Question

Scenario- Human Science Theory Application

Judy, a 55-year-old woman with advanced Multiple Sclerosis was admitted to the chronic care unit of a hospital. As part of the admission routine a full diet was ordered. At lunch time Nurse Smith observed that Judy was eating very slowly and appeared to have difficulty swallowing. She has had previous episodes of choking. Judy explained that she needed to chew her food well in order to avoid choking. After staying with her until she finished her meal, Nurse Smith told Judy that she was going to fill out a special diet requisition for a soft diet.

At dinner time, when her food tray was presented, Judy became very angry, “I don’t want baby food.” She asserted. “Bring me some real food that I can enjoy.” Nurse Smith patiently explained to her why it was best that she eats a soft diet and informed her about the risks of choking and aspiration. She also pointed out that the nursing staff would have limited time to spend assisting her with meals. Even so, Judy was adamant. “It’s my life and I will live the way i want".

Introduction must be present with clear purpose/thesis statement

Understands the levels of skill acquisition and how each impact nursing care (specific example to Benner’s work, two specific examples of nurses’ level of skill acquisition)

Has a depth and breadth of knowledge; draws on several resources with clear

rationale for applicability (include both theoretical and CNO standards)

Understands Human Science as a practice; in depth understanding and application of

one of the human science theorists on the experience of care and nursing practice (use specific examples, minimum of three specific examples including use of language specific

to the theorist used)

Reflection on Human Science; in depth discussion of applicability of selected theorist to personal nursing practice (use specific examples of how you can incorporate human science into nursing student practice) OR (reflect on the relevance and applicability of human science-based practices in nursing practice- why is human science valued and how will it influence nursing

Answer 1

Nursing as a human science focuses on life and health as humanly experienced. Intentionality is a philosophical idea of particular significance to nursing as a human science, particularly within Parse's theory of human becoming and Watson's theory of human caring.

Nursing science is the development of theories and practical concepts for improving how patients administer care and manage conditions.Nurses know their patients best and the trust and communication between nurses and their patients facilitate better diagnoses and experiences.

We can incorporate human science into nursing student practice as follows :

From a simultaneity perspective, it is the belief in the unity of the human uiverse process that most urgently demands a science that fully engages with humanly lived experience, which in turn calls for the researcher’s willing immersion in the lived realites of human beings, in all their multidimensionality, situatedness, and paradoxicality. Humanly lived experiences of love, beauty, suffering, courage, unselfishness, struggling, grace, friendship, and play are the very phenomena calling out for intense and rigorous study in the human sciences. This stance places us directly in opposition to the scientific realist belief that these phenomena, if they exist at all, exist on a plane of reality that is truly less real than that which is objectively verifiable. Yet, we adamantly refute and condemn the suggestion that such phenomena are merely illusionary, epiphenomenal, solely subjective, merely aesthetic, or irrational and therefore meaningless in science.

This promotes self directed learning as a professional value.

More fruitful way of thinking and practising nursing and nurse education is to consider it as a human science with a focus on persons in which evidence for practice derives largely from practice itself.

This kind of approach to science that seeks to understand human experience in deeply subjective, personal, historical, political and spiritual terms.