. . . . it is worth reiterating the point that compared with atheoretical actions, those that are conceptually grounded have a higher probability of achieving their intended consequences. Not just because they are contemplated more intentionally but because the vast majority of . . . . theories/frameworks pay heed to the important messiness of context and the use of power. (1) Patricia Butterfield (2017, p. 9)

Nurses are thirsting for a meaningful practice, one that is based on nursing values and knowledge, one that is relationship centered, enabling the expression of the depth of our mission, and one that brings a much needed, missing dimension to current healthcare. (2) Margaret A. Newman, Marlaine C. Smith, Margaret Dexheimer Pharris and Dorothy Jones (2008, p. E25)

With a strong conviction of the vital importance of nursing’s own theories and frameworks, the Nursology.net management team embarked on the development of a website to provide current and accurate information about discipline-specific knowledge. We started the development of the site in the summer of 2018, with the goal of publicly announcing the site once we had at least 20 theories/models on the site, and at least 1 Exemplar in each of the “Exemplar” sections! We met that goal and officially launched the site on September 18th, 2018! Today, we have

• 57 theories/models,
• 7 practice exemplars,
• 5 education exemplars,
• 5 research exemplars,
• 3 policy exemplars, and
• 3 quality improvement exemplars.

Plus, a new section dedicated to nursing philosophy, a host of resources related to nursology knowledge development, a record of past nursology-related conferences (including proceedings, photos and other materials related to the conferences), information about events that will be happening in the future (despite the pandemic), and an unbroken record of blog posts every Tuesday!

I, Peggy Chinn, have served as the architect of the site and am responsible for the nitty-gritty work of putting it all together, but all of this is only possible because of the work of members of our team of nursology scholars who have identified and composed the content.

Here are reflections from members of our management and blogging teams in response to two questions:

• How has nursology.net influenced your approach to teaching, research, or practice?
• What do you anticipate for the future of the discipline, and the role of nursology.net in shaping that future?

How has nursology.net influenced your approach to teaching, research, or practice?

Jacqui Fawcett
The website is exceptionally useful as a resource for the PhD students I have the honor to teach, as well as all other students in our program., and as resource for colleagues who are “thirsting” for information about nursology discipline-specific knowledge. In addition, I cite the blogs in many of my publications—journal articles, book chapters—and presentations at conferences and as a guest lecturer for other nursology programs.

Marlaine Smith
When I’m with any student or faculty group I call attention to the nursology.net site and describe the many resources available.  I’m teaching a course now for PhD students, Evolution of Nursing as a Professional Discipline.  In the first module I introduced students to Nursology and they were invited in the discussion board to respond to a question related to the Nursology site.  I have received so many comments from students and faculty who are amazed at and grateful for the many resources on the site. The Nursology blogs offer short position/perspective pieces that can spark meaningful discussion.

Rosemary Eustice
Nursology.net is a vehicle that highlights the contribution of nursology wisdom to health and health care issues. The website continues to influence my teaching by enabling me to find new teaching and learning strategies that foster students’ acquisition of nursing knowledge to understand nursing phenomena of interest.  One thing that inspires me everyday when I share this website with my students, is to see how much the students appreciate the value of nursing theories and how much they wish for ‘good’ mentors and educators to support the next generation of competent nursologists. On the other note, as a nurse researcher, nursology.net has increased my curiosities on nursing knowledge development and how nursologists can utilize research in clarifying and developing new concepts/ideas using nursing lenses. 

Dorothy Jones
I am impressed with the global response to the nursology.net website. When I have shared this information with faculty and students at a University in Spain where I consult, the reaction has been inspirational. Doctoral students love having “free” access to the nursing theorists and their work in one central space. Faculty describe the site as “a way to connect with the nursing community “globally.” Dr. Emiko Endo from Japan recently translated a nursology blog “Covid 19- What would Margaret Newman Say” into Japanese for her students. She also presented the information to participants attending a virtual Nursing Theory Conference. Dr. Endo reported how moved the audience was by the message. When I shared the web site with a group of International Gordon International Scholars at Boston College, from Italy, Brazil and Africa they were excited to learn about the site and immediately shared it with the other faculty and students.  They noted that they now had immediate access to information about nursing theory never available to them before. The responsiveness of the site to contemporary issues makes nursology.net a living document that promotes nursing knowledge and its potential impact on the health and wellbecoming of all.

