Martha Rodger’s theory clearly agrees with the ideals that I hold as a nursing professional that nursing should endeavor to promote health, prevention of diseases, rehabilitate ill people through incorporation of humane scientific ways. Nursing as a profession exists to serve people, being a profession that has a direct as well as overriding societal responsibility. Nursing as a profession seeks to integrate physiology as well as science fields in order to facilitate a patients healing process.
For safe practice of nursing the individual should have a good background information and knowledge about nursing, and the patients need a well-informed nurse aware of the responsibilities and function that she is supposed to perform (Meleis, 1997). The theory states that, a human being is an irreducible four-dimensional thing that in indivisible (Meleis, 1997). The human being is identified by a particular pattern and manifests with particular characteristics that is summed to a whole being and hence cannot be predicted using parts. Human beings are made up of their own characteristics that cannot be seen by looking at, or describing or summarizing the parts.
Nursing as a profession is as old as people existed. The element of nursing means taking care, it can be the sick or not. As per the assumption that nursing exists to serve people, it is true in that the sick need to be taken care of through administration of drugs, ensuring that the patient has observed good hygienic standards and check the progress of the patient. Without the nurse many patients might die from small complication that can be easily avoided by employing good care skills.
For example, a diabetic patient with a wound and in a coma is not in a position to take a shower or even take care of the wound. He therefore needs somebody to take care of the wounds failure to which he might develop infection that will eventually lead to sepsis with an eventuality of death. Therefore, a nurse will play an essential role in the management of patients. At the same time nursing as a profession does not mean slavery-, serving people means serving the needy where the needy are people like the old, young and the sick. Nursing does not also mean forcing an individual to perform a given function but it is out of will and commitment to serve.
The society is made of individuals who come together for a common purpose. Nursing therefore entails performing functions that cut across the society. The responsibility of a nurse is to ensure enhanced health to the society. For example, a nurse can be taking care of the sick e.g. dressing wounds, visiting the sick and offering services to them, but at the same time, the nurse might be the one responsible in educating the community in prevention of diseases. Therefore, the nurse has overriding responsibilities and direct responsibilities to the society.
For the nurse to perform well her functions in the community, she must be well qualified and well equipped with the knowledge and experience in health care or concerning to the aid she is offering to the community. For example, some nurses have a specialty in wound care, some are specialized in the management of diabetic patients, some the old therefore it is necessary for the nurse to have the relevant knowledge for the better management of the patients.
This ensures the safety of the patient and to the nurse, for example if the nurse is dressing a wound and she is not aware that she can contract a disease from the wound she might not use any protective ware. In addition, if the nurse is not aware of the drugs to use he might cause more harm to the patient. The people need knowledgeable nursing that is the nurse should know what is to be done to a particular condition and at the same time the patient must be informed on the procedure that is to be performed and the nurse must seek consent before performing a procedure to the patient (Tomey & Alligood, 1998). This ensures informed decision from both the nurse and the one seeking care.
The diagram is logical in that for a disease process to take place one of the components of the diagram must be destabilized. For example for a disease, process to take place environment must be destabilized. In addition, the human being as per the theory has energy fields and the environment too. The disturbances of the fields either leads to a disease process or will ensure care delivery (Tomey & Alligood, 1998). The combination of the environmental fields and human being have shared communication with one another is the basis of making a diagnosis and in offering a nursing interventions.
The assumptions go hand in hand with the theory. The theory states that a human being must be viewed as a unitary entity but not as parts. When you look at the assumptions, they all point to looking at an individual as one entity. If a person has a wound, the whole body is affected. When you consider the assumptions they explain the theory well and vice versa e.g. nursing is supposed to serve the community, the community is made of individuals who are surrounded by the environment (Rogers, 1989). Effects on the environment cause a direct impact on the individual hence the connection.
The principles, concepts and propositions are all well described and they do match with the theory’s aim. The principles describe the theory well; the concepts of the theory like energy fields tend to build the principle of energy field that work together for Unitarian human being. Openness is exhibited through description of how the environment and the human field keep exchanging energy freely without anything to limit the exchange (Tomey & Alligood, 1998). Such factors as pan dimensionality, environment, health and nursing are intended to create a unitary outlook towards the human being.
The meaning of concepts as well as principles is evident. For instance, there exists an aspect of human being’s aspect in human beings that is completely different from the rest of the body parts. When you look at the concept that discusses the human being as a unitary thing, they are very clear. The interaction between the environment, the pattern and the exchange of energy between the different levels it all points to a unitary form of life. The theory has been used in the developing of health management systems in Philadelphia and also it has been used in improving the assessing patients in that you look at a patient as one or as a whole individual not as part if one part of the body is affected the whole body is affected.
The theory has helped in the development of other modern theories of nursing, and it is used in training of nurses, the theory promotes the use of science for the betterment of humans’ health and promotes the use of creativity as knowledge in nursing (Tomey & Alligood, 1998). Additionally, creation of rules for research has been advanced through this model.
The theory has certain limitations. For instance, the language used in the description states the pandimensonality of human being field and influence for change in humans (Imogene, 1981). In addition, vague definitions that also lead to debate among the Rodgerian scholars is also a limitation. Being a closed system, the studies and publications are done within the Rodgerian scholars. Existing scientific methodology fails to capture the immeasurable components of the theory.
On the other side, the theory has enabled the revolution of nursing as well as helping in revealing the fact an individual is one entity. Accelerating evolution theory states that evolution is moving very fast and diversity of life process is widening hence the higher energy frequency is the source human development. If you compare the two theories, it seems the acceleration theory is a derivative of the unitary theory and both of them use energy fields to describe the relationship between man and the environment.
Martha Rodger has made massive contribution to nursing. For instance, she was the first person to describe man as a unitary as the central phenomenon in the nursing profession (Taylor, 2001). The conceptual system she developed is the base of knowledge in nursing that has relevance in all the workers. The theory is used as a guide to nursing knowledge theory development and expansion of research in nursing. Moreover, the matrix of nursing is relevant in the life process of man. Generally, without the contribution of the Rodger theory the nursing practice would still be miles behind.
References
Imogene, K. (1981). A Theory for nursing: systems, concepts, process. New York, U.S.A: Sage publishers.
Meleis, A. (1997). Theoretical Nursing: Development & Progress. Philadelphia, Lippincott.
Rogers, M. E. (1989). An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
Taylor, C. (2001). The Art & Science Of Nursing Care. Philadelphia, U.S.A: Lippincott.
Tomey, A. M. & Alligood, M. R. (1998). Nursing Theorists and Their Work, 4th ed. Boston: Mosby publishers.