Emergence of the discipline and philosophy of nursing

Nursing Philosophy

Emerging and Developing Philosophies of Nursing

The formalization and solidification of nursing as a scientific and scholarly discipline is certainly one of the most important concepts in the development of nursing practice. Nursing in the form known today would be impossible without this now-obvious-seeming innovation of Florence Nightingale's, who was the first to design and insist on a formalized plan of study and practice in the field of nursing (Chinn & Kramer 2004, pp. 3). Without this development in the nineteenth century, not only would nursing have remained largely a second-class discipline in the field of medicine (though some would argue that it is still treated and viewed as such by many today), but little of the prigress that has been made in te field in the modern age could have been accomplished. The formalization of nursing allowed for inquiry and investigation on a scientific basis, allowing for new discoveries and decisions to be made.

Tat being said, one of the most essential recent developments in the formalized discipline of nursing has been the recognition by many scholars of the integrated nature of nursing (Dobson et al. 2009). Rather than approaching nursing with a singular perspective and/or attempting to define rigid boundaries in the study and practice of nursing, much modern scholarship has focused on he many different areas of study that influence and impact the practice of nursing. Concepts from other disciplines both within the medical community and in the scientific community at large have become essential to the modern understanding and practice of nursing, and the recognition and fostering of this integration has been hugely important in the development of nursing (Dobson et al. 2009). This development is arguably as important as the initial formalization of nursing, as it helps to redefine the science of nursing.

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The four identified metaparadigms of nursing -- nurse, person, environment, and health -- reflect the current understanding of nursing practice as an integrated part of medical treatment and health enhancement. Though each concept is highly related to the others, each represents a different way of approaching and understanding issues in nursing. The nurse is understood as a medical practitioner, using verified empirical data in providing treatment options to the patient. The person metaparadigm takes the subjectivity and personal judgment that is equally essential to the practice of nursing into account (Chin & Kramer 2004). Environment can be understood as the physical, emotional, and social surroundings of the treatment, and health is best understood as the overall well-being of those involved in treatment. Each concept refers to a distinct way of studying issues in nursing, yet each is also completely essential for a comprehensive understanding of modern nursing practice and scholarship.