Praxis and the role development of the acute care nurse practitioner

Abstract

Acute care nurse practitioner roles have been introduced in many countries. The acute care nurse practitioner provides nursing and medical care to meet the complex needs of patients and their families using a holistic, health-centred approach. There are many pressures to adopt a performance framework and execute activities and tasks. Little time may be left to explore domains of advanced practice nursing and develop other forms of knowledge. The primary objective of praxis is to integrate theory, practice and art, and facilitate the recognition and valuing of different types of knowledge through reflection. With this framework, the acute care nurse practitioner assumes the role of clinician and researcher. Praxis can be used to develop the acute care nurse practitioner role as an advanced practice nursing role. A praxis framework permeates all aspects of the acute care nurse practitioner's practice. Praxis influences how relationships are structured with patients, families and colleagues in the work setting. Decision-makers at different levels need to recognize the contribution of praxis in the full development of the acute care nurse practitioner role. Different strategies can be used by educators to assist students and practitioners to develop a praxis framework.

Time to clarify – the value of advanced practice nursing roles in health care

“…This divergence from the traditional RN role and subsequent professional autonomy has also drawn some concern from the medical fraternity, worried they may lose their patients to NPs (Wilson & Bunnell 2007), and hence their power (Appel & Malcolm 2002). In contrast (Kilpatrick 2008) suggests that NPs might better deliver care due to the very nature of an integrated approach to practice. Through the application of nursing knowledge and experience, the NP facilitates a challenge to the existing and dominant medical discourse.…”

Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education

“…Hatton and Smith (1995) also posit a depth model, which moves from description to dialogic (stepping back to evaluate) and finally to critical reflection. Similarly, a large body of literature around nursing praxis highlights critical reflection as integral in relating theory to practice and stresses the importance of the dialectic in moving from developing to refining to reshaping knowledge in the field (Connor, 2004;Cowling, 2004;Kilpatrick, 2008;Newman, 2002). Critical reflection can be used to facilitate 'multiple ways of knowing' as opposed to scientific evidence as a singular basis of practice in nursing (Tarlier, 2005).…”

From work integrated learning to learning integrated work – A pedagogical model to develop praxis in nursing education

“…A target for clinical practice should be to raise the students and educators' awareness of the nurse's development of praxis [17,24,38] . It is of importance "to affirm nursing practice as praxis and to acknowledge the epistemological diversity that sustains praxis" [39, p. 133] .…”