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Theoretical
Foundations of Nursing 10%
- Weeks 7, 8 and 9 (8-14 Oct,
15-21 Oct, & 22-28 Oct) There are
two Assignments in Unit
Four.
Must
be completed by midnight, Sunday, of Week 9 of the
course. Use the forum in
WebCT for Questions
for Instructor on Unit
4 to
ask me questions about anything in Unit
4. Use the forum for
Student
Resources
to post URLs to
links of interest to the entire
class. Post suggestions
about the way the course works in the
Suggestion
Box. Use the
Student
Lounge to
talk about whatever you like; it isn't
course-related. Assignment
4A: How Theory Is Used in Nursing The
terms "theory," "theoretical framework,"
"theoretical model," and "theoretical rationale"
are frequently used interchangeably. They are
defined pretty much the same way: a theory explains
the relationships or connections between and among
concepts in a set. A theory explains something. We
all have theories about lots of things: e.g., from
how best to heal decubiti to how to raise children.
Each theory presents a particular perspective about
a phenomenon or subject of interest, such as a
theory about who the recipient of nursing is, or a
theory about what constitutes the environment, or
theories about how health is defined, or theories
about how a step in the nursing process should be
defined and implemented. In the past 50 years of
nursing, many theories have been formulated and
tested to explain and direct nursing
practice. A nursing theory describes,
explains, predicts, or prescribes some phenomenon.
For instance, there are theories about what is pain
(description), what causes pain (explanation),
under what circumstances pain is likely to occur
(prediction), and what can be done to ameliorate
the pain (prescription). You will also hear the terms
"conceptual model," and "conceptual framework." A
conceptual model or framework is a more general,
organized arrangement of concepts and their
relationships. Step One (Wk
7): Browse the Nursing
Theory Page. Select the theory of one
nurse theorist and study it. If necessary, go to
the library to find out more about this
theory. Prepare an article for the
Inservice Page of a staff newsletter. Your purpose
is to educate the nurses on your unit about the
theorist and theory that you selected in Step One
of Assignment #4A. Your article should briefly
explain who the theorist is/was. What are the major
concepts inn this person's theory? How are they
related to one another? For what kinds of patient
care situations is this theory most
applicable? Write your article carefully;
it should have enough information in it for your
classmates to complete Step Three below. Post your article in the
forum for Assignment
4A
(Nursing Theory). Discussion
Holiday! You need only to
read the articles of your classmates!!!! Optional: Check out these interesting
sites related to nursing: Assignment
4B: Applying Critical Thinking Skills in
Professional Communication One of the designated
learning outcomes from earning a baccalaureate
degree is a refinement of one's critical thinking
skills. Surely the ability to apply the skills of
critical thinking is preeminent for professional
nurses. One's ability to apply these skills would
be manifest throughout one's behavior--in oral
communication, in writing, in clinical judgments
and decision-making, and in interpersonal
relationships. Indicators of critical thinking in
one's writing are: Add to these the ability
to: Further indicators of the
application of critical thinking in external
behavior are manifest in one's ability to
be: Critical
thinking and professional communication go "hand in
hand." There is much merit in the old adage, "THINK
before you speak!" Step One (Wk
7): Use the following links to
review the principles of critical thinking. Pay
special attention to the kinds of questions a
skilled critical thinker generates in a given
situation. Use the following sites (or
find your own) to refresh your study of
communication. You may wish to augment these by
consulting textbooks that you have from your ADN
program, and/or by going to a library to find
appropriate resources: As you think about how the
principles of critical thinking are operationalized
in professional behavior and communication, post an
essay in the forum for Assignment
4B
(Communication) that
addresses the following questions: 1. Reflect on the application
of critical thinking skills in your own behavior as
a nurse--and as a student. Briefly explain your
"critical thinking strengths"? ...and briefly
explain areas of critical thinking that you need to
refine and develop. Illustrate with brief examples.
2. Explain why communication
is an essential determinant in the success/failure
of a nurse-client relationship. 3. Metacommunication
represents an integration of verbal and nonverbal
communication. The nurse must search for the
content (central idea), mood (emotion
communicated), and the interaction (dynamics).
Analyze the metacommunication in the following
vignette by examining the content, mood, and
interaction: 4. Professional literature
identifies four principles of communication:
presence, empathy, respect, and genuineness. Use a
very brief example to define each. 5. After reading the
following vignette, what would you say to Jane? How
could you apply the 4 principles of communication
to Jane's situation? Jane has spent 2 days in the
ICU following extensive face and neck surgery for
cancer. Although she will have reconstructive
surgery in the future, she has suffered significant
disfigurement. As Jane's nurse, you discover that
she has cried frequently over the last two days and
received morphine routinely. At the change of shift
the nurse reported that she gave Jane additional
doses of morphine whenever she cried. You have
never taken care of Jane before; as you approach
Jane's bed her daughter is leaving the ICU. She
pulls you aside and confides that her mother and
father are recently divorced. You walk up to Jane,
her ET tube has just been removed, and she is
crying. What will you say? Discussion
Holiday! But read the
essays of your classmates. Click
here
to evaluate how the course is working so
far. Home | WebCT | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Project | Evaluation | Site Map |