Alex Pretti, ICU nurse assassinated by ICE on January 24, 2026 At our January Nursology.net Advisory Team Zoom meeting, we heard from a colleague who lives and works in the great city of Minneapolis. She spoke of the suffering in her neighborhood, where people are being terrorized by atrocities committed against Brown people and others. … Continue reading Nursing Voices in the US Immigrant Crisis
Critical Commentary
Intentional Practice is Universal Caring
Contributor - Shauna Lee Aranton, MSN, APRN,FNP-BC I recently participated in a guest lecture given by Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett, as part of a PhD nursing course at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. During her lecture, Dr. Fawcett asked my classmates and me to think about a concept to replace “caring” as a descriptor for … Continue reading Intentional Practice is Universal Caring
Bird Brains, Edge Group Effect, and Nursing Knowledge Drift
"The Hudsonian Godwit makes a trip from breeding grounds in arctic Alaska almost to the southernmost tip of South America—just under 10,000 miles!" - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology When I was a child we called one another “birdbrain” when we had done something stupid or counterproductive. It was a harsh insult. But in more recent years a significant … Continue reading Bird Brains, Edge Group Effect, and Nursing Knowledge Drift
What is Nursing?
Guest Contributor: Rachell NguyenPhD student in nursing, Texas Woman's UniversityNursing professional development specialist, evidence-based practice, research, and nursing practice, Harris Health As a newly registered nurse (RN) on a post-surgical oncology floor, I recall how my hands trembled while administering morning medications to one of my patients. My patient smiled at me and tried to ease … Continue reading What is Nursing?
The Elephant in the Room: The ICN’s New Definitions of ‘Nurse’ and ‘Nursing’
Contributor - Robin R. Walter PhD, RN, CNE Picture this: A room full of nurses from all over the world is discussing nursing and what it means to be a nurse. Their goal is to reach consensus on global definitions of ‘nurse’ and ‘nursing.’ A huge elephant quietly dominates the center of the bustling room, … Continue reading The Elephant in the Room: The ICN’s New Definitions of ‘Nurse’ and ‘Nursing’
Will AI Serve as a Pattern of Knowing in Nursing?
Contributor: Victoria Soltis-Jarrett Will nurses consider Artificial Intelligence (AI) a pattern of ‘knowing’ in nursing in the future? I recently completed a course that required me to ensure that an online asynchronous graduate nursing course I will design meets the rigorous standards. I chose the asynchronous format of the course despite the availability of a … Continue reading Will AI Serve as a Pattern of Knowing in Nursing?
🤬 and Banned Words: Advancing our Scholarship and Activism of Outrage – Part II
My beloved aunt, my mother’s sister, was a Southerner, what one might have called a “genteel woman” who was never harsh but could be stern. There would be no thought of using a curse word; Heaven forfend! When the men cursed she said it was “a mite tee-jus” to have to listen. Should any of … Continue reading 🤬 and Banned Words: Advancing our Scholarship and Activism of Outrage – Part II
Banned Words and a Scholarship and Activism of Outrage
Introduction In their recent article, “Federal Government’s Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship” (https://pen.org/banned-words-list/), Pen America compiled a list of 250 words unacceptable to the Trump administration that soon became a list of 350 words. Not to be outdone, Reuters, Gizmodo, The Washington Post, Propublica, More Perfect Union, Science, 404 Media, Popular … Continue reading Banned Words and a Scholarship and Activism of Outrage
A Firestorm for Justice
See Nursing Ethics, 1880s to the Present: An Archaeology of Lost Wisdom and Identity by Marsha D. M. Fowler I must begin with an admission that, having lost my home and my possessions to the Altadena wildfire, I have become entranced by fire in both its destructive and constructive power. Technically my home was not destroyed … Continue reading A Firestorm for Justice
False Equivalencies in Nursing Ethics
Part 1: A Call for Moral Clarity Sally Thorne’s March 11 (2025) “We Were Made for These Times” editorial in Nursing Inquiry stimulated a lively discussion among nurse leaders about our ethical obligations (see for example, our Nursology.net March 21st post). Given the tumultuous challenges we are confronting every day now, the group was energized … Continue reading False Equivalencies in Nursing Ethics
Becoming an Accomplice in Decolonizing Nursing Knowledge
