Contributor: Savina O. Schoenhofer
Co-developer of the theory of Nursing As Caring
A study of Norwegian nurse educators’ perceptions of the meaning of nursing theories at the baccalaureate level, recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences (Kvande et al., 2026) prompted me to ask the question that titles these reflections. That focus group study produced three themes, each of which resonates with my own experience as a beginning student of nursing and later as a professor. Those themes are “nursing theories define what nursing is and refer to core elements in nursing practice; nursing theories strengthen nursing students’ self-understanding and professional identity, and nursing theories—a vital yet marginalized part of nursing education” (Kvande et al., 2026, p. 4).
Perhaps because my own upbringing in nursing happened as part of dual majors in college and later in graduate school, the question, “what is nursing?” was ever-present in my thoughts. And that question was made even more central as I began my practice of Nursing in a multidisciplinary setting where much of what we all “did” in our work in that practice was similar. In those early years, I was haunted by the questions, “what is the nursing-ness of what I do? And “what is the unique contribution my nursing makes to this multidisciplinary practice”?
As I reflected on my undergraduate studies in liberal arts, sciences and nursing, I realized that the introductory course in most disciplines was called something like “Systems and Theories of X”, in which the unique focus and contribution of the particular discipline was clearly explicated. But not Nursing. What I was taught as the “fundamentals” in nursing was mostly general helping and health-care technologies, all the way from therapeutic communication to starting IVs. Then came “nursing process” which was offered as a way of thinking, planning, doing nursing – it didn’t take long for me to recognize that the so-called nursing process, adapted from the generic problem-solving process, offered nothing that explained the unique purpose and focus of Nursing.
Imagine my excitement when I was introduced to the idea and content of nursing theories early in my career as a nursing professor… I finally discovered within those theories and theoretical models ways to describe explicitly, readily and with credibility what it was that I had been “professing”! Thank you, Marilyn E. Parker!
In today’s interprofessional environment, where institutional/corporate practice is most often driven more by economic priorities than genuine professional values, it is all the more important that students of our human science practice discipline are introduced in their first nursing course to nursing language, nursing thought, nursing values as the foundation for acquiring knowledge of nursing as the enduring core ground for their practice. In multidisciplinary practice settings like hospitals, if nurses can’t articulate clearly their unique contribution to the health service being offered and control their practice based on a firm grounding in their own discipline, having a seat at the table is of no consequence, and worse yet, gives a false sense of meaningful involvement in decision-making.
Again, thanks to my mentor, Marilyn E. Parker, when I had opportunities to influence curriculum development in nursing, the introductory course in nursing addressed a range of extant nursing theories, and subsequent courses studied in the classroom and in practice settings drew on that foundational knowledge, providing continuous support in “thinking” nursing, “doing” nursing and “speaking” nursing within a recognizable nursing theoretical framework.
Those of us who profess nursing and minister to nursing (faculties of nursing and administrators of nursing services) have a special obligation to those we serve – students of nursing, practitioners of nursing, partners in nursing relationships, and all who are in the Dance of Caring Persons (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 2001). Our obligation is to have a clear understanding of and respect for the nature of the gift we call nursing. Any one of the extant and emerging theories of nursing can be the source of that understanding and respect. Try it – I think you’ll like it!
References
Boykin, A., & Schoenhofer, S. O. (2001). Nursing As Caring: A model for transforming practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42988https://doi.org/10/1111/scs.7023
Kvande, M. E., Glad, T., Clancy, A., & Kitzmüller, G. (2026). Nurse educators’ perceptions of the meaning of nursing in Norwegian bachelor’s nursing programmes: A focus group study. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. https://doi.org/10/1111/scs.7023
About Savina O. Schoenhofer
Savina O. Schoenhofer is a retired nurse educator and co-developer of the theory of Nursing As Caring. Her teaching career began at Wichita State University, followed by Florida Atlantic University, University of Mississippi, Texas Tech University and Alcorn State University.
See https://www.nursingascaring.com/ and
https://nursology.net/nurse-theorists-and-their-work/the-theory-of-nursing-as-caring/
La lectura de esta entrada me ha resultado profundamente inspiradora. La Dra. Schoenhofer logra articular con claridad una inquietud que muchos compartimos: la necesidad de que las teorías de enfermería estén presentes desde el inicio de la formación, no como un añadido marginal, sino como el fundamento que da sentido a nuestra práctica. Coincido plenamente en que, sin un marco teórico sólido, la enfermería corre el riesgo de diluirse en la práctica multidisciplinaria y perder su voz propia.
Me parece especialmente valioso el énfasis en la identidad profesional, las teorías no son solo conceptos abstractos, sino herramientas que nos permiten “pensar”, “hacer” y “hablar” enfermería con coherencia y seguridad. En un contexto institucional donde las presiones económicas tienden a invisibilizar los valores del cuidado, recuperar y enseñar las teorías es un acto de resistencia y de compromiso con nuestra disciplina.
Gracias, Savina, por recordarnos que la enfermería es un don y que tenemos la responsabilidad de honrarlo y transmitirlo. Tu reflexión nos invita a volver a las raíces de nuestra profesión y a fortalecer la formación de quienes serán los futuros cuidadores.
Thank you for this thoughtful post. It serves as an important reminder that, as educators, we have a responsibility to the discipline–profession and to ourselves not only to teach theories of nursology, but to visibly integrate them into our teaching, scholarship, and practice. Learners in nursology often develop through observation and modeling, including the behaviors demonstrated by their teachers. By making existing theories of nursology more explicit and encouraging the development of new ones, we may help cultivate these same commitments in students as they move into educator and leadership roles themselves.
I also recently read another post on this site that encouraged more frequent use of the term nursology in our writing. It may be worth considering whether future blog posts could intentionally use nursology in place of nursing to further reinforce this disciplinary perspective.