Running head: CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF NURSING

Conceptual Model of Nursing Blog: Personal Interpretation of the Metaparadigm

Bridget Renda
SUNY Institute of Technology

Conceptual Model of Nursing Blog: Personal Interpretation of the Metaparadigm

In the following conceptual model, I describe my personal philosophy of nursing in the
context of the metaparadigm by defining my beliefs in regard to the person, health, nurse, and
environment. No single theorist interprets the nursing metaparadigm as I see it, so I drew various
components from the theories of King, Watson, Neumann, Leininger, and Pender to create my
conceptual model. I have included a visual depiction of the model in Appendix A.
I equate nursing functions or activities with caring. Caring includes the application of
skills, knowledge, presence, emotion, and faith to assist others experiencing vulnerability while
enabling and empowering them to navigate life events and transitions (Hood, 2010, p. 137).

Caring comprises the heart of the nursing discipline. Without it nursing becomes just another
profession---a body of knowledge without a soul to give it life and meaning.
My Interpretation of the Metaparadigm of Nursing
Like any other discipline, nursing needed to delineate its major areas of interest in order
to evolve into a science. Experts in the field of nursing have come to a consensus about the four
underlying theoretical concepts that define nursing. Fawcett (1984) pointed out that these four
themes are the person, the nurse, the environment, and health and termed this the metaparadigm
of nursing (p. 84).
Person
In nursing practice, the person is often referred to as the patient. Nursing theorists
generally agree that the person is the recipient of nursing care, although the definition of what
constitutes the person varies from one theorist to another. In my belief, the person is a human
composed of a body and a soul, with physical, psychological, spiritual, cultural, and emotional
dimensions. Humans are innately different from each other and typically possess a wide variety
of beliefs, motivations, goals, and instincts which influence their actions. My description of
person is similar to Watsons definition in which she describes the person as an embodied spirit
(Masters, 2011, p. 52). Like Leininger, I believe that the person may be defined as an individual
or a group of people, who are related or unrelated e.g. a family, a community, or an institution
(McFarland & Eipperle, 2008, p. 50).
Nurse
The nurse is the provider of care for the person and performs a wide variety of
interventions that are intended to promote, maintain, or restore health. Nursing practice involves
a partnership with the patient and is aimed at fulfilling mutually acceptable goals established by

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the patient and treatment team. Nursing care is based upon treatment protocols, physician orders,
and best practice methods drawn from the most current body of evidence. My beliefs about
nursing are closely aligned with Kings Theory of Goal Attainment. She proposes that patients
have a right to participate in decision making regarding their care (King, 2007, p. 110). The key
to successful nursing is the ability to collaborate with the patient in their care. A major
component of Kings theory is mutual goal setting, because she believed this leads to better
outcomes (Messmer, 2006, p. 227). An example is the nurse assisting the patient in setting a
reasonable weight loss goal by providing knowledge about ideal caloric intake.
Environment
I believe that the environment is an entity distinct from the person, but in continuous
interaction. It is partially composed of physical dimensions such as the workplace, the home, or
the school. It also contains psychosocial, spiritual and emotional components, e.g. the hostility
generated by a threatening person or the atmosphere of peace instilled from religious practices.
Patient and nursing actions are strongly influenced by the environment, which is often fluid and
amenable to change. For instance, a patient is recurrently hospitalized for exacerbations of CHF
related to a diet high in sodium and processed foods because this is all she can afford to buy. The
nurse works closely with this patient to change the environment by connecting the patient with
resources such as food stamps, enabling her access to healthier food choices. My definition of
environment is similar to that of Nola Pender, who states environment is the social, cultural and
physical context in which the life course unfolds. The environment can be manipulated by the
individual to create a positive context of cues and facilitators for health-enhancing behaviors
(n.d., p. 3).
Health

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Lastly, I believe that health occurs on a continuum with illness and is a state of
achievement of desired physical, mental, and emotional function. Health is subjective to a great
extent and is defined by those who are experiencing it. It is consistent with goal fulfillment and a
state of satisfaction. Nurses must collaborate with patients across the spectrum of wellness and
illness to help them define and achieve their health goals. Nursing is not strictly illness oriented
but is also concerned with those who are well. It is imperative that nurses become involved in
primary prevention in the essentially healthy population to ward off the onset of disease or the
progression to chronic disease states. Achievement of health often involves manipulation of the
environment to facilitate a positive atmosphere that optimizes the patients ability to meet their
goals. My idea of health is consistent with Neumans Systems Model, which is health-oriented
and views prevention as intervention (Masters, 2011, p. 63; Neuman, 2005, p. 15).
Application to Advanced Practice Nursing
According to Fawcett, Newman, & McAllister (2004), the metaparadigm concepts can be
appropriately extended to advanced nursing practice roles (p. 135). As an emergency nurse
practitioner, I hope to implement my conceptual model of nursing by accepting my patients
wherever they are on the health continuum and facilitating their forward movement. Skillful
interviewing to determine influential environmental factors that are preventing their attainment
of health or causing them to be ill is essential. I will use my vision of nursing to create a
partnership with each one of my patients and facilitate achievement of our goals. In this way, I
can achieve success and self-actualization as an emergency nurse practitioner.

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5
References

Fawcett, J. (1984). The metaparadigm of nursing: Present status and future refinements. Journal
of Nursing Scholarship, 16(3), 84-87. Retrieved from
https://sunyit.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/pdf/68189.pdf
Fawcett, J., Newman, D., & McAllister, M. (2004). Advanced practice nursing and conceptual
models of nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 17(2), 135-138. http://dx.doi.org/doi:
10.1177/0894318404263268
Hood, L. J. (2010). Leddy & Peppers conceptual bases of professional nursing (7th ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
King, I. M. (2007). Kings conceptual system, theory of goal attainment, and transaction process
in the 21st century. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(2), 109-111. http://dx.doi.org/DOI:
10.1177/0894318407299846
Masters, K. (2011). Nursing theories: A framework for professional practice (1st ed). Retrieved
from http://samples.jbpub.com/9781449691509/81982_CH02_Pass1.pdf
McFarland, M. M., & Eipperle, M. K. (2008). Culture care theory: A proposed practice theory
guide for nurse practitioners in primary care settings. Contemporary Nurse, 28(1-2), 4863. http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.sunyit.edu/10.5172/conu.673.28.1-2.48
Messmer, P. R. (2006). Professional model of care: Using Kings theory of goal attainment.
Nursing Science Quarterly, 19(3), 227-229. http://dx.doi.org/doi:
10.1177/0894318406289887
Neuman, B. (2005). The Neuman systems model of nursing. Retrieved from
http://www.neumansystemsmodel.org/NSMdocs/NSM%20overview%20as%20PDF.pdf

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Pender, N. J. (n.d.). The health promotion model manual. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from
http://research2vrpractice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HEALTH-PROMOTION_
MANUAL_Rev_5-2011.pdf