Writing a Column for a Nursology Journal: A Personal Experience

Benoit, C., Ibrahim, N., Miezah, D., Terhune, E.H., & Fawcett, J. (2025). thoughts about the economics of health policies. Nursing Science Quarterly, 38(4), 464–466.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184251358356

This is the last Essay on Nursing Science column I wrote, concomitant with Rosemaire Parse’s decision to relinquish the editorship of Nursing Science Quarterly and my retirement from my academic position. My co-authors were students in a PhD nursing program health policy course I taught. One course assignment was to describe the economic context, specifically the costs, of the health policy each student had selected for all course assignments.

Fawcett, J. (2025). Applying conceptual models to parental leave policy nursing research. Nursing Science Quarterly, 38(3), 328–333.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184251335242

This essay is about how various nursology conceptual models could be used to guide research about parental leave for childbirth, which is an extension of my research program focused on adaptation to life events.

Provencher, H., Gehrling, K., Fawcett, J., Beckman, S., Green-Laughlin, D., McDowell, B.M., Breckenridge, D., & Pluck, F. (2025). Reconstitution: A Neuman Systems Model perspective. Nursing Science Quarterly, 38(2), 195–199.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184241311905

This essay focuses on various definitions and descriptions of the Neuman Systems Model concept of reconstitution. Authorship includes Neuman Systems Model Trustees Group (Karen Gehrling, Saah Beckman, DeLyndia Green-Laughlin, Diane Breckenridge, and me (all from the United States), Ferdy Pluck, (from The Netherlands), as well as a former PhD nursing student of mine and a now long-time colleague,(Helene Provencher, from Canada).

Fawcett, J., McDowell, B.M., Beckman, S., Green-Laughlin, D., Helewka, A., & Breckenridge, D. (2024). Thoughts about stressors: A Neuman Systems Model Perspective. Nursing Science Quarterly, 38(1), 97–100.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184241291567

This essay focuses on the meaning of stressors in the Neuman Systems Model. All authors are members of the Neuman Systems Model Trustees Group. With the exception of Anna Helewka (who is from Canada), all others are from the United States.

Provencher, H., & Fawcett, J. (2024). Analysis and evaluation of situation-specific theories: Proposed modifications in existing criteria for analysis and evaluation of theories. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(4), 387–390.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184241269950

This essay is about how the criteria for analysis and evaluation of situation-specific theories differs somewhat from these criteria for middle-range theories. Helene Provencher (a long-time colleague from Canada and a former PhD nursing student whose dissertation I supervised) approached me with the thought that the criteria differed based on level of abstraction of theories. We then collaborated on the paper that became this Essays on Nursing Science column.

O’Rourke, M. & Fawcett, J. (2024). More thoughts about culture as a metaparadigm concept: Rejection of the reality of subcultures. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(3), 297–298.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184241246986

This essay is based on Maria O’Rouke assertion that subculture do not exist, contrary to some literature that divides a culture into parts. The column was written as an extension of my introduction of culture as a metaparadigm concept.

Fawcett, J. (2024). More thoughts about the evolution of the metaparadigm of nursing: Addition of culture as another metaparadigm concept and definitions of all the concepts. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(2), 183–184.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231224409

This essay introduced culture as a metaparadigm concept and included the definition of each concept of my version of our disciplinary metaparadigm (human beings, global environment, culture, planetary health, nursologists’ activities). The column is an extension of my 2023 column, “Thoughts about the metaparadigm of nursing,”

Fawcett, J. (2024). More thoughts about environment. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(1), 89–91.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231207389

This essay, a follow up to my2022 essay, “Thoughts about environment,” is about the internal environment and includes diverse definitions of internal environment found in nursology conceptual models, along with a possible Native American interpretation of internal environment found in the literature.

Fawcett, J. (2023). More thoughts about health policies: Focus on conceptual models. Nursing Science Quarterly, 36(4), 427–430.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231187862

This essay emerged from my experiences teaching a PhD nursing program health policy course. The emphasis was on an explanation of how some explicit nursing conceptual models, all of which were developed by nurse theories to guide research, education, practice, and administration, could be extended for use as guides health policy research. The essay extends my 2013 essay, “Thoughts about conceptual models, theories, and literature reviews,” my 2018 essay, “More thoughts about conceptual models and literature reviews: Focus on population health” and especially my 2019 essay, “Still more thoughts about conceptual models and literature reviews: Focus on health policy.”

