Miss Virginia A. Henderson is the embodiment of Modern Day Nursing. Her contributions to Nursing profession are most invaluable and has crossed borders, cultures, and language barriers largely due to the recentness of her views.
She was born on November 30, 1897 to Lucy Abbot Henderson and Daniel B. Henderson as fifth of eight siblings. Although she was born at Kansas City Missouri, she had spent most of her childhood at Virginia.
The modern Nightingale
"Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future." by William Wordsworth
Nursing
• Henderson’s definition of nursing in functional terms: "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible."
• She sorted out the nursing activities into 14 components, basing them on the 14 basic human needs.
• She sorted out the nursing activities into 14 components, basing them on the 14 basic human needs.
Environment
• Henderson’s definition of nursing in functional terms: "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible."
• She sorted out the nursing activities into 14 components, basing them on the 14 basic human needs.
• She also described the nurse's role in 3 categories:
• She sorted out the nursing activities into 14 components, basing them on the 14 basic human needs.
• She also described the nurse's role in 3 categories:
Personal Application
My functions and goals as a public health nurse can also be correlated to the 14 Basic Needs cited by The public health system in the Philippines has undergone several transformations since established by the Americans more than a century ago. The concepts and principles may still be the same, but the face and the structure have to change in order to address the changing needs of the society. (Preface, Public Health Nursing in the Philippines-NLPGN, 10th Edition)
Academe
Henderson’s theory of nursing is client-centered and comprehensive. As a nurse educator, it is important to teach nursing students the significance of utilizing nursing theories on their practice. As I teach medical-surgical nursing in class, I always remind my students that we are not treating the disease but we are helping the patients get well and independent again. When I went to England, nurses have numerous extended roles. When I was practicing there, I felt like that I was also playing the role of social worker, counselor and case manager. Coming here to the US made me aware of the different nursing fields or careers that are open to nurses. For instance, when I worked in surgical and medical ICU, there are different nurses in the department such as- Wound specialist nurse, Resource nurse, Nurse case manager and Nurse Informatics.
Clinical
Many components of Henderson's 14 Basic Needs can be applied to cardiac nursing. Breathing normally is one of the topmost need among the list and without it, the circulatory system cannot deliver its most important commodity, oxygen. For a cardiac nurse to be affective, she should ensure that this fundamental need is met before the rest. Maintaining a desirable position, emphasizing maximal intake of air to relieve dyspneic situations is also a common intervention in this field of nursing. Many of the disease processes require knowledge of it to prevent complications or to halt the progression of a certain situation into a graver one e.g. Trendelenburg positioning in a patient with air embolism during total parenteral nutrition therapy.
Public Health
The public health system in the Philippines has undergone several transformations since established by the Americans more than a century ago. The concepts and principles may still be the same, but the face and the structure have to change in order to address the changing needs of the society. (Preface, Public Health Nursing in the Philippines-NLPGN, 10th Edition)
Even in the practice of public health nursing where the main concerns are on the promotive-preventive, aspects of care, Henderson’s unique definition of nursing still stands true---the need-based assistance of individuals for the achievement/maintenance of health and of gaining independence.
My functions and goals as a public health nurse can also be correlated to the 14 Basic Needs cited by Henderson.
Even in the practice of public health nursing where the main concerns are on the promotive-preventive, aspects of care, Henderson’s unique definition of nursing still stands true---the need-based assistance of individuals for the achievement/maintenance of health and of gaining independence.
My functions and goals as a public health nurse can also be correlated to the 14 Basic Needs cited by Henderson.
Nursing Research
According to Virginia Henderson, Research is a structured systematic study formulated to answer a question or solve a problem. Her life in research started in Yale School of Nursing as a Nursing Associate in 1953. She worked on Critical View of Nursing Research and found out that most of the nursing researches conducted were primarily focused on Nurses and not nursing care.
She also noted that there was no organized literature upon which to base clinical studies. As a result, she started a project that annotates nursing literature.
She also noted that there was no organized literature upon which to base clinical studies. As a result, she started a project that annotates nursing literature.
Limitations
A Nurse’s Guide in Assisting the Patient towards a Peaceful Death
By integrating the term “peaceful death” in the development of her theory, we can associate her theory to Palliative Care. Not been clearly mentioned the concept of death and dying so it is, we want to give clarification by attempting to apply her theory to this field of nursing.
We learned that for a person to be considered a whole being, he must have a balance in mind and body. Henderson presented it to us by enumerating the 14 basic human needs. What if these needs have been disrupted at the last stage of his journey through life? How can a nurse provide an appropriate care to a dying patient and his family?
By integrating the term “peaceful death” in the development of her theory, we can associate her theory to Palliative Care. Not been clearly mentioned the concept of death and dying so it is, we want to give clarification by attempting to apply her theory to this field of nursing.
We learned that for a person to be considered a whole being, he must have a balance in mind and body. Henderson presented it to us by enumerating the 14 basic human needs. What if these needs have been disrupted at the last stage of his journey through life? How can a nurse provide an appropriate care to a dying patient and his family?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)