{"id":23,"date":"2019-09-23T13:23:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T13:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-delhi-professionalnursing\/chapter\/professional-nursing-practice\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T19:23:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T19:23:47","slug":"professional-nursing-practice","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-delhi-professionalnursing\/chapter\/professional-nursing-practice\/","title":{"raw":"Professional Nursing Practice","rendered":"Professional Nursing Practice"},"content":{"raw":"

Nursing practice has evolved over the centuries, beginning with Florence Nightingale in the 19th century conducting her own research on caring for soldiers in the Crimean War, to contemporary nursing practice in the 21st century where healthcare delivery has become complex, requiring a highly educated nursing workforce to meet the needs of a diverse, aging population<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n

This opening chapter on professional nursing practice begins with the definition of nursing. The American Nurses Association (ANA, 2021) defines the concept of nursing:<\/p>\r\n

Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations (p. 1)<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Nursing: An <\/strong>A<\/strong>rt and a Science<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Nursing has been referred to as an art and a science since the early 20th century when nurse licensure laws were first enacted. The concepts art and science are considered the defining characteristics of nursing, thus helping nurses understand and explain the nature of nursing practice (Peplau, 1988).<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Art<\/strong> of Nursing<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

In the mid-nineteenth century, the art of nursing was characterized as mothering and homemaking. A century later, the art of nursing was referred to as \u201cnursing arts\u201d, characterized as bathing, bedmaking, positioning patients, comforting techniques, and hospital housekeeping (. , 1981).<\/p>\r\n

Peplau (1988) categorizes the art of nursing as \u201c. . . enabling, empowering, or transforming art. It\u2019s aim, among other goals, is to produce favorable changes within clients through nursing services\u201d (p. 9). People are changed on a personal level as a result of the acts provided by nurses (Peplau, 1988). Creating trusting relationships with patients, and others, comes from the art of nursing, it gives nurses the opportunity to speak freely and honestly, to counsel and share their thoughts, knowledge, and feelings in a caring, genuine way.<\/p>\r\n

Pagana (1987) suggests \u201c. . . nurses are major keepers of the morality, goodness, honesty, ethics of client care, [often referred to as] a patient advocate\u201d (p. 9). Expressions associated with the art of nursing includes \u201cindividualized care\u201d, \u201cuniqueness of the patient\u201d, and \u201cthe patient as a person\u201d (Peplau, 1988, p. 9). The art of nursing relies on nurses using common sense, reflection of client experiences, and personal observation (Peplau, 1988).<\/p>\r\n

Today, the ANA (2021) describes the art of nursing as the act of caring and respect for human dignity. Approaching care in a compassionate way brings about competent care. Embracing spirituality, healing, empathy, mutual respect and compassion promotes health and healing. Nurses express art through helping, listening, mentoring, coaching, touching, intuition, cultural competence, tolerance, acceptance, and nurturing.<\/p>\r\n

Many of the attributes of the art of nursing are an inherent part of nursing practice, such as respect for human dignity and compassion. Though some nurses may need to learn some of these attributes through observation of others, such as touching and nurturing. Consider how the art of nursing can be taught in nursing school or learned\/strengthened throughout one\u2019s career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A Caring Profession<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\r\n

Nursing is a caring profession, and those who enter the profession often do so for altruistic reasons. People are attracted to the profession because of their desire to help those in need, those who are vulnerable. Gormley (1996) writes \u201cAltruism represents an amalgamation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors which either permit or coerce individuals to take responsibility for or care for another and to sacrifice things dearly held\u201d (p. 581). When caring originates from a group of altruistic individuals, called collective altruism, such as a hospital unit, the generalized concern results in the success of the group\u2019s goals and desires (Gormley, 1996).<\/p>\r\n

Nursing theorists have studied the nature of caring and how it impacts both the patient and the nurse. Watson (1988) explains how nurses assist patients to find meaning in their illness by protecting them and preserving human dignity through caring moments. These caring moments lead patients to self-discovery and self-knowledge. For example, the act of holding a patient\u2019s hand the night before surgery or listening to a grieving patient\u2019s sorrow become long-lasting memories for both the patient and the nurse.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Science<\/strong> of Nursing<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n

Up until the 1940s, the science of nursing was considered knowledge gleaned from science courses during nursing education. By the 1970s, the science of nursing was referred to as systematized knowledge and became a more significant component in nursing education (Peplau, 1988).<\/p>\r\n

As time passed, nurses wanted to further the professionalization of nursing practice. In order for nursing to be considered a profession, science needed to become a more significant component of practice (Peplau, 1988). According to the ANA (1980), a profession must include the use of scientific knowledge to understand and treat phenomena. Through use of scientific inquiry, nurses use theory to investigate and explain phenomenon, determine interventions, and design a plan of care (ANA, 1980). The science of nursing explained the patterns and problems of human beings as a group (Peplau, 1988).<\/p>\r\n

Today, a chief component of nursing practice includes application of evidence-based practice and research in the clinical setting, and scientific investigation. Nurses are actively involved in scientific research at academic institutions as well as the federal level. The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR, n.d.) is a federally funded nursing research program with a focus on improving population health through scientific research in\u00a0behavioral and biological sciences. Additional information on NINRs research programs can be found at the National Institute of Nursing Research<\/span> website<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

As a scientific discipline, nursing draws on knowledge from scientific research, nursing theory, the relationship between patients, nurses, and the environment within the context of health, theories from science, humanities, and other related disciplines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Foundational Documents of Professional Nursing<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

The ANA has developed three foundational documents for registered nurses, listed below. These documents were written for all registered nurses and are used to inform their thinking and decision-making in nursing practice settings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n