Fawcett, J. (2023). Thoughts about the metaparadigm of nursing: Contemporary status and recommendations for evolution. Nursing Science Quarterly, 36(3), 303–305.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231169770

This essay presents a discussion of my at the time most recent version of nursing’s metaparadigm and other nursing scholar’s versions of the metaparadigm. The essay includes a call for global readers to offer their versions of the metaparadigm as a way to decolonize this component of nursology knowledge.

Fawcett, J., & Morgan, J. (2023). Thoughts about measuring concepts: Using single-item indicators and multiple-item indicators. Nursing Science Quarterly, 36(2), 197–200.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184221150266

This essay, written with a then PhD nursing learner (who now has completed her PhD nursing studies), who worked with me as a research assistant for a secondary analysis of data from one of my studies of parents’ experiences of high-risk childbearing. We compared the merits of using a single item versus multiple items to measure a concept/variable in a study.

McDowell, B., Beckman, S., & Fawcett, J. (2023). Created environment: Evolution of a Neuman Systems Model concept. Nursing Science Quarterly, 36(1), 89–91.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184221131975

Two members of the Neuman Systems Model Trustees Group joined me (also a member of the Trustees Group) to discuss the evolution of created environment, which is one of the three Neuman Systems Model categories about environment—internal environment, external environment, and created environment. This is the second essay about the created environment; the first is the 2017 “Thoughts about created environment: A Neuman systems model concept.”

Fawcett, J. (2022). Thoughts about teaching: A nursing discipline-specific perspective of lifespan growth and development. Nursing Science Quarterly, 35(4), 494–497.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184221115110

This essay provided a special opportunity for me to describe why and how I designed a typical lifespan growth and development undergraduate course, required for sophomore nursing students and taught in the nursing department, from a developmental psychology perspective to a nursology discipline-specific perspective. The nursology perspective started with Meleis’ transition framework as the conceptual model and Roper, Logan, and Thiery’s Model of Nursing based on Activities of Living for the theoretical framework with an emphasis of functional ability and functional status. This perspective of course content was consistent with the faculty approved course objectives and was approved by the faculty.

Fawcett, J. (2022). Thoughts about health policies. Nursing Science Quarterly, 35(3), 378–382.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184221092444

This essay focused on the meaning of health policy, a conceptual model of nursing and health policy that I had developed with a faculty colleague in the early 2000s, and sources of health policies that are of special interest to nursologists. Emphasis was placed on clinical practice guidelines as a major source of health policies that are often ignored or overlooked when thinking about health policies as those promulgated by towns, cities, states, and federal governments.

Fawcett, J. (2022). Thoughts about environment. Nursing Science Quarterly, 35(2), 267–269.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184211070578

This essay presents a discussion of the external environment, with emphasis on the evolution of human beings’ understanding of their surroundings to the need to decolonize the meaning of a global environment that includes attention to climate change.

Fawcett, J. (2022). More thoughts about concept analysis: A different approach. Nursing Science Quarterly, 35(1), 123–125.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184211051348

This essay provided an opportunity to showcase a new approach to concept analysis based on words, rather than the usual basis of a literature-based definition of a concept. A major thesis, based on John Paley’s (2021) book, Concept analysis in nursing: A new approach, is that whereas words actually exist, concepts do not.

Fawcett, J. (2021). More thoughts about nursing practice delivery models. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(4), 458–461.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184211031584

This is the second of two essays about practice delivery models. See 2021 “Thoughts about nursing practice delivery models.” The practice delivery models included in this essay are primary nursing and the attending nurse. I have always thought that primary nursing is the very best way to organize practice delivery by nursologists. I learned of the attending nurse model, which is similar to primary nursing, as I learned more about practice applications of Johnson’s behavioral system model.

Fawcett, J. (2021). Thoughts about nursing practice delivery models. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(3), 328–330.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184211010460

This is the first of two essays about practice delivery models. See 2021 “More thoughts about nursing practice delivery models.” In this essay, I described three nursing practice delivery models—total patient care, functional nursing, and team nursing. An emphasis is placed on nursologist accountability for practice within the process for each of these models.

