Foundation of Humanistic Nursing Theory
Logic of Phenomenological Methodology
P & Z HUMANISTIC NURSING THEORY
Website Author
Karen Decker-Brown RN MSN FNP
The author of this website is Karen Decker-Brown RN FNP of Anchorage, Alaska. I love being a nurse and was enrolled in the Master's FNP program with Graceland University http://www.graceland.edu in Independence, MO. I graduated in July of 2004. Karen was born, raised and lived in Alaska her entire life. I have a great respect for and utilizes in part traditional Alaska Native lifestyle and beliefs. This website was my research project for graduate work and a poster presentation was given during the June 17-25, 2005 National Conference for the American Academy of Family Nurse Practitioners held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The same presentation was provided for the September annual conference for the Alaska Association of Nurse Practitioners.
I am currently working at setting up my own independent practice. This practice is called Humanistic Healthcare, LLC. This practice encompasses all the usual medical concerns that Nurse Practitioners encounter as well as providing home visits to those unable to easily visit with their health care provider. I am currently negotiating for office space and target date of opening the practice is fall of 2007.
Currently I correspond with many of you all over the world that have accessed this website. I appreciate your response and try to be as helpful as I can with questions and requests. I frequently send many of your correspondences to Paterson and Zderad so they can delight in the interest and progress their work has accomplished.
I live with a teenage son, Chalon, and a wonderful husband, Brad, that help me with a menagerie of rescued animals mostly iguanas.
Author's thoughts on Humanistic Nursing Theory.
"What's old is new again." (Read Plato) This is a great theory and has wide application. As I have delved into this theory, read and reread, again and again, I learn and become aware of more and more of the depth this theory encompasses. There are, however, holes that have become apparent to me.
One of the holes I feel has to do with this theory being strictly on a human to human level. I believe and know (noetic locus) that each animal has a spirit. I question P & Z when they state "Humans are the only beings conscious of themselves (p. 69)." My pets are a large part of my life and there is a bond that is formed and a transactional experience between us that both recognize even on what many would term a primitive level. Examples for me are my iguanas. I have rescued and nursed back to health many that most people consider having the brain capacity of a rock. That was my initial concept but have revised that thinking considerably as I have observed them think, process, remember and act accordingly. Anyone having a pet knows how unique and different they are and there are shared experiences not unlike the human-to-human events. I am considering writing about a Humanistic Trans-species Nursing Theory that extends Paterson and Zderad's work into the animal kingdom. An example of this is the relationship I have with Max my big iguana that follows me everywhere in the house or in the yard and will come and try to crawl up my leg so he can be held. Once there, he gives me licks, sighs deeply and looks intently into my eyes. Once I start to scratch his head or stroke his neck he closes both his eyes and snuggles into my shoulder. This is a very large iguana that I rescued because of abuse and neglect that underwent three tail amputations for gangrene so now all he has is a stub. I could see the pain he suffered through all three despite giving him pain medication. I saw the pain in his eyes each time I gave him his IM antibiotics twice a day and going through debridement and bandage changes. He got cranky with me a couple of times but he "knew" that I was trying to help him and he is very bonded to me now because of it. I have repeated that story of abuse, rescue, surgery and recovery with my three legged Siamese cat also. Those of you that have been there know what I am talking about.
My favorite part of their theory is how art and nursing are synergistic. Many nurses are artistic and it seems to me that to a much greater percentage than the general population. My quilting friends are in large part nurses. It makes me wonder if the area of the brain that lodges an affinity for art and nursing are one and the same or in close proximity.
I feel as we unravel more and more of the building blocks of the genetic code and come to realize what each one targets and how, along with the factors affecting those code blocks, that this theory will apply more and more and also less and less. In a sense, the more we come to know, the more we realize how little we know. What I mean by this is that as we start to explain scientifically how the process works and some of the phenomenological stuff is explained this part of the theory may not apply so readily, however, it will also generate it's own set of the unexplainable to which humanistic theory is applicable.
The above paragraph was written in 2004 when I first created this website. Today (2/10/07) I read in Scientific American (November 2006) an article in a special section regarding neuroscience about "a special class of brain cells reflects the outside world, revealing a new avenue for human understanding, connecting and learning" written by Giacomo Rizzolatti, Leonardo Fogassi, and Vittorio Gallese. These authors present "mirror neurons" as a pathophysiological basis for the "meeting of the minds". This article makes sense to me as it explains how one can come to "know another".
For all of those wondering about the theorists, Josephine Paterson and Loretta T. Zderad, they are alive and living in a small community in one of the southern states. I have been in contact with them on many occasions, they have a copy of this website and the research project thesis. They have also been forwarded copies of some of the e-mails you have sent me regarding the value of the website (with the sender's permission) and they have enjoyed reading how their work has continued to impact nurses and the application of their theory in various settings. I have enjoyed meeting them in person in June of 2005. They enjoy retirement in a beautiful home and nature setting and encourage others to continue their work in nursing theory.
Please feel free to give me your feedback and e-mail me at karen@gci.net. I answer all the e-mails I receive about this website and the feedback I receive has been extremely helpful in design changes, content changes, additions and corrections. Thanks to all, worldwide, that have e-mailed me with comments.
Karen