You have spent six weeks exploring theories of nursing. These represent the “how” of what we do as nurses. This week we enter a higher level of thought and explore the “why” of what we do. Present a personal nursing philosophy. Apply what you have read throughout the course and explore the literature on nursing philosophy. While Fawcett was not a nursing theorist, she is a nursing philosopher and her Metaparadigm of Nursing approaches philosophy over theory. Once you have discussed your philosophy, identify a theoretical framework (not the middle-range theories but the underlying assumptions in that framework) that fits your philosophy. Compare and contrast your philosophy and the chosen framework. Describe a possible situation in which the framework may conflict or not fit your philosophy. While it is an important skill to be able to match a theory with a situation, it is also critical to understand when a theory or framework does not fit a situation.
