Contributed by Karen J. FoliNursology.net Advisory Team One of the things I enjoy is learning about phenomenon that helps me process and explain experiences. The truth of this was evident when I read the letter to the editor of Nursing Outlook by Lisa Kelly (2025), who encouraged our nurse scientists to explore the issue of … Continue reading The Three “M” Effects and Nursing Theory
Nursing Education
From Student to Staff Nurse: The Reality No One Talks About
Guest Contributors: M. Jalal Naeem and Romaisa NaeemBSN Students, Dow Universitywith Haseeb AhmedRegistered Nurse (RN), PRN, BSN, MSN Scholar, Nursing Faculty and Mentor, Aga Khan University The transition from nursing student to professional nurse is not simply a title change. It is a transformation in identity, responsibility, and resilience.Graduation from nursing school is frequently regarded … Continue reading From Student to Staff Nurse: The Reality No One Talks About
Beyond Borders: The Moment I Realized There Is More Than One Way to Be a Good Nurse
Contributor - Aaron Salinas, MSN, DNP I arrived in Poland expecting to learn new clinical skills. What I did not expect was to learn something about myself. During a simulation, our team responded to a patient experiencing severe hypoglycemia. The patient was unconscious, and the situation required immediate action. I was working alongside nurses and … Continue reading Beyond Borders: The Moment I Realized There Is More Than One Way to Be a Good Nurse
Navigating Life’s Realities Throughout My PhD Journey – A Personal Knowing Exemplar
Contributor - Janie Connor MSN RN OCN When Life Becomes the Curriculum Entering a PhD program is often described as a time of intellectual stretching, identity formation, and deep scholarly immersion. What we talk about far less is how doctoral study unfolds inside the realities of everyday life, especially for nurses who return to school … Continue reading Navigating Life’s Realities Throughout My PhD Journey – A Personal Knowing Exemplar
Anticipatory Grief: An Undergraduate Lesson Plan
Guest Contributor: Cheryl J. Bostelman MSN, RN Nursing programs across the United States teach students using the latest research and evidence-based practices. The entire human lifespan, from conception to death, is brought into the nursing classroom. Death can unfortunately occur at any time during the lifespan. When administering palliative and hospice care, the topic of … Continue reading Anticipatory Grief: An Undergraduate Lesson Plan
Reflections on Virtual Nursing Theory Week 2026
Contributor: Mana Ghanbar Nezhad In virtual nursing theory week, I learned that nursing is far more than performing tasks or following procedures; It is a complex, relational, and dynamic profession that requires the integration of ethical values, clinical knowledge, technological competence, and systemic awareness. Caring is not simply about having good intentions; it is something … Continue reading Reflections on Virtual Nursing Theory Week 2026
When Exhaustion Speaks, Let Nature Answer: The Secret Sound That Revives Nurses
Guest Contributor: Rimsha SaleemMSCN student at Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Life in the Rhythm of Natural MusicWhat is life? People often see life as an endless circle of activity where time passes but peace and meaning lost somewhere. Sometimes the true essence of life seems lost rather than fully experienced in the chaos of … Continue reading When Exhaustion Speaks, Let Nature Answer: The Secret Sound That Revives Nurses
Maslow Got It Backwards
Guest Contributor: Shahnawaz Soomro At some time in our lives, the majority of us have come across Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, perhaps at a management training session, in a psychology textbook, or on a motivational poster on someone's office wall. It is a tidy, reassuring pyramid. The most fundamental physiological needs, food, drink, shelter, and … Continue reading Maslow Got It Backwards
We Trained Them to Control—Then Sent Them to the Community
Contributor - Rudolf Cymorr Kirby Martinez, PhD, MA, RN, CGNC, CNE, WWCC, HWNC-BC, AHN-BC, SGAHN, FFNMRCSI I am a nurse educator who considers myself a holistic and transcultural nurse practicing primarily in community settings. Students often describe community health nursing as one of the most fulfilling fields of nursing, yet it remains an unpopular choice … Continue reading We Trained Them to Control—Then Sent Them to the Community
Moving Towards Cultural Humility in Advanced Practice Nursing Education
Contributor: Hannah Scranton Contemporary nursing practice occurs within social and structural contexts that shape both health outcomes and clinical relationships. While cultural competence has been incorporated into U.S. nursing curricula, its emphasis on knowledge acquisition and generalized cultural characteristics is insufficient for preparing nurses to engage with complex, intersecting identities and power dynamics in contemporary … Continue reading Moving Towards Cultural Humility in Advanced Practice Nursing Education
Nurse Education and Clinical Leadership: A Philosophical Perspective
Contributors - Dave Calubaquib, DNP, RN, CNOR and Rachell Nguyen, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, NPD-BC, NE-BC, CDCES Picture a nurse stepping onto a busy unit: alarms are sounding, a patient is unstable, and a team of staff looks to her for direction. She moves confidently, prioritizes care, communicates clearly, and guides the team through the crisis. … Continue reading Nurse Education and Clinical Leadership: A Philosophical Perspective
Doing Nursing Without Understanding Nursing: Why Nursing Theories such as NurCaM Matters
Contributor - Rudolf Cymorr Kirby Martinez, PhD, MA, RN, CGNC, CNE, WWCC, HWNC-BC, AHN-BC, SGAHN, FFNMRCSI I am a nurse educator from the Philippines who has been in academia for at least 12 years. I started in nursing education at the baccalaureate level, handling students in Community Health Nursing clinical rotation. During this time, I … Continue reading Doing Nursing Without Understanding Nursing: Why Nursing Theories such as NurCaM Matters
Norwegian Nurse Educators Recognize that Nursing Theories are of Vital Importance…Do You?