Fawcett, J., & Morgan, J. (2021). Thoughts about presence during dying. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(2), 207–208.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420987177

This essay is co-authored by a then PhD nursing student who has now completed her doctoral studies. We were particularly interested in what can be done when a person is at risk for dying alone during hospitalization and a pilot program in which Jennifer Morgan was involved “No One Dies Alone.” We proposed that implementation of Parse’s concept of presence is an effective approach to avoid persons dying alone during hospitalization.

Fawcett, J., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Thoughts about power. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(1), 93–95.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420965218

In this essay, which was coauthored by a then PhD nursing student who has since completed her doctoral studies, we discussed perspectives of power, including power to versus power over, power as cooperation, peace as power versus power-over, power as freedom to choose versus power as control, power as knowledge versus hierarchical power, power held by departments and work/team groups, and power as medicalization.

Fawcett, J. (2020). Thoughts about meanings of compliance, adherence, and concordance. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(4), 358–360.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420943136

This essay was motivated by my long-standing concern about what compliance, adherence, and even concordance mean when used in health care. I have long thought that these terms reflect a power imbalance between the nursologist (or other health care personnel) and the persons we refer to as patients. The expectation is that patients are expected to do whatever we tell them to do. Thus, these terms represent our collective failure to support our supposed ideals of patient-centered care and patient autonomy.

See Nursing Science Quarterly 34((2), 2021 for a Letter to the Editor by Jeanne M. Erickson and Michele Polfuss (. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420987182). They stated that they agreed with my thoughts about compliance and adherence and pointed out that these concepts are most likely incompatible with self-management perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420987182

Fawcett, J. (2020). Thoughts about thinking theoretically and atheoretically. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(3), 272–273.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420920623

This essay is a follow up to and expansion of my 2019 nursology.net blog, “The Impossibility of Thinking Atheoretically” (https://nursology.net/?s=thinking+atheoretically). At least since my PhD nursology study days in the early 1970s, with exposure to the works of physicist turned philosopher Karl Popper, I have been convinced that everyone always thinks within a conceptual and/or theoretical perspective about life experiences and disciplinary matters (Popper referred to a horizon of expectations, which I interpreted to mean a conceptual model or theory). I acknowledge that the challenge is to become aware of our individual and collective particular perspectives, as we tend to journey through life without full awareness of our conceptual and theoretical perspectives. I argue that as knowledge workers, nursologists must endeavor to identify these perspectives at least within the context of our research, education, practice, and administrative activities.

Fawcett, J. (2020). Thoughts about recognizing excellence in nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(2), 175–177.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318419898169

This essay is based on a series of virtual presentations I gave for faculty and learners at La Benemerita Universidad Automoma de Pueble in Mexico during 2019. The faculty requested that the final presentation (in June 2019) focus on how excellence in nursology can be more fully recognized. For the presentations and this essay, I identified specific strategies to enhance recognition of our excellence in the university and beyond and in clinical agencies and beyond.

Fawcett, J. (2020). Thoughts about nursing science and nursing sciencing revisited. Nursing Science Quarterly, 33(1), 97–99.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318419882029

This essay, a follow up to my first Essay on Nursing Science, “Thoughts about nursing science and nursing sciencing on the event of the 25th anniversary of Nursing Science Quarterly,” published in January 2012. In this essay, I provide various definitions of science, nursing science, and Parsesciencing, as well as the meaning of being a scientist.

Fawcett, J., Derboghossian, G., Flike, K., Gómez, E., Han, H.P., Kalandjian, N., Pletcher, J.E., & Tapalyan, S. (2019). Thoughts about real nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(4), 331–332.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318419864339

My coauthors for this essay were PhD nursing students enrolled in a nursology knowledge course I taught. All have now completed their doctoral studies. Each learner provided a commentary about their perspective of being a real nurse. he essay addressed the meaning of real nursing and who is a real nurse. The essay was catalyzed by Carol Hayes’ short article, “Is OR nursing real nursing,” published in the September 2018 issue of the Massachusetts Report on Nursing newsletter. See also https://nursology.net/?s=real+nursing for a blog about real nurses and real nursing contributed by learners and faculty in a graduate nursing program in Japan.

