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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
10:07
Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Power, knowledge, and the discourse of specialization in nursing
1University of Western Sydney, Nepean, Australia.
Clinical Nurse Specialist CNS
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Nursing specialization is a discourse shaped by context and social interests. Its expression and legitimacy depend on its relationship with other discourses like medicine and nursing.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Studies
- Sociology of Professions
- Health Policy
Background:
- The definition and understanding of nursing specialization are inconsistent across various settings and timeframes.
- Nursing specialization can be conceptualized as a discourse influenced by social and contextual factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the discourse surrounding nursing specialization.
- To analyze the power and knowledge dynamics inherent in this discourse.
- To examine the expression of nursing specialization discourse in Australian and North American contexts.
Main Methods:
- Discourse analysis
- Critical review of literature
- Contextual analysis of nursing specialization in Australia and North America
Main Results:
- The discourse of nursing specialization is fluid and contested.
- Its legitimacy is influenced by its alignment with or opposition to other professional discourses (e.g., medicine).
- Power and knowledge are central to how nursing specialization is constructed and understood.
Conclusions:
- Understanding nursing specialization requires examining its discursive nature.
- Contextual and socio-political factors significantly shape the discourse and legitimacy of nursing specialization.
- Further research into power-knowledge dynamics is crucial for advancing nursing specialization.
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