Jane Flanagan
I am teaching a new course this year – Philosophical Inquiry for Knowledge Development in Nursing.  I introduced my students to nursology.netas well as the faculty of a companion course – Strategies for Knowledge Development in Nursing. For my course, we will be using the site for the many resources it offers. I have encouraged them to read and respond to the blogs.  I think if I was to have a re-do on my syllabus, I would actually have an assignment include a meaningful contribution to the site. These students are our future nurse leaders and I know like many on this site, we want to hear from them. We have only had one class thus far, but based on the great dialogue, I think they will be joining in on the conversations on nursology.net

Jane Dickinson
I am pointing students to nursology.net in the Nursing Knowledge in Nursing Education course I teach for doctoral students in our Nursing Education program. I also have them write a blog post and an exemplar (if applicable) for submission to nursology.net as course assignments. Nursology.net is an amazing resource where students can learn about nursing theorists and their work. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for them to think and write about their own experiences with nursing knowledge.

Chloe Olivia Rose Littzen
As a PhD candidate, Nursology.net has influenced both my nursing education and the ways in which I know the world. Specifically, Nursology.net was one of the few references I was able to use for specific theory related nursing knowledge content in studying for my comprehensive exams.The organization of theory-related content made it easy for me to find what type of information I needed, and I knew that the information included was substantive in nature. As a nurse, Nursology.net has also informed the ways I know the world by keeping me up-to-date on current issues and events, while simultaneously giving me access to new nursing knowledge content I may have never come across during my own reading. 

Danny Willis
In the PhD course “Nursing Knowledge Development” I have been teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison we used the resources on nursology.net to guide our thinking. PhD students  were thirsty to explore the philosophical, conceptual, theoretical, and empirical aspects of the discipline in research, education, practice, and policy. Great examples are showcased on the website, which they enjoyed! As these PhD students prepare for their research and future programs of disciplinary knowledge development as leaders in the discipline, through the website they were better able to understand the value of grounding their work in the discipline, which feels like a Wonderful move in the right direction. Nursology.net is recognized as a go-to resource with the potential for nursologists to contribute to ongoing conversation, like none other! 

Patrick Palmieri
The emerging role of nursology.net in low- and middle-income countries is impactful due to our limited access to nursing knowledge. Unfortunately, knowledge is too expensive for many nurses throughout the world. The limited financial resources in many countries negatively impacts access to nursing literature, including published papers and nursing textbooks. Through nursology.net, student nurses and professors throughout the world have immediate access to contemporary nursing knowledge, including timely theoretical discourse related to current trends and events. Most importantly, nurse scholars such as I, are able to translate the resources, without copyright issues, for immediate application in our courses. This year, we continued to advance a project to translate resources from Nursology.net into Spanish for the history of nursing and theory of nursing courses. Through the efforts of the leaders and many donors at Nursology.net, the barriers to accessing knowledge have been removed. Nursology is linking scholars to students throughout the world!

What do you anticipate for the future of the discipline, and the role of nursology.net in shaping that future?

Jacqui Fawcett
I am both pessimistic and optimistic about the future of nursology—I am very concerned that our disciplinary knowledge will not survive as a continuing way to guide disciplinary advancement—there always is a tension to focus on pragmatic aspects of issues rather than the philosophical, conceptual, and theoretical aspects, and there is much too much emphasis on empirical methods—the primacy of methods for so many people is of great concern to me. In contrast, I am encouraged by the number of people who have been accessing nursology.net and by the continued publication of multiple editions of several books about nursology conceptual models and theories. Nursology.net serves as an ongoing resource for all nursologists, with blogs and other content already shaping what nursologists think about our discipline. We definitely are living our mission to be a repository for all things theory in nursology!

Marlaine Smith
While I can despair at the lack of valuing of nursing theories/models in our research, the lack of content related to nursing theories within the curricula, and the frequent absence of a clear nursing perspective in advanced practice and interprofessional practice, I’m encouraged by signs that there is a renewed appreciation of the importance of generating nursing qua nursing knowledge and practicing from nursing’s disciplinary perspective. Some of those signs… the committed group of scholars who have been attending and contributing to the annual Nursing Theory Conferences…the growing number of AAN members joining the Nursing Theory-Guided Practice Expert Panel…the recognition by CNOs about the value of practicing from a nursing theory-guided model…the lights in the eyes of students who “get it”. Nursology.net will continue to support this emergence. The site has global outreach and can bring the nursing community together around the critical issues of expanding disciplinary knowledge development and application. 

