Deck 2: Frameworks for Professional Nursing Practice

Question 1

What are the specific competencies for nurses in relation to theoretical knowledge?

Answer 1

Nurses require a broad range of competencies that encompass theoretical knowledge to effectively care for patients and ensure high-quality healthcare delivery. The specific competencies related to theoretical knowledge for nurses include:

1. **Understanding of Nursing Theories and Models**: Nurses must be well-versed in various nursing theories and models that guide their practice, such as the Health Belief Model, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and the Nursing Process. These frameworks help nurses to structure their care and interventions.

2. **Knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology**: A thorough understanding of the human body's structure and function is crucial for nurses to assess, plan, and implement care effectively.

3. **Pathophysiology**: Nurses need to understand the physiological processes of disease and how they affect the body to provide appropriate care and education to patients.

4. **Pharmacology**: Knowledge of medications, their mechanisms of action, side effects, interactions, and proper administration is essential for safe and effective medication management.

5. **Microbiology and Infection Control**: Understanding the principles of microbiology helps nurses in preventing and controlling infections and in understanding the spread of pathogens.

6. **Health Assessment**: Competency in conducting comprehensive and systematic health assessments, including physical examinations and health history taking, is fundamental for identifying patient needs.

7. **Evidence-Based Practice**: Nurses must be able to integrate the best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for the delivery of optimal health care.

8. **Ethics and Legal Knowledge**: Nurses must be familiar with ethical principles and legal requirements related to patient care, confidentiality, informed consent, and professional practice.

9. **Cultural Competence**: Understanding and respecting cultural differences and being able to provide culturally sensitive care is crucial in a diverse society.

10. **Nutrition**: Knowledge of nutrition and dietary needs is important for promoting health and managing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

11. **Psychology and Mental Health**: Understanding psychological theories and mental health issues enables nurses to provide holistic care that addresses both physical and mental well-being.

12. **Communication and Interpersonal Skills**: Effective communication is key in nursing for patient education, advocacy, and collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

13. **Leadership and Management**: Theoretical knowledge in leadership and management prepares nurses to take on roles that require coordinating care, managing resources, and leading teams.

14. **Healthcare Systems and Policy**: Understanding how healthcare systems operate and the impact of healthcare policy on patient care is important for nurses in all settings.

15. **Research and Statistics**: Competence in understanding and applying research findings and statistical methods is necessary for evaluating the quality of evidence and for engaging in quality improvement initiatives.

These competencies are often developed through formal nursing education, which includes classroom learning, simulation labs, and clinical experiences. Continuing education and professional development are also critical for nurses to maintain and expand their theoretical knowledge base throughout their careers.

Question 2

Think about the definitions of the metaparadigm concepts and the assumptions or propositions of each of the theories presented. Which of the theories most closely matches your beliefs?

Answer 2

The metaparadigm concepts in nursing include person, environment, health, and nursing. Each theory presents its own assumptions or propositions about these concepts. For example, the person may be viewed as a holistic being in one theory, while in another it may be seen as a biopsychosocial being. The environment may be considered as the physical surroundings in one theory, while in another it may include social and cultural factors. Health may be defined as the absence of disease in one theory, while in another it may be seen as a state of well-being. Nursing may be viewed as a helping profession in one theory, while in another it may be seen as a scientific discipline.

In terms of which theory most closely matches my beliefs, I would say that the holistic nursing theory aligns most closely with my beliefs. This theory emphasizes the interconnectedness of the person, environment, and health, and views nursing as a holistic and integrative practice. I believe in treating the whole person, addressing their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and considering the impact of their environment on their health. This aligns with the holistic nursing theory's assumptions and propositions about the metaparadigm concepts.

Question 3

Which nurse theorist believed that "the beauty of medicine and nursing is the combination of your heart, your head and your hands and where you separate them, you diminish them."?

A) Florence Nightingale
B) Virginia Henderson
C) Dorothea Orem
D) Nola Pender
E) Jean Watson

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What are the major concepts of general system theory?

A) A system-environment boundary
B) Input and output processes
C) The organizational state of the system
D) All of these are correct.

Question 5

Using a theoretical framework to guide nursing practice will assist the nurse in which of the following?

A) Organization of patient data
B) Analysis of patient data
C) Planning patient care
D) Evaluation of patient care outcomes
E) All of these are correct.

Question 6

Which theorist developed a model with a focus on the client system in relationship to stressors?

A) Imogene King
B) Patricia Benner
C) Betty Neuman
D) Nola Pender

Question 7

Which of the following is a patient characteristic identified in the AACN Synergy Model?

A) Resiliency
B) Advocacy
C) Response to diversity
D) Systems thinking

Question 8

Which of the following is a nurse characteristic identified in the AACN Synergy Model?

A) Complexity
B) Predictability
C) Collaboration
D) Stability

Question 9

When assessing a woman who has recently given birth, the nurse using Beck's theory should assess for indicators of which of the following?

A) Enabling
B) Postpartum mood disorder
C) Loss of control
D) Enabling and loss of control
E) Postpartum mood disorder and loss of control

Question 10

The central concepts of the discipline of nursing include which of the following?

A) Person
B) Environment
C) Health
D) Nursing
E) All of these are correct.

Question 11

Which of following self-care has requisites that the nurse using Orem's theory should assess in order to plan appropriate care for the patient?

A) Universal self-care requisites
B) Developmental self-care requisites
C) Health promotion self-care requisites
D) Universal and health promotion self-care requisites
E) Universal and developmental self-care requisites

Question 12

The nurse using the Roy Adaptation Model in practice should assess behaviors manifested in which of the following?

A) Physiologic-physical mode
B) Role function mode
C) Dependence mode
D) Role function mode and dependence mode
E) Role function mode and physiologic-physical mode