Importance Of Insights In Nursing

Insights as a Knower: Developing a Knowledge Plan

Nursing is a demanding job, requiring a significant amount of knowledge in a multitude of areas including a strong knowledge base of human relationships. Relational practice is an inquiry that is directed by mindfully partaking in a relationship with the client/patient and is the foundation of all nursing practice (CRNBC, 2015). A significant portion of this relationship is my ability to engage in self-observation and reflection that aids me in recognizing and acknowledging what I know and do not know (Berragan, 1998, p. 216, Hartrick Doane & Varcoe, 2015). Hartrick Doane and Varcoe (2015) recognize the difference between knowing and not knowing as imperative to a responsive and safe nursing practice (p. 22). As a student nurse, I recognize the importance of reflection as a means to evaluate how I interact on intrapersonal (internal), interpersonal (external), and contextual (environmental) levels. To grow in my role as a nurse, I must develop strategies that combine my knowledge and my

Aesthetic knowing is being able to understand my patient’s perception of their own health and illness and what it means to them (Michael, Candela, & Mitchell, 2002, p. 243). Personal knowing and reflection allows me to distinguish the most personal aspects of a situation and respond in a caring and supportive manner (Berragan, 1998, p. 212). Additionally, my personal experiences are able to increase my depth of knowledge and ability to connect with my patients as a knower (Bonis, 2008, p. 1330). During a maternity placement I was able to draw on both the empirical knowledge I have gained as an LPN/student and my personal knowledge about the postpartum period. My personal knowledge helped me to discuss details that cannot be learned through a textbook, in addition, I was able understanding what the experience was like for my