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Imaging ourselves: nurses' metaphors of practice
1University of Victoria.
Summary
Exploring nursing metaphors reveals key themes in practice, including work character, power dynamics, professional growth, and relational aspects. These insights challenge existing views and highlight barriers to holistic nursing.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Qualitative Research
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- Metaphors are powerful communication tools in everyday language.
- Their use in nursing can foster new understandings and pedagogical advancements.
- Challenging existing metaphors may reveal hidden aspects of holistic nursing practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the metaphorical images used by practicing nurses.
- To identify themes within these metaphors to understand nursing practice.
- To uncover how metaphors influence perceptions of holistic nursing.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research methodology.
- Thematic analysis of metaphorical descriptions provided by nurses.
- Examination of a wide variety of metaphorical images.
Main Results:
- Four major themes emerged: the character of nursing work, power and empowerment, nursing as a growth process, and the relational nature of nursing.
- Nurses' metaphors offer insights into the complexities and ambiguities of their practice.
- Identified constraints influencing holistic nursing practice and nurses' struggles.
Conclusions:
- Metaphorical images are valuable for understanding nursing practice.
- Social and organizational constraints significantly impact holistic nursing.
- Further exploration of nursing metaphors can inform practice and education.