Notable Works The recent attention that has emerged related to disparities in health and healthcare, along with acknowledgement of systemic racism, has been known and acknowledged in the nursing literature long before the surge that happened after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Long before this happened, there were many voices calling … Continue reading Becoming an Accomplice in Decolonizing Nursing Knowledge
This Earth Day, Let’s Consider Disposable Healthcare Devices through the Lens of the Nursing Code of Ethics
Contributor: Kristin Six, BSN, RN, CWOCNEarth Day 2023 - Saturday, April 22 Every day, nurses strive to work in line with the nursing profession’s principle of beneficence, or working to do good. But our nursing practice often directly violates another of nursing’s core ethical principles, nonmaleficence, more commonly known as “do no harm.” Single use … Continue reading This Earth Day, Let’s Consider Disposable Healthcare Devices through the Lens of the Nursing Code of Ethics
Cheap Forgiveness
Historically, bioethics began centuries ago as both a pastoral and theological enterprise within religious traditions. It was pastoral in the sense that clergy would address the questions of right and wrong, good and evil, in relation to questions of uncertainty among the faithful. It was a theological enterprise in the sense that the theologians would … Continue reading Cheap Forgiveness
Hospitals or prisons? Abdellah’s contributions for individualizing and humanizing care
Contributor: André Mafra Rodrigues Hospitals and prisons unequivocally have different work objectives. However, they have several similar aspects regarding their operation, organization, and service delivery. Thus, since these organizations have different work objectives, why do behaviors and dynamics persist today that make hospitals so like prisons? When admitted to any health care facility, patients are … Continue reading Hospitals or prisons? Abdellah’s contributions for individualizing and humanizing care
Transhumanism and Posthumanism in Nursing
Contributor: Jennifer M.L. Stephens There are countless examples of transhumanist thinking percolating into modern entertainment over the past decades. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Iron Man and Captain America have a conversation about the transhuman artificial intelligence (AI)-synthetic humanoid character named Vision. Captain America: "The rules have changed."Iron Man: "We're dealing with something new."Captain America: … Continue reading Transhumanism and Posthumanism in Nursing
A Pinay’s Reflection
Contributor: Ashley M. Ruiz PhD, RN First off, I’m entitling this post “A Pinay’s Reflection”. In submitting this piece I’ve been intentional in whether or not to explain this title to a dominantly white audience. On the one hand, not explaining the title, and specifically the term “Pinay” may be a missed opportunity that leaves the … Continue reading A Pinay’s Reflection
A Radical Imagination for Nursing?
In a recent article published by Nursing Philosophy, I make the case for cultivating a radical imagination for nursing. In this blog post, I will explore the connections between this radical imagination and its possibilities for nursing theory. The realities of the COVID19 pandemic have created hardships that we all experience, albeit in different ways. … Continue reading A Radical Imagination for Nursing?
Guest post: The privilege of agency: The political shortcomings of nursing theory
Contributor: Mike Taylor The four metaparadigm concepts of nursing knowledge have been human beings, environment, health and nursing process; with the state of the person at the center of the definition and achievement of health goals. The idea that an individual has the wherewithal, not only in name but also but also in action, to … Continue reading Guest post: The privilege of agency: The political shortcomings of nursing theory
Practice and Research Speak: The Words We Use to Describe Ourselves and Others
In March 2020, I posted a blog about the meaning of words used to describe the extent to wish a person’s (patient or client) behavior does not comply with, adhere to, or is concordant with what has been prescribed by nursologists or physicians. In December 2020, I posted a blog about the meaning of words … Continue reading Practice and Research Speak: The Words We Use to Describe Ourselves and Others
Is Medicine a Trade or a Discipline or Profession?
Nursology is regarded as a discipline and a profession, which means that nursology constitutes distinctive knowledge encompassing nursological philosophies, conceptual models, grand theories, middle-range theories, and situation-specific theories (see all content on https://nursology.net and also https://nursology.net/2018/09/24/our-name-why-nursology-why-net/.Medici)ne, in contrast, is a trade. This assertion is based on my search of literature for several years and pondering … Continue reading Is Medicine a Trade or a Discipline or Profession?