Reflective Critique Essay Discussion Paper
Nursing theory, practice and research must be utilized together for nursing to be recognized as an academic discipline. Carper (1978) identified four types of knowledge used by nurses. Chin and Kramer (2008) added a fifth element emancipatory. These ways of knowing facilitates a broader understanding of professional understanding and accountability. This reflective critique is a detail analysis on a personal experience in your practice in which you incorporated these ways of knowing. Discuss how the ways of knowing and nursing frameworks were applied. Be specific and use references to support your reflection .
You are expected to include the following:
Introduction and definition of topic
Key terms related to topic
Describe the interrelationship of Ways of knowing and nursing theory.
Implications of this knowledge in nursing practice.
How you applied them in your practice
Conclusion
Reflective Critique Essay
Introduction and definition of topic
Reflective critique in nursing, particularly with regards to practice and education, offers an opportunity for a nurse practitioner to access, understand and learn through lived experiences. As a consequence, it allows nurses to undertake congruent actions towards developing increasing effectiveness within the context of the desired professional nursing practice. To help with the reflective critique, there is a need for a model of structured reflection that accesses the depth and breadth of the experience (Howatson-Jones, 2016). A model based on the five types of knowledge used by nurses (esthetics, personal, ethics, empirical and emancipatory) has been identified as appropriate since it is a heuristic tool that provides a framework for the reflection while simultaneously enabling the nurse to transcend the model in response to unfolding situations that present in everyday professional practice. To be more precise, the essential nature of the reflective critique is reflexivity as learning occurs through experience and learning is assimilated through reflection on existing personal knowledge that embodies what the nurse practitioner already knows and has available to respond to a situation within the practice environment (Johns, 2017). In this respect, this reflective critique analyzes reflected experiences over time within the professional practice environment based on the five ways of knowing. Reflective Critique Essay Discussion Paper
Key terms related to topic
The key terms related to the topic are the five ways of knowing in nursing as unique patterns of knowing. Firstly, emancipatory way of knowing explores the praxis of nursing in terms of the human capacity to be aware and conduct critical reflection on the political, cultural and social status quo, as well as figure out why and how things happen. This way of knowing is particularly targeted at identifying the inequities imbedded in political, cultural and social institutions, and how beliefs and values can change to create just and fair conditions. Secondly, ethics way of knowing explores the moral component of nursing. It focuses on the concept of obligation with regards to what a nurse ought to do in professional practice irrespective of the circumstances. It extends beyond the simple knowledge of ethical principles and codes of conduct as it involves making moment-to-moment judgements concerning what is responsible, what is right and good, and what ought to be done. Also, it involves clarifying conflicting values and exploring alternative actions, principles and interests (Chinn & Kramer, 2018).
Thirdly, personal way of knowing explores the self and other in nursing. It is concerned with the inner experience of becoming a genuine, aware, whole self. It encompasses the notion of subjective self and how it related to others. With the awareness of self, a nurse is able to have meaningful, shared human experiences with others to include delivering the required therapeutics. Fourthly, aesthetics way of knowing explores the art of nursing. It involves appreciating the meaning of a nursing situation and calling forth resources that transform an experience into an ideal outcome. Finally, empirics way of knowing explores the science of nursing. It assumes that knowledge is accessed through physical senses, particularly hearing, touching and seeing. It is particularly useful in accurate observation and record keeping (Chinn & Kramer, 2018).
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Describe the interrelationship of Ways of knowing and nursing theory.
The five ways of knowing have a close relationship with Hildegard E. Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations. The ways of knowing allowing for a good understanding of what is critical for practice discipline in nursing, while the theory explores the therapeutic interactions between nurses and patients. The two (ways of knowing and theory) make it clear that nursing involves the interactions, dynamics and processes involved in delivering therapeutic interventions in the clinical setting. In fact, they identify the need for nurses to go beyond following orders towards engaging in thoughtful processes that undo any wrong within the practice environment with a focus on facilitating efficiencies and better care outcomes. It is clear that while the five ways of knowing describe five dimensions of distinct processes for developing knowledge, they are complementary and contribute to the whole of knowing. The inclusion of the theory shifts the ways of knowing ways from the unquestioned use of principles, methods and rules often associated with the development of knowledge, towards embracing perspectives that value knowledge development that is grounded in creating an envisioned outcome (Smith, 2020).
