Happenings: Institute for Philosophical Nursing Research

Abstract

The nursing profession, today, is faced with far-reaching practical problems -problems such as the lack of clarity of practice boundaries among the health professions, inappropriate use of nursing manpower in the health care system, and inadequate recognition of the extent of its contribution to the health of society. These problems have not yielded to scientific and pragmatic attempts to solve them. Their solution (and that of similar problems) rests, in large part, in the attainment of philosophical nursing knowledge that underlies the sound advancement of the practice of nursing. For the purpose of identifying the aim, scope, and nature of nursing practice, the University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing established the Institute for Philosophical Nursing Research in 1988. It was established on the assumption that research infrastructures of this kind are indispensable in any sustained effort to advance thought in a particular area of inquiry. Aim The aim of the Institute is to provide leadership in the pursuit of philosophical nursing knowledge which underlies the advancement of the practice of nursing _ the philosophical nursing knowledge required to guide and unite nurse practitioners, educators, administrators, and researchers in the development and use of nursing knowledge for the benefit of those who receive and depend on nursing care.