FERRER, ANGELA MARIE M. BSN 1-B FOUR WAYS OF KNOWING Empirics the scientific discipline of nursing Ethics the moral directions of Nursing Personal method by which nurses approach their patients Aesthetic or esthetic deals with the emphatic aspect of nursing Empirical knowing is the principal form relating factual and descriptive
knowing aimed at the expansion of abstract and theoretical explanations. y
Empirical
knowing is the first primary model of knowing (Kenney, 1996)
y
It
is information source or base of knowing.
y
It
emphasizes scientific research is important to nursing knowledge.
y
As
part of empirics, clinical and conceptual knowledge are the keys to
nursing practice (Scultz and Meleis, 1988) y
It
focuses on evidence-based research for effective and accurate nursing
practice. y
It
is where most theory and research development is concentrated and
some conceptual forms have better capacity to explain nursing phenomena and others. EXAMPLES: y
Davis,
a nursing student answer a question posed by a clinical instructor
based on what he learned from the school. y
Elmer,
a nurse researcher, uses scientific method to produce desired study
results. y
Nurse Michael practices nursing interventions based from accepted clinical practices Aesthetic or Esthetic Knowing is related to understanding what is of
significance to particular patients such as feelings, attitudes, points of view (Carper, 1978). It is also the manifestation of the creative and expressive styles of the nurse (Kenney, 1996)
y
Aesthetic
knowing focuses on empathy the ability for sharing or vividly
understanding anothers feelings. This is the primary form od aesthetic knowing. y
It
also includes the nurses ability in changing ways and manner of
rendering nursing care based on the clients individual needs and perceptions. y
It
is done by knowing the distinctive individual instead as a typical,
stereotype whole (Carper, 1978; Kenny, 1996) EXAMPLES: y
Nurse Moses places himself in the patients shoes when communicating, giving judgment and providing care.
y
Nurse Ace shows compassion, mercy and understanding towards patients, co-workers and supervisors.
y
Nurse Miguel uses layman terms in explaining the needs of the patient with Right-side heart failure. Ethical knowing requires knowledge of different philosophical
positions regarding what is good and right in making moral decisions, particularly in the theoretical and clinical components of nursing. y
The code of moral or code of ethics that leads the conduct of nurses is the main basis for Ethical Knowing.
y
It
is deeply rooted in the concepts of human dignity, service and respect
for life. y
Lessening
suffering, upholding and preserving health is one of the key
elements why nursing is a core service in society. y
It
includes all deliberate nursing actions involving and under the
jurisdiction of ethnics and professionalism (Kenney, 1996) EXAMPLES: y
Nurse Carl presents himself as a patient advocate and defends his clients right to choose care.
y
Sir Kevin, a clinical instructor, reprimands a student who cheated on a quiz and explain the consequences.
y
Nurse Renato explains the concepts behing organ donation to a terminallyill patient. Personal Knowing encompasses knowledge of the self in relation to
other and to self. It involves the entirely of the Nurse-Patient Relationship. y
It
is the most difficult to master and to teach.
y
It
is the key to comprehending health in terms of personal well-being.
y
It
involves therapeutic use of self.
y
It
takes a lot of time to fully know the nature of oneself in relation to the
world around. y
It
stresses that human beings are not in a fixed state but are constantly
engaged in a dynamic state of changes. (Kenney, 1996) EXAMPLES: y
Ruben, a nursing student, strives to promote a meaningful personal relationship with his elderly patient.
y
Ruel, a nurse student, undergoes Psychological Counseling and SelfAwareness
sessions before his Psychiatric Nursing rotation.