Fawcett, J. (2019). Thoughts about social justice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(3), 250–253.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318419845385

This essay is the second of two essays about equity and social justice in our discipline. The first essay, published earlier in 2019, is: “Thoughts about the language of equity for population health.” This essay includes a definition of social justice associated with the conceptual model of nursing and health policy, which I developed with a faculty colleague in the early 2000s. .

Fawcett, J. (2019). Thoughts about the language of equity for population health. Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(2), 157–159.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318419826277

This essay is the first of two essays about equity and social justice. The second essay, published later in 2019, is: “Thoughts about social justice.” This essay includes definitions of equity, inequality, and disparity, taking into account the intersection between nursology and population heath science.

Fawcett, J., Cronin, J., Cuccovia, B., & Valorie, K. (2019). Still more thoughts about conceptual models and literature reviews: Focus on health policy. Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(1), 78–81.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318418807946

This essay presents conceptual-theoretical-empirical structures developed by three then PhD nursing learners (all of whom now have completed doctoral studies) to guide scoping reviews of literature about the topics of interest related to health policy by each learner. The scoping reviews were the final assignment in a contemporary disciplinary knowledge course I was teaching.

Fawcett, J., Amweg, L.N., Legor, K., Kim, B.R., & Maghrabi, S. (2018). More thoughts about conceptual models and literature reviews: Focus on population health. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(4), 384–389.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318418792878

This essay presents conceptual-theoretical-empirical structures developed by four then PhD nursing learners (all of whom have now completed doctoral studies) to guide scoping reviews of literature about the topics of interest related to population health by each learner. The scoping reviews were the final assignment in a contemporary disciplinary knowledge course I was teaching.

Hackel, J., & Fawcett, J. (2018). Teaching and learning from case studies: The added value of using a nursing conceptual model to construct cases. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(3), 263–271.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318418774872

I did not contribute an Essay on Nursing Science for this issue of Nursing Science Quarterly. Instead, my faculty colleague, Jennifer Hackel, and I published our paper emphasizing how much more comprehensive nursology assessment and intervention is when an explicit nursology conceptual model is used to guide practice by a nursology graduate learners. Using a fictitious case study, we explained how use of Orem’s Self-Care Framework uncovered more health conditions than had been identified by the learner, who had not initially used an explicit model.

Turkel, M., Fawcett, J., Chinn, P.L., Eustace, R., Hansell, P.S., Smith, M., Watson, J., & Zahourek, R. (2018). Thoughts about advancement of the discipline: Dark clouds and bright lights. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(1), 82–85.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318417741121

This is the first essay about this topic, co-authored by colleagues who joined me in expressing our understanding of the advancement of nursology science, especially the extent to which explicit nursology knowledge is the basis of claims for disciplinary knowledge advancement. The second essay was published in the next 2018 issue of the journal.

Turkel, M., Fawcett, J., Amankwaa, L., Clarke, P.N., Dee, V., Eustace, R., Hansell, P.S., Jones, D.A., Smith, M., & Zahourek, R. (2018). Thoughts about nursing curricula: Dark clouds and bright lights. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(2), 185–189.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318418755734

This is the second essay co-authored by colleagues who join me as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. The first essay about this topic was published in the previous 2018 issue of Nursing Science Quarterly. In this essay, my colleagues and I expressed our understanding of the extent to which nursology knowledge in the form of nursology conceptual models and theories have been incorporated in the curricula of nursology educational programs.

Fawcett, J., & AbuFannouneh, A. (2017). Thoughts about population health nursing research methods: Questions about participants and informed consent. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(4), 353–355.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318417724461

This essay, co-authored with a PhD nursing learners, presented a discussion of how population health nursology research could be viewed within the context of the Conceptual Model of Nursing and Population Health. The discussion included issues about what constitutes a population versus a sample and how research informed consent can be obtained from populations.

Fawcett, J., & Foust, J.B. (2017). Optimal aging: A Neuman Systems Model perspective. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(3), 269–276.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318417708413

This essay presented descriptions of optimal aging within the context of the Neuman Systems Model, with emphasis on stressors experienced by people as they age. My faculty colleague and I expressed our understanding that optimal aging is not necessarily a high level of wellness but instead can be regarded as the best possible aging experienced by each person.

