Biological sciences and the nursing curriculum: a challenge for educationalists

In recent years there has been considerable emphasis on the social and behavioural sciences in the nursing curriculum, with a corresponding tendency to devalue the role of the biological sciences. This paper argues the case for the biological sciences as being essential to the development of 'intelligent practitioners' and the progress of nursing. The notion of 'intelligent practice' is discussed against the background of a historical perspective which seeks to present a brief comparison of the traditional expectations of nursing practice with those for practice in the future. It is suggested that the application to nursing practice of relevant knowledge from the biological sciences is central to skillful practice and a 'caring' philosophy. Without such knowledge, nurses are unable to deliver safe, high-quality care and, in addition, 'handmaiden status' is perpetuated. In the past, the biological science component of the nursing curriculum was derived from medicine and the biomedical model: its teaching was, largely, inadequate and ineffective. If knowledge of biological science is crucial to 'intelligent practice' then there is an urgent need to review how this knowledge is structured and taught in the nursing curriculum. The conceptual model of 'bionursing' is suggested as a possible framework for developing a new approach to the structuring and teaching of biological sciences in the curriculum. Finally, consideration of biological sciences as an educational task, and the challenge of implementing a coherent, structured curriculum, are addressed.