From Florence Nightingale, to Virginia Henderson and from Roper, Logan and Tierney to Orem, models have always featured in nursing … but how do they impact on nursing practice?  And how strongly do they feature in your education? Chapman (2018) states “Nursing models are often promoted as a way of advancing nursing science or leading to a more coherent view of nursing. However, the purpose of any model is to most accurately reflect reality in a way that enables us to: 

•Understand it;

•Act upon it with predictable outcomes. The multiplicity of nursing models reflects:

•Different views of the person;

•The society they live in;

•Their health and wellbeing (or ill health);

•The goals, role and functions of the nurse.”

It seems very straightforward when put like this. We’d like this chat to explore how students are introduced to models and how they are helped to recognise where, and which models are used in practice - and indeed, to know  when models are not used. Does knowing about different models of nursing help us to provide better nursing care ? 

Questions

• How are you taught about models of nursing - in the classroom and in practice?
• Is there a model of nursing that you identify with / favour for your practice? If so why? 
  
• Are models of nursing reflected in your experience of nursing practice? AND if so are they clearly outlined or are they inferred? 
• In your experience, has using a specific model of nursing helped you to better understand how patient’s care is decided and managed? Can you say why? Or why not?