Theory and Evidenced-based Practice

I held a very vague insight as to what nursing theory and evidenced-based

practice were when I began this RN to BSN program. I remember slogging through

our Tomey and Alligood's text, trying to understand 'grand theories', and wondering

how much of this text I would be held accountable for. Since then I believe I have

developed a greater appreciation for what the creator of the many nursing theorists

were trying to accomplish. At that time I was quite overwhelmed by all this

philosophical thought processes. Today I believe I better understand the impetus

behind the development of the many nursing theories; defining who we are and

what we hope to accomplish as a profession. I included in this section of my

portfolio a first semester discussion of Betty Neuman. It was interesting to revisit

writing assignments from two years ago. I find that my writing style is more

focused and concise.

Similarly the term evidenced-based practice was also a somewhat nebulous

concept as well. I was quite surprised to discover how much I enjoyed research and

finding applicable articles to support topics of discussion. I am glad I had the

opportunity to have part of my nursing research class face to face. I think I would

have had a difficult time understanding some of the statistical verbiage and

concepts in an on-line setting. I included one of my research papers from my first

summer in the program which illustrates my rudimentary understanding of what

research in nursing is and its applicability.