For a competent nurse practitioner, it is essential to understand the interconnectedness between nursing theory and practice. Similar to theories in other disciplines, nursing theory may be defined as a collection of logical and internally consistent conclusions about real-life conditions and events. It is frequently based on observations made by health care providers in various nursing situations. In turn, nursing practice implies actual person care provided by nurse professionals. In general, the relationship between theory and practice may be described as a two-sided influence and mutual support. In other words, nursing theory is based on relevant observations taken from practice while the decisions and activities of nurses during practice are prevalently determined by the nursing theory’s findings. Some scholars believe that theories have a highly significant impact on practice and the nursing discipline in general as they describe its components and their interrelationships. Moreover, in certain circumstances, theories may predict the outcomes of health care delivery and provide recommended guidance to improve the efficacy of nursing practice.
Nursing theories are beneficial for practice as well when they may predict the reactions and behaviors of patients. That is why a competent nurse practitioner may frequently expect certain behavioral patterns of people with different conditions and from various age groups according to applied theories. This practical advantage of nursing theories allows health care providers to determine preventative measures in order to avoid miscalculations and accidents in the future. The systematization of practice may be regarded as another main component of its interrelation with theory. When the results of scientific research determine the optimal protocol of health care for a specific condition, nurse practitioners are responsible for the delivery of equal care for all patients who suffer from this condition. That is why nursing theory may guide the nurses’ activities to define the subsequence of treatment.
The relationship between theory and practice is substantively visible in the context of education when nursing theory is traditionally used to explain the nurses’ appropriate procedures that may be applied in the future. Students consult theories for a better understanding of the expediency of certain practices. In addition, nursing practice may develop theory if nurses experience the patients’ unknown conditions or unfamiliar behaviors. In this case, an existing nursing theory may be changed, or a new theory may occur.
However, in general, theory is a tool in nursing practice. The nurses’ trust in theory is determined by years of observation. Nurse practitioners traditionally apply theoretical knowledge to health care delivery provided to patients with certain conditions in order to define which reactions, emotions, and behaviors to expect and what medications to prescribe. The research conducted this week was dedicated to the practical application of the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence. The results of my investigation demonstrate that this model is immeasurably beneficial for nurse practitioners who deal with culturally diverse patients as it helps to evaluate people’s cultural backgrounds. The combination of received data and visible behaviors is used to elaborate on the plan of effective and culturally correct practice.
From a personal perspective, this research was highly beneficial as I have received well-defined guidance related to cultural competence. The support by the Purnell Model of evidence-based practice is significant for me as I believe that person-centered care as a fundamental concept of nursing. Probably, I was unprepared for the volume of necessary cultural analysis, however, instead of stating baselessly that cultural competence is essential, I may currently prove it by received knowledge.