Verberk, F., & Fawcett, J. (2017). Thoughts about created environment: A Neuman systems model concept. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(2), 179–181.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318417693316

This essay was inspired by and co-authored with my Dutch nursology colleague who has been using the Neuman Systems Model to guide his practice and educational endeavors for many years. We discussed the challenges of defining Neuman’s concept of created environment as a perspective of how one’s experience of environment incorporates the five interrelated variables of the Neuman Systems Model-physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual. This is the first essay about the created environment. The second essay is the 2023 “Created environment: Evolution of a Neuman Systems Model concept.”

Fawcett, J. (2017). Thoughts about nursing conceptual models and the “medical model.” Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(1), 77–80.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318416680710

This essay, written as a celebration of 30 years of Nursing Science Quarterly, emphasizes the differences between the discipline of nursology and what I regard as the trade of medicine. My view of medicine as a trade rather than a discipline is based on lack of available literature about distinctive medical knowledge, rather than use by physicians of knowledge from basic sciences such as physiology, histology, biology, organic chemistry, and pathophysiology. I contend, therefore, that the so-called “medical model” does not exist. Noteworthy is that no one to date (2025) has ever challenged my assertion that medicine is a trade.

Waddell, A., Adams, J.M., & Fawcett, J. (2016). Thoughts about health policy content in baccalaureate nursing programs. Nursing Science Quarterly, 29(4), 340–344.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318416660537

The idea for this essay came from Ashley Waddell, then a PhD nursing learner who has since completed her doctoral studies. The three of us constructed a framework to analyze health policy content in nursology courses, and Waddell then used the framework for a survey of all nursology courses in one baccalaureate program. The framework is a combination of the Conceptual Model of Nursing and Health Policy and Adams’ Influence Model.

Koffi, K., & Fawcett, J. (2016). The two nursing disciplinary scientific revolutions: Florence Nightingale and Martha E. Rogers. Nursing Science Quarterly, 29(3), 247–250.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318416648782

I met Kan Koffi at a Society of Rogerian Scholars conference circa 2014. We continued to communicate by email to discuss his ideas about how Florence Nightingale and Martha Rogers influenced our discipline, which he considered scientific revolutions. Koffi’s interest in this topic became the content for this essay.

Aronowitz, T., & Fawcett, J. (2016). Thoughts about social issues: A Neuman Systems Model perspective. Nursing Science Quarterly, 29(2), 173–176.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318416630094

In this essay, Terri Aronowitz, my then faculty colleague, and I shared our thoughts about the definition, description, and application of social issues as a client system in the Neuman Systems Model. Examples of application of social issues were drawn from a review of literature as well as from a survey of Neuman Systems Model Trustees (including Betty Neuman), and from a dialogue with participants at a Neuman Systems Model Symposium.

Fawcett, J. (2016). More thoughts about names in nursing: Colleges, schools, divisions, departments, and journals. Nursing Science Quarterly, 29(1), 82–84.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318415614908

This is the second essay about the use of names in our discipline, focused on the names for colleagues, schools, divisions, and department, as well as journals. The first essay was published in the previous issue of Nursing Science Quarterly. I argued that the name for each of these entities should be nursology, which I regard as the proper name for our discipline. In addition, I asked why some of the entities were named college/school/division/department/journal of nursing and health sciences, wondering whether some people regarded nursing (nursology) as separate from health sciences.

Fawcett, J., Aronowitz, T., AbuFannouneh, A., AlUsta, M., Fraley, H.E., Howlett, M.S.L., Mtengezo, J.T., Muchira, J.M., Nava, A., Thapa, S., & YuqingZhang. (2015). Essays on Nursing Science. Thoughts about the name of our discipline. Nursing Science Quarterly, 28(4), 330–333.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318415599224

This essay, co-authored by a faculty colleague (Terri Aronowitz) and then PhD nursing learners, was our announcement that the appropriate name for our discipline is nursology. The essay includes content about the origin of the term, nursology, and how this term has and has not been used since its origin in 1971. The essay content includes how nursology is used not only as the name for our discipline but also as a research method, a practice methodology. The perspectives—pro and con—of the co-author PhD learners’ perspectives are included. The second essay about this topic is the 2016 “More thoughts about names in nursing: Colleges, schools, divisions, departments, and journals.”

