Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care

The fundamental ways of knowing that have been proposed by Carper can be applied to my personal practice. The empirical way of knowing has always been a primary one in my view: I rely on evidence in my practice. Also, I believe that ethical dilemmas are not uncommon for our profession, which is why the ethical way of knowing important for nurses; in my practice, I am guided predominantly by the Code of Ethics of the American Nursing Association. Given the fact that the nursing activities are typically very situational, I think that the majority of my actions are based on the aesthetic way of knowing as well. Finally, I have to admit that I used to be rather reluctant to accept the importance of the personal way, but I came to realize its significance, especially that of its empathy component (Johns, 2013).

I also think that my initial disrespect to the personal way of knowing is connected to the fact that I value unknowing. Unknowing is a term proposed by Munhall to describe the ability to change the perspectives and accept the point of view of other people (Johns, 2013). I find it crucial for nursing practice, especially in a correctional institution: patients in these settings are often a very vulnerable population. As a result, a holistic and patient-oriented approach is required, which implies listening to patients and their family members or caregivers, trying to understand them, and customizing nursing methods. All these activities require unknowing. For example, I have worked with patients and patients’ family members with different religious beliefs, which makes understanding them difficult unless unknowing is used as a source of evidence. Being open-minded and understanding is crucial for a nurse who wants to provide respectful and meaningful care, which may explain my reluctance to rely on personal views. Nowadays, I try to find a balance between being open-minded and dedicated to my views.

Reference

Johns, C. (2013). Becoming a reflective practitioner (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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NursingBird. (2021, May 21). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care. https://nursingbird.com/becoming-a-reflective-practitioner-meaningful-care/

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"Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care." NursingBird, 21 May 2021, nursingbird.com/becoming-a-reflective-practitioner-meaningful-care/.

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NursingBird. (2021) 'Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care'. 21 May.

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NursingBird. 2021. "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care." May 21, 2021. https://nursingbird.com/becoming-a-reflective-practitioner-meaningful-care/.

1. NursingBird. "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care." May 21, 2021. https://nursingbird.com/becoming-a-reflective-practitioner-meaningful-care/.


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NursingBird. "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Meaningful Care." May 21, 2021. https://nursingbird.com/becoming-a-reflective-practitioner-meaningful-care/.