Contributor: Savina O. SchoenhoferCo-developer of the theory of Nursing As Caring Source: ChatGPT 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 … Continue reading Norwegian Nurse Educators Recognize that Nursing Theories are of Vital Importance…Do You?
Constructive Failure: How Mistakes Shape Becoming a Nurse
Contributor - Brittany Haynes A nursing student once stood frozen during simulation after realizing she had miscalculated a medication dose. No real patient was harmed, and everyone in the room knew that. Still, she was shaken. During debrief, she quietly said, “I will never forget this.” That moment stayed with me, not because of the … Continue reading Constructive Failure: How Mistakes Shape Becoming a Nurse
Gertrude Torres (July 18, 1933 – July 24, 2016) – Guardian of Our Discipline
Guardian of the Discipline I first learned of Dr. Gertrude Torres’ work when she and Helen Yura published a report of their study of analysis of the conceptual frameworks of several nursology [nursing] baccalaureate programs that were accredited by the National League for Nursing. The analysis revealed four major concepts--man, society, health, and nursing (Yura … Continue reading Gertrude Torres (July 18, 1933 – July 24, 2016) – Guardian of Our Discipline
Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Nursing Education: Lessons from Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory
Contributor - Elouise Runnels Ford, RN, MSN, MHEd Mental illness remains one of the most stigmatized health conditions worldwide, and stigma often extends into healthcare, including nursing (Ben Natan, Drori, & Hochman, 2024). Nurses play a critical role in supporting individuals with mental health challenges, yet unintentional biases can influence the care they provide and … Continue reading Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Nursing Education: Lessons from Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory
Restoring the Bridge Between Nursing Theory and Clinical Practice: A Call to Rebalance
Contributor - Aissatou GueyePhD student, Boston College Connell School of Nursing “When nurses cross freely between the two shores of theory and practice, knowledge becomes wisdom, and practice becomes an act of artistry and consciousness.” In nursing classrooms, we speak of caring as both art and science—an integration of empirical evidence, aesthetic knowing, personal presence, … Continue reading Restoring the Bridge Between Nursing Theory and Clinical Practice: A Call to Rebalance
Teaching Community Health Nursing Innovatively with Nursology Knowledge–Pender and Watson
Guest Contributor: Jennifer M. HackelAdjunct Professor of Nursing, University of Southern Maine Teaching Community Health Nursing to undergraduate students during the pandemic offered this professor a good opportunity to ground them in nursology. The clinical placement for my section of eight students was immersing them in the community where I live -- a rural unbridged … Continue reading Teaching Community Health Nursing Innovatively with Nursology Knowledge–Pender and Watson
We See Each Other: Reclaiming Unity in Nursing Scholarship and Practice
Co-Contributor - Julee Waldrop DNP, FAANP, FAANSee Nursology.net blog posts related to DNP Education and Practice In a time when healthcare systems are increasingly impersonal, patient care may be at risk of discontinuity. The collaboration between Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) nurses offers a pathway to integrate nursing knowledge and … Continue reading We See Each Other: Reclaiming Unity in Nursing Scholarship and Practice
Call to WHAT Action?
This blog is a follow-up to my previous blog, Call to Action NOW My participation in a November 24, 2025 webinar presented by staff of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (WF25_11_24_OBBBA_Webinar Handout.pdf) brought to my attention a possible rationale for the United States (US) Department of Education proposal for a change in … Continue reading Call to WHAT Action?