I credit PhD leaner Abdul AbuFannouneh with this topic, which he included in an online discussion about a course assignment that was in place of an in-person class due to closure of the university due to adverse weather. I then recalled that when I had presented a paper at a conference sponsored by the National League for Nursing in 1977, Josephine Paterson and Loretta Zderad, who also presented a paper, identified themselves as nursologists, working at Veterans Administration Hospital on Long Island, New York. .

Fawcett, J. (2015). Thoughts about theories and statistics. Nursing Science Quarterly, 28(3), 245–248.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318415585635

The topic of this essay was an expression of my long-time concern that too often, statistics as used as a “fishing expedition,” rather than used to analyze data from conceptual model and theory-guided research. I noted that I regard statistics without a theoretical rationale as no more than a hobby.

Fawcett, J. (2015). Invisible nursing research: Thoughts about mixed methods research and nursing practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 28(2), 167–168.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318415571604

This essay came from my then recent insight on how nursology practice can and should be regarded as mixed methods research. The rationale is that quantitative data come from, for example, laboratory tests and vital signs, whereas qualitative data come from patients’ responses to nursologists queries such as “How are you feeling today.” Taken as a whole, the quantitative and qualitative data provide data for single case studies for each nursologist-patient encounter.

Aronowitz, T., & Fawcett, J. (2015). Thoughts about conceptual models of nursing and health policies. Nursing Science Quarterly, 28(1), 88–91.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318414558609

This essay, written with my then faculty colleague, Terri Aronowitz, provided an opportunity to present a conceptual framework for analysis and evaluation of health policies about sexuality education adapted from the conceptual model of nursing and health policy and the Neuman Systems Model.

Fawcett, J. (2014). Thoughts about conceptual models, theories, and quality improvement projects. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(4), 336–339.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318416680710

I wrote this essay to emphasize the need for a nursology conceptual model to guide selection of the topic for each quality improvement (QI) projects and to point out that theories of QI or theories of change are methodological theories that are used to guide the empirical elements of QI projects, such as project design. Examples of conceptual-theoretical-empirical structures for QI projects guided by Roy’s Adaptation Model and Levine’s Conservation Model are included.

Fawcett, J. (2014). Thoughts about collaboration—or is it capitulation?. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(3), 260–261.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318414534493

This essay is an expression of my concern that nursologists too often follow the dictates of physicians and other health care team members (that it, they capitulate) rather than engage in true collaboration with others. Noteworthy is that a question of possible nurse capitulation to other health care team members for development and implementation of interprofessional education. Another possible instance of nurse capitulation is paying attention to Institute of Medicine recommendations about our discipline despite absence of any nursology knowledge to support these recommendations.

Fawcett, J. (2014). Thoughts about interprofessional education. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(2), 178–179.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318414524279

Two perspectives of interprofessional education are discussed in this essay. One perspective is the potential blurring of boundaries between disciplines The other perspective is the gathering of students from diverse areas of health care to learn about each other’s roles and role activities. The essay ends with a question to readers as to their preferred perspective and their rationale for that choice with emphasis on how that perspective would advance nursology knowledge.

Fawcett, J., & Lee, R.C. (2014). Advancing nursing knowledge: A response to Burns’ Letter to the Editor. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(1), 88–90.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413510636

Burns, J. (2014). The neomodernism approach: Professional development of baccalaureate level nurses. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(1), 86–87.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413510635

This issue of Nursing Science Quarterly did not include an Essay on Nursing Science. Instead, my colleague from the University of Cincinnati and I presented our response to Burns’ Letter to the Editor published in the same issue. Burns’ Letter to the Editor was in response to the 2013 Lee and Fawcett essay, “The Influence of the Metaparadigm of Nursing on Professional Identity Development Among RN-BSN Students.” Burns contented that it is important to resolve differences between what paradigm of our discipline is actually taught and what should be taught in baccalaureate nursology programs. In addition, she advocated for continued emphasis helping each learner to think critically as well as to become “a co-creator of knowledge, a scholar and most importantly an intellectual professional” (p 86).

Fawcett and Lee asked what Burns meant by paradigms, given many definitions of a paradigm. Although we agreed that baccalaureate learners could be and should be co-creators of knowledge, the disciplinary hierarchy of knowledge learning from baccalaureate through doctoral level education may inhibit such co-creation.

Fawcett, J. (2013). Thoughts about multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(4), 376–379.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413500408

My concern for the continuing pressure on nursologists to engage In multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research catalyzed this essay. My concern stems from the gains and especially the losses to nursologists and the discipline by moving beyond nursology discipline specific research, as these research endeavors blur the boundaries among disciplines, with the development and advancement of nursology knowledge most often lost as nursologists continue or tolerate behaviors associated with being oppressed. I advocate for multiple discipline research, whereby the researchers from each discipline collaborate on studies of phenomena from their own disciplinary perspective.

Fawcett, J. (2013). Thoughts about conceptual models, theories, and literature reviews. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(3), 285–288.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413489156

This essay is a discussion of various types of literature reviews, including scoping reviews, integrative reviews (e.g., narrative synthesis meta-analysis), and realist reviews. I point out that literature reviews not explicitly guided by a nursology conceptual model and toward development of nursology theories does not advance nursology knowledge.

Fawcett, J. (2013). Thoughts about conceptual models and measurement validity. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(2), 189–191.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413477143

In this essay, I focus on the need to clearly and explicitly connect a nursology conceptual model and a derived theory to the instruments used to measure the theory concepts. Doing so will enhance measurement validity beyond the usual approaches to validity of each instrument.

Lee, R.C., & Fawcett, J. (2013). The influence of the metaparadigm of nursing on professional identity development among RN-BSN students. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(1), 96–98.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318412466734

This essay is a report of an interview conducted by Rebecca Lee, a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, to determine my ideas about the importance of the understanding the content and function of nursology’s metaparadigm for learners’ development of professional identity as baccalaureate degree prepared nursologists.

See the 2014 Letters to the Editor about this essay by Burns and by Fawcett and Lee.

Neuman, B., & Fawcett, J. (2012). Thoughts about the Neuman Systems Model: A dialogue. Nursing Science Quarterly, 25(4), 374–376.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318412457055

This essay is a report of an interview I conducted with Betty Neuman in June 2011. The interview questions had been submitted by some members of the Neuman Systems Model (NSM) Trustees: Sarah Beckman, Barbara Cammuso, Marlou de Jupier, Barbara Freese, Lois Lowry, and Andre Marks (I also am a member the NSM Trustees). As the interview was ending, I asked Betty what had given her the most satisfaction during her career She replied, “My greatest satisfaction during my nursing career includes the global utility of the NSM, and the magnanimous personal and professional support provided by the NSM trustees over the years, including the time an d talent they have devoted to evolution of the NSM and it s use as a guide for practice, research, education, and administration” (p. 376). Noteworthy is that this issue of Nursing Science Quarterly was in honor of Betty Neuman’s work.

Fawcett, J. (2012). Thoughts on concept analysis: Multiple approaches, one result. Nursing Science Quarterly, 25(3), 285–287.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318412447545

This essay focused on diverse approaches to concept analysis, including those proposed by Walker and Avant, Parse, Paley, Risjord, and Rodgers and Knafl. I emphasized that the first step in any concept analysis is to identify a nursology conceptual model that provides the framework for the concept analysis and guidance for selection of the concept to be analyzed. I pointed out that there is a difference between a concept and the application of the concept, as many published concept analyses regard the concept as, for example, cardiac disease functional status. In this example, the concept is functional status per se; the application of the concept is cardiac disease. Perhaps the most important aspect of this essay is the thesis that the results of any approach to concept analysis is a descriptive or explanatory theory.

Fawcett, J. (2012). Thoughts about evidence-based nursing practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 25(2), 199–200.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318412437967

This essay provided an opportunity for me to explain how I regard evidence-based nursing practice as nursology theory-based practice. I identified types of nursology theories (empirical, aesthetic, ethical, personal knowing, sociopolitical/ emancipatory) as sources of evidence. Other sources of evidence, not explicitly based on theories, are tenacious beliefs, authorities, and common sense. