Title: THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL MODELS, INCORPORATING NURSING INTO ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING - Advanced Practice Nursing
Headings: THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL MODELS
THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL MODELS
INCORPORATING NURSING INTO ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING

Content: Numerous theoretical and conceptual models exist. What relevance do nursing theories have to practice? Can't nurses merely practice nursing? Meleis (2011) noted that a theory articulates and communicates a mental image of a certain order that exists in the world. This image includes components, and these components inform a model or perspective that guides each nurse's practice. This model may be identical to one of the publicized nursing theories, or it may be based on a theoretical perspective from another discipline. In some instances, eclectic models are used in which nurses combine elements from established nursing theories or theories from other disciplines. New nursing theories continue to be developed. Of particular importance is the delineation of nursing theories that incorporate various cultural perspectives, because the Western philosophical perspective to date has not pervaded many of the existing theories. There has been much discussion about whether one grand nursing theory is needed.