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Reflective Essay

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Cindy Tanchuan
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51 views2 pages

Reflective Essay

Uploaded by

Cindy Tanchuan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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REFLECTIVE ESSAY:

History & Philosophy of Science in Nursing

by: Cindy G. Tanchuan

The discipline of nursing is always changing; in the 20th century, it transitioned


from being an occupation to a profession. A variety of actions and concepts come to
mind when thinking of nursing, and they are all equally applicable to this field. For
instance, nursing may be defined by some as the direct practice of assessing,
diagnosing, or treating patients' physical needs. Others, on the other hand, view
nursing as a scientific discipline where researchers work to enhance public health. It
is crucial to recognize nursing as a multifaceted field that draws on information
from several social and health sciences.

Nursing is a mostly practical career, particularly if one works in a clinic and


provides patient care. In this sense, the process of imparting the skills required for
future nurses to deliver health care services is also included in the academic study
of nursing. However, a lot of academics also incorporate nursing science,
management, and leadership concepts into the discipline's framework (McEwen &
Wills, 2019). Ultimately, if nursing is viewed as a science, then theory development
and more significant and abstract concerns take precedence over the practice, which
does not completely disappear.

The application of the scientific method, the pursuit of discovery, and the gathering
of evidence are fundamentally shared by science and health care. As a result, science
also supports the nursing profession, with evidence-based practice serving as one of
its main tenets. But there are also important problems like what constitutes science
and how a scientific process may be used and relied upon. The philosophy of science
refers to this investigation into the underlying meaning of science (Gray et al.,
2017). This area of philosophy, in my opinion, is essential to nursing because it
connects the human, holistic components of healthcare with the scientific
underpinnings of it. There is no one clear path, backed by scant data, for providing
care for another person and attempting to enhance their health.

Hence, nursing philosophy of science demonstrates that there is no such thing as


absolute truth, and nurses need to be aware of this in order to relate to patients and
comprehend their own personal development. The idea that nursing is a vocation
that involves more than just treating patients is the foundation of my philosophy. It
is a comprehensive discipline designed to promote and enhance each patient's and
community's overall wellness and health. This goal is equally aided by advocacy,
research, and treatment, resulting in a comprehensive approach to population
health.
Philosophy has an impact on scientific research and also shapes the information that
nurses learn or develop. This implies that how a person engages with information
might be influenced by their opinions or beliefs about nursing and health. According
to Rega et al. (2017), philosophy provides a particular meaning to human life,
sickness, and well-being. By going over their philosophical take on these concepts,
nurses can learn new information, reject assertions that are out of date or
unsubstantiated, or decide which knowledge stream is more useful in a given
circumstance.

In general, the general public views nursing as a synthesis of theory and practice. It
brings together the hard to measure and quantify dimensions of ethics with actual
perceived reality. As a result, the philosophy of each nurse affects how they relate to
the nursing profession and the nursing field. My guiding principle is patient-
centered, holistic care that goes beyond therapy to include advocacy and research.

References
Gray, J.R., Grove, S.K., & Sutherland, S. (2017). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing
research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). Saunders Elsevier.

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2019). Theoretical basis for nursing (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer
Health.

Rega, M. L., Telaretti, F., Alvaro, R., & Kangasniemi, M. (2017). Philosophical and theoretical
content of the nursing discipline in academic education: A critical interpretive
synthesis. Nurse Education Today, 57, 74-81.

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