Implications of this knowledge in nursing practice.
The interrelationship of ways of knowing and Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations has implications for nursing practice. It identifies nursing practice as a contextual exercise that focuses on perceiving and understanding the self and the world. In this case, any knowledge of nursing must be expressed in a form that can be shared with others, and collectively judged by established standards that are shared by the disciplined community of nurses. For that matter, the interrelationship establishes nursing as a unique discipline that has collectively judged standards that are considered to be accurate and valid understanding of the features and elements that comprise professional nursing practice. As such, there is an understanding that professional nursing knowledge is fluid since it is resultant of interactions between multiple sources as the nurse is taught by interactions with patients and others, societal directives, experiential processes, personal thinking, books and publications, and many other sources. In this way, nursing is an ontology (way of being) that is unique to each nurse’s particular existence and individual personal reality. As nurses practice, they make use of the understandings and insights gained from a variety of sources, expressing their knowledge through sounds, movements and actions in a fluid professional nursing situation. Ultimately, what a nurse conveys is a moving wholeness that is unique to the nurse (changing over time based on education, experience and reflection), and typically not available to the broader audience (Arnold & Boggs, 2020).
How you applied them in your practice
I have applied the five ways of knowing in developing a more critical professional practice approach that always seeks to improve with regards to maintaining or raising care quality, efficiency, effectiveness and safety. Firstly, I have applied emancipatory knowing in gaining awareness of and critically reflecting upon the political, cultural and social status quo. This has especially been useful in identifying injustices and inequalities within the professional practice environment, such as the critical shortage of nursing staff within health care facilities causing a patient to develop pressure ulcer during inpatient care. Secondly, I have applied ethics knowing to understand matters of obligation in terms of what I ought to do as a nurse, such as understanding that the patient developed pressure ulcer because she was in a general ward that is understaffed while the private wards in the same facility are well staffed. Thirdly, I have applied personal knowing to understand myself and my patients, such as understanding that the patient who developed the pressure is bitter towards medical personnel as she felt ignored. Fourthly, I have applied aesthetics knowing to appreciate every situation and determine the resources to address the situation, such as providing patient education on how to avoid pressure ulcers from developing. Finally, I have applied empirical knowing to leverage nursing science to meet the needs of patients, such as using unique knowledge of would care on the pressure ulcer (Chinn & Kramer, 2018).
To illustrate how the five ways of knowing are integrated, then I would question why a patient developed pressure ulcer (emancipatory knowing). Also, I would be aware that the patient requires wound care (empirical knowing). Besides that, I would know that the pressure ulcer was in part the result of the facility being understaffed as nursing resources were shifted away from the general ward with poor patients to private wards with rich patients (ethical knowing). Furthermore, I would also know that if I was to have an influence on the patient with regards to preventing pressure ulcers, then I would deliver patient education based on her needs (aesthetic knowing) and bias concerning the issue (personal knowing).
Conclusion
One must accept that reflective critique in nursing is an opportunity to access, understand and learn through lived experiences. In addition, one must acknowledge that the five ways of knowing offers a framework for reflection on nursing practice. The emancipatory way of knowing explores the praxis of nursing in terms of the human capacity to be aware and conduct critical reflection on the political, cultural and social status quo. The ethics way of knowing explores the moral component of nursing. The personal way of knowing explores the self and other in nursing. The aesthetics way of knowing explores the art of nursing in terms of appreciating the meaning of a nursing situation and calling forth resources that transform an experience into an ideal outcome. The empirics way of knowing explores the science of nursing in terms of accurate observation and record keeping.
References
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2020). Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses (8th ed.). Elsevier, Inc.
Chinn, P. L., & Kramer, M. K. (2018). Knowledge Development in Nursing: Theory and Process (10th ed.). Elsevier, Inc.
Howatson-Jones, L. (2016). Reflective Practice in Nursing (3rd ed.). SANE Publications Inc.
Johns, C. (Ed.) (2017). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner (5th ed.). John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Smith, M. C. (2020). Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (5th ed.). F. A. Davis Company.
