Nursing Essay Sample: The Environmental Theory

Arguably, the legitimacy and advancement of any profession are based on its ability to generate and apply theory effectively. Thus, being the current framework and body of knowledge that supports and explains the nursing practice, current nursing theories and models have a significant role to play, not only in the nursing practice but also the overall nursing phenomenon. Over the years, a controversy that seeks to assess whether nursing theories and models have any impacts on guiding the nursing practice have existed. Various scholars have contended that nursing theories particularly offer a set of framework that guides and shapes practice and education. For this reason, the primary intent of this essay is to discuss how the current nursing theories and models, primarily guide the nursing practice.

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To begin with, nursing theories are known to address the phenomena of interest in the nursing profession primarily. This includes the general focus of nursing, the patient, the nurse, the purpose of nursing as well as the relationship between the nurse and the patient. Brownell (1976) points out that the nursing theories explicitly or implicitly direct all the avenues of nursing, which include, administration and education. Thus, this means that it is through these theories that act as a framework, which nurses are offered the perspective for relating with those professionals from diverse disciplines that join efforts with the nurses to provide health care as well as other human services. In the same vein, nursing models are of a great benefit in guiding the nursing practice since they usually offer an essential framework that guides education and practice. Usually, nursing models are teamed with the nursing process to enable focus on the patient, giving shape and structure to the nursing assessment, and also allowing precise identification of the problems that may face the nursing profession (Narrow, 1987). For instance, it is through the use of Orems model that nurses are able to assess their patients for their own self-care deficits. With this, the nurses are able to set the appropriate round of interventions that are aimed at helping the patient to restore and overcome their self-care deficits.

Additionally, current nursing theories substantially guide the nursing practice in the sense that, it is through the application of these theories that patients receive regular nursing care that is centered on their individual needs. A current nursing theory such as the Peplaus Interpersonal theory is useful in guiding the nursing profession. This is because this particular theory is divided into various phases which enable the patient to make use of the available nursing services on the basis of their individual needs and self-interest (Olin, 2011). Additionally, there are current nursing models which are centered on the individual needs of the patients, and hence aiding in guiding the practice. For example, a general nurse program that focuses its practice on the Neumans System Model emphasizes the need for the nurses in practice, to assess the patients wellbeing so as to understand and identify any kind of stressors that may affect them. By so doing, this model guides the nurses in the provision of the appropriate interventions necessary to offset the effects of the identified stressors. Additionally, the use of this particular model potentially results to the use of a common language that allows the nurses to discuss the practice essentially.

The application of current nursing theories in the nursing practice helps in distinguishing what should form the basis of the overall nursing practice by describing nursing in an explicit manner. This in essence, can be said to substantially guide the nursing practice since it enhances the professional status for the nurses since, similar to the way current nursing theorists must understand and appreciate the day-to-day nursing practice, the nurses in practice have a similar responsibility of studying the value of nursing theories (Reed, 2003). Besides, the current nursing theories improve communication between nurses and also gives guidance for any research that is conducted in the profession. With increase in the number of studies and analyses conducted in the modern day today, various scholars substantiate that the research of the studies done without the application of nursing theories was isolated information.

The Environmental Theory can be said to effectively guide the modern day nursing in various ways. Firstly, the theory is based on the idea that the impetus for healing is centered in the individual human being while the health care focus would involve placing the individual in an environment that is supportive of the healing process. Thus, through the application of this theory, while in their practice, nurses are able to learn and acquire the knowledge of the specific areas in the patients environment, which require their professional attention. Some of these areas are such as the ventilation, cleanliness, nutrition, observation of the sick, among others. This being said, a nurse in practice is deemed to be guided by this theory by providing a clean and conducive environment for the patient, to enhance healing and to prevent infection (Adams, 2015).

In the same vein, the System Model by Neumann guides the nurses in the same manner as the Environmental Theory. Owing to the fact that the model is based on the clients or rather the patients system response to the possible or actual stressors in their environment, this model particularly guides the nurses in the use of various nursing level prevention interventions to attain, retaining and maintaining the optimal client system wellness. In Neumanns account, nurses using this model ought to understand that their primary concern in their practice is the prevention of the invasion of stress in the patients surroundings. On the other hand, if the nurse is not able to prevent the occurrence of stress, the nurse needs to make use of their professionalism in practice so as protect the patients basic structure and also to obtain and maintain a minimum level of wellness for the patient (McCrae, 2011).

In conclusion, over the past couple of years, broad nursing theories and conceptual frameworks have in one way or the other, been overshadowed by empirical evidence in the nursing practice. With various studies on the application of both the current nursing models and models being done, it is evident that the day to day nursing practice and nursing education that creates a platform for the future nursing practice are all based on the guidance accorded to the nurses through the application of the basic nursing theories and models as the conceptual framework for the practice. For this reason, it is with no doubt that the current nursing models and theories guide and act as the foundations of nursing practice by helping generate further knowledge that the nurses should apply, while at the same time, indicating the general direction that the nursing practice should develop in the future.

References

Adams, J. (2015). Theories Guiding Nursing Research and Practice Fitzpatrick Joyce and McCarthy Geraldine Theories Guiding Nursing Research and Practice384pp 0826164048 41.93 Springer 9780836164049. Emergency Nurse, 23(2), 12-12. doi:10.7748/en.23.2.12.s15

McCrae, N. (2011). Whither Nursing Models? The value of nursing theory in the context of evidence-based practice and multidisciplinary health care. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(1), 222-229. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05821.x

Narrow, B. W., & Buschle, K. B. (1987). Nursing Theories and the Practice of Nursing. In Fundamentals of nursing practice (1st ed.). New York: Wiley.

Olin, J. (2011, September 12). 7 Nursing Theories To Practice By | Notes from the Nurses' Station. Retrieved from http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2011/7-nursing-theories-to-practice-by/

Reed, P. G. (2003). Book Review: Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice by Marilyn Parker (Ed.) (Philadelphia: F.A. Davis, 2001). Nursing Science Quarterly, 16(2), 175-176. doi:10.1177/0894318403251799