nurse theorist

Identifying a Nurse Theorist

Textbook Readings

McEwen, M., & Wills, W. (2018). Theoretical basis for nursing (5th edition). Wolters Kluwer Health

• Chapter 5: “Theory Analysis and Evaluation”

Journal Readings

Please retrieve and read the following Journal articles from the Library. Articles can be located through a search in the CINAHL database, OVID database, Course Documents, or by using the link at the end of the reference if provided.

• Fawcett, J. (2015). Evolution of the science of unitary human beings: The conceptual system, theory development, and research and practice methodologies. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science, 21(1), 9-16.
• Lee, S. E., Vincent, C., & Finnegan, L. (2017). An analysis and evaluation of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 40(1), E16–E39. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000141
• Talita Piccoli, Simony Fabiola Lopes Nunes, Priscilla Cibele Tramontina, Roberta Juliane Tono de Oliveira, Evanguelia Kotzias Atherino dos Santos, & Lúcia Narazeth Amante. (2015). Reflecting on some nursing theories based on Meleis’ Evaluation Model. Cogitare Enfermagem, 20(2), 433–438. https://doi.org/10.5380/ce.v20i2.37891
• Younas, A. (2017). A foundational analysis of Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory and evaluation of its significance for nursing practice and research. Creative Nursing, 23(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.23.1.13

Resources to help you navigate the Library include:

1. A direct link to the Library resources relevant to nursing is https://library.purdueglobal.edu/un_nursing_resources
2. Academic Research Primer. (2018). Retrieved from https://library.purdueglobal.edu/researchprimer88347&sid=2371334
3. Nursing and medical/health studies guide. (2012). Higher Education Corporation. Retrieved from https://library.purdueglobal.edu/nursingresearchguide

University Library. (Producer). (2016). Introduction to the Online Library [Video file]. Available from https://librarymedia-a.akamaihd.net/video/library_introduction_video/index.html

ASSIGNMENT

In this assignment, you are going to explore how a nurse theorist of your choice created their theory. You will become the theorist immersing yourself in the writings from the earliest mentioned to the most current literature. Writing in the voice of the theorist (taking on the persona of the theorist), you will create the theory through the following four stages.

In the first stage, theorizing occurs. This is where you, as the theorist, identify the concepts of what nursing is and is not. Perhaps you questioned what concepts were guiding those in nursing practice and then started to question your role. You started asking yourself, “Where am I in nursing, and where the profession is going? Is there some overarching understanding that guides the professional in his or her practice?” This is where you recognize that a theory is needed.

In the second stage, syntax is developed. This is where you will define the terms, explain relationships between the terms, and examine their expansion. Syntax development is an evolution. Consider, for example, Jean Watson. She starts by defining the word “caring.” Within the last several years, she has refined her terminology changing the term caring to caritas and identified the relationships between terms. This demonstrates a growth and maturation from decades of research she and other scholars did to produce the theory of caring.

The third stage is theory testing. Here, the theorists and other researchers consider whether this theory helps answer questions that arise in nursing. This is where your theory is used by a widening group of researchers. For example, graduate nursing students request to use the tool you developed while testing your theory in an area of nursing.

The fourth and last stage is evaluation. This is where the theory is used in practice with the goal of improving healthcare. It is evidenced in the development of policies, procedures and best practice standards that have evolved from theory implementation.

Assignment Details

1. Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that describes why you chose this theorist. First person voice (I, me, etc.) is acceptable in this paper.
2. Write in the first person voice (I, me, our, etc.) as the theorist. For example: I, Dr. Jean Watson, found that caring was a core concept of how I viewed nursing. To me, caring is the essence of nursing. 
3. Use the four stages (theorizing, syntax, theory testing, and evaluation) to explain how your theory was developed and used in nursing.
4. In the first (theorizing) stage, provide the historical context that influenced the theorist’s thinking.
5. In the second (syntax) stage, describe the development of the concepts and statements.
6. In the third (theory testing), provide two (2) examples of research examining the theory.
7. In the fourth (evaluation), provide three (3) examples of how the theory has been used in practice and a brief evaluation of the theory.

Assignment Requirements

1. Page requirements are a minimum of four (4) pages with no more than six (6) pages of content, not including the title and reference pages.
2. It is expected that you have a minimum of five (5) sources of support.
3. Utilize spelling and grammar check to minimize errors.
4. Your writing Assignment should:
   1. follow the conventions of Standard English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.);
   2. be well ordered, logical, and unified, as well as original and insightful;
   3. display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics; and
   4. use APA 7th Edition for format and style.