Rosemary Eustace
I am optimistic that the future of the discipline and the role of nursology.net will continue to find a voice in health care, especially in the area of policy making. However, this process will be timely if we continue to value and acknowledge the uniqueness of nursing knowledge in influencing health care outcomes. When I think back at what we have learned so far and are learning each day with the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, I see a window of opportunity for nursologists to advocate for this unique STEM discipline and use nursing knowledge to make positive changes in health care systems and population outcomes.   

Dorothy Jones
As a discipline we continue to experience many issues, even resistance to articulating nursing science within nursing curricula, research and care delivery.  Emphasis on preparing nurses with essential content that focus on  role development with little grounding in philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of the discipline challenges knowledge development and compromises the visibility of nursing’s impact on care delivery. While the interdisciplinary / intra professional focus on contemporary issues is critical, the unique voice of nursing is essential to informing and reshaping responses to global health concerns. While the threats to advancing nursing science are apparent, there is also indications of a renewed interest in nursing’s identity and expansion of nursing knowledge. Increasing membership in nursing theory groups, attendance at nursing theory conferences and active progress by groups such as the AAN Expert Panel of Nursing Theory Guided Practice to link nursing’s knowledge and policy, offer signs of hope for the future. Nursology.net has been an important catalyst that has supported this renewed dedication to nursing knowledge. The site provides an essential platform for all nurses to share in our history, explore our future, and increase our awareness of new opportunities for nursing’s voice to influence issues of global concern. Thank you nursology.net!

Jane Flanagan
I think we are in a time that has raised our social consciousness and many nurses are questioning our role in power dynamics, sociopolitical movements, structural racism. They are asking are we going to be part of the problem or mobilize and act?  Foundational to our discipline is our ethics aimed at striving for the greater good, health and healing for all people. We can no longer tolerate an inequitable society or health care system that does not meet the needs of those we say we are committed to serve. Nursology.net  is a forum that created the space for us to have the dialogue, work through the sometimes awkward, sometimes obvious and at other times not so obvious issues. It is a safe place that allows all nurses to think, write share and activate. Our future is in not only finding our voice, but in leading the way. Nursology.net is the format and catalyst to accelerating our movement toward a universally experienced wellbecoming.

Jane Dickinson
I see nursing knowledge (and all five ways of knowing!) becoming more prominent in nursing education, research, and practice as we move further into the 21st century. Nursology.net is the preeminent source for nurse educators and leaders in research and practice to share their work, and to inspire newer nurses to take the next step in further developing and refining what we know and what we do.

Chloe Olivia Rose Littzen
I anticipate that nursing theory and philosophy, including our unique disciplinary perspective, will come to the forefront of importance in our nursing practice, research, education, and policy. Additionally, I believe that nursing theory and philosophy will be revealed to play a significant role in the well-being of our nurses and the healthcare environment. I believe Nursology.net will support nurses to be confident and grounded in their own unique disciplinary perspective, promote the use of nursing theory and philosophy in all settings, and provide a forum in which nurses can gather from across the globe to stay up-to-date on relevant issues and events in nursing.

Danny Willis
The future is in our hands and the website will continue to play a major role in orienting nurses and our PhD, DNP, Masters, and Baccalaureate students. Nurse leaders and educators in practice settings would benefit from having this website as a part of their orientation. Therefore, I see it as my responsibility to let every Chief Nursing Officer I meet with know about this resource and offer to speak to anyone in educational leadership roles in practice settings about the website. Faculty leaders must also be aware and able to speak to the substance of the discipline, which the website acts as a vehicle for. Nurse leaders will be called upon to champion ready access to the fundamentals of nursing depicted on the website and to further the ongoing evolution of disciplinary thought and communication. The future of the discipline can be bright as we nurses promote humanization, caring, healing, relationship, love for one another, diversity, belongingness, transitioning through living and dying, meaning in living and dying, and well-becoming. The future can be bright if we nurses promote openness, dialogue, healing transformative power with each other, critique, intellectual curiosity, community, and nursing ethics of our shared humanity and a deep commitment to the greater good for all of humankind and planet Earth in all its complexity and beauty. Onward nursologists! 

Sources for the opening quotes:

1. Butterfield, P. G. (2017). Thinking Upstream: A 25-Year Retrospective and Conceptual Model Aimed at Reducing Health Inequities. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 40(1), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000161
2. Newman, M. A., Smith, M. C., Dexheimer-Pharris, M., & Jones, D. A. (2008). The focus of the discipline revisited. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 31(1), E16–E27. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ANS.0000311533.65941.f1