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Reply to both peers attached. initiial discusion question: Analyze the definitions of the major nursing theorists. What is similar among them? What is different? What concepts found in those definitions are most closely aligned with your perception of nursing? Develop your own definition of nursing and compare it to those of the theorists and to those of your classmates.
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Nursing is an occupation that is not well understood by society, as its purpose and duties can be
misconstrued. The nursing career involves much more than just curing illnesses, which is evident by the
emphasis that is put on patient care and wellbeing overall. For this reason, theorists such as Virginia
Henderson, Florence Nightingale, and Faye Abdellah revolutionized what it meant to be a nurse. Each
theory has unique aspects that educate many people to use proper skills, empathy, and tools to interact
with patients.
An article by sage journals states that a critical feature of Henderson’s writings emphasized both the
independent and collaborative mission of nursing (Siboni et al, 2023). This theory highlights the
importance of aiding the patient in acquiring autonomy. Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory, on
the other hand, focused on the importance of having a clean and sterile surrounding for a patient, in the
hopes of reducing the possibility of patients getting sick due to their environments. Finally, Faye
Abdellah’s 21 nursing problems theory centers around the problems that affect nursing, such as poverty,
racism, and education. In this theory, the problems that cause direct consequences to nursing are
studied in great detail, in order to arrive at a solution. In these ways, the 3 different theories are very
distinct, as they specialize in different aspects of nursing. However, even though they contrast each
other, the 3 theories are similar in the fact that their intent and end goal is to enhance the quality of life
of the patients.
I resonate with Virginia Henderson’s theory the most. My definition of a nurse is someone who is
compassionate, considerate, and empathetic, but also one that gives strength, confidence, and
competence to their patients. It is empowering to witness a patient take initiative to care for themselves
despite their illnesses. Virginia Henderson encompasses this the most out of all the theorists, due to the
fact that she believes that a person’s independence is one of the most significant things they can have.
This is reenforced in an article by proquest, which states that Virginia Henderson’s theory focuses on
empowering patients to be as self-sufficient as possible to obtain the best possible outcome at discharge
(KHAN, 2023).
References:
Siboni, F. H., Behboudi, F., Mohebb, K., Majidi, S., Yaghobi, Y., & Carroll, K. (2023). Virginia Henderson’s
writings on the nature of … – sage journals. journals.sagepub.com3.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08943184221150255
KHAN, K. (2023). COMPARISON OF TWO NURSING THEORIES: VIRGINIA HENDERSON’S “NEED THEORY”
AND “PEACEFUL END OF LIFE THEORY.” proquest.com.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/c26947142599c4185598e0b874349783/1?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=2030615
Definitions of major nursing theorists
One of the key nursing theorists is Florence Nightingale, who defined nursing as the way of using the
patient’s environment with the aim of assisting them in their recovery (Cindy Ward et al., 2020).
Therefore, a patient needs to maintain a clean and peaceful environment during the healing. Another
key nursing theorist is Jean Watson, who defined nursing as the human science of persons and human
health-illness experiences primarily mediated by care transactions (Devi et al., 2022). It is then important
to maintain quality patient care and empathy during a patient’s healing.
Similarities and differences
The most significant similarity between the two theorists is how they emphasize the importance of
having a healthy environment to assist during the healing process. Another similarity is how the nurses
play a critical role during the patient’s healing (Devi et al., 2022). On the other hand, a critical difference
between the two theorists is how Nightingale’s theory emphasizes a patient’s physical environment
while Watson’s theory primarily focuses on the psychological perspective of a patient’s healing process.
Perception of nursing
A critical concept found in the definitions that aligns with my perception of nursing is the holistic
approach that should be followed while achieving patient care. Other concepts include the importance
of the environment during the patient’s healing process and how the nurses are ethically responsible
during the healing (Cindy Ward et al., 2020). Therefore, nursing involves not only the patient’s physical
care but is also associated with providing the patients with the emotional support they require.
Personal definition of nursing and their comparison
The personal definition of nursing is that it is a holistic approach that is directly associated with physical
and ethical perspectives, which play a significant role in providing patients with quality care. While
comparing that definition to that of the theorists, it is worth noting that my definition includes the
aspects of both theorists, which are the physical and ethical aspects (Cindy Ward et al., 2020).
Additionally, the theory aligns with my classmates, who focus on the physical and ethical perspectives
associated with the healing process.
References
Cindy Ward, D. N. P., et al. (2020). Florence Nightingale: Visionary for the role of clinical nurse specialist.
Online journal of issues in nursing, 25(2), 1–9.
Devi, B., Pradhan, M. S., Giri, M. D., & Lepcha, M. N. (2022). Watson’s theory of caring in nursing
education: challenges to integrate into nursing practice. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 1464–
1471.
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