potential life threatening choice, or one that goes against the nurse’s beliefs. Nurses often feel obligated to do what has to be done (Silva, Sorell &Sorell, 1995). Examples of ethical knowing are seen in many instances in nursing. One such exemplar may be observed in the palliative care setting. When a patient has exhausted all options, the transition to palliative care is potentially difficult for the patient and family. Often the nurse encounters situations where the patient has come to terms, and requested to not have any resuscitative measures preformed. Occasionally this is difficult for the family, who is asking the health care practitioners to use every means possible to keep their loved one alive. The nurse must reconcile the patient’s wishes with the families, which may or may not be in conflict with her own …show more content…
The nurse can bring identified problems to the attention of those in management to try and effect changes in a larger setting. An example of sociopolitical knowing is observed in the example of an aboriginal patient who presents with advanced breast cancer because she was unable to attend a screening program. The nurse could use this knowledge to advocate for more screening programs in rural areas, and possibly an aboriginal coordinator for programs near reserves to bridge the gap with this population.
Conclusion
Nursing knowledge is very diverse, encompassing many different areas. The effective nurse must be familiar with the science, art, ethics, and politics of nursing. Carper has identified four distinct forms of nursing knowledge, which was enhanced by Whites addition of sociopolitical knowledge. While these patterns of knowing are diverse, they do not exist in isolation. Often the nurse must employ several methods of knowing in their interaction with the patient to provide a complete, holistic approach to nursing