History of nursing development - Case Study Example

Running Head: History of Nursing Development. Department Nursing knowledge has developed over time andcontinues to develop even today under the influence of many factors; Nightingale (1860) referred to nursing as both art and science. The medical model and logical empiricist movement are two significant influences on the development of knowledge in nursing. The medical model changed the nurse’s view of phenomena such as disease, medicine, symptoms and even surgery. Empiricism on the other hand stressed the need for objectivity, measurement of facts, instrumentation, validity and reliability of facts (Cull-Wilby & Pepin, 1986).

A major revolution in knowledge took place in 1950s when nurses started identifying and shaping necessary requirements for a separate knowledge body thanks to emergence, articulation and investigation of theories in nursing. Modern knowledge in nursing emphasizes research based on clinical questions, definition of concepts as well as variables, control of conditions and accurate instrumentation. According to (Thomas 1997) cited in Winters and Ballou, (2004), science can be defined broadly as “an intellectual process using all available mental and physical resources to better understand, explain, quantitate and predict normal as well as unusual natural phenomena.

” This applied to nursing then it qualifies as a science and this way it is able to meet client requirements in biological, psychological and social terms. As a discipline, nursing utilizes both philosophical and scientific forms of inquiry; it combines social, empirical and applied elements of science and this because it concerns with both general and individual human experiences as well as the relationship between nurses and clients. It is therefore very important for nursing to stand out as an independent body of knowledge in science.

Doctoral education in nursing will help prepare nursing scientists with better knowledge and skill to eradicate sources and impacts of scientific error in the field. Nurses of today are not being cross trained with other fields, goals and research methods in nursing have become clearer. Therefore continuous support for extensive research at the level of PHD alongside peer review evaluation will effectively see the discipline do away with errors. In conclusion therefore the body of knowledge categorized as nursing has evolved over time and continues to improve for better service.

It was initially viewed as subordinate with a lot of borrowed knowledge, later grow to formulate own theories and now is concerned with the whole human body hence emphasizing validation of hypotheses through scientific research with precise instrumentation. I therefore consider nursing a science doctoral level education is crucial for preparing better equipped nurses to solve the problems bedeviling the discipline with new knowledge. References.1. Barbara L. Cull-Wilby and Jacinthe I. Pepin. (1986).

Towards a Coexistence of Paradigms in Nursing Knowledge Development. Journal of Advanced Nursing,1987,12,515-5212. Janice Winters, and Kathryn A. Ballou. (2004). Nursing Theory and Concept Development or Analysis; The Idea of Nursing Science. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.3. Peter Allmark (2003). Popper and Nursing Theory. Blackwell Publishing Ltd Nursing Philosophy, 4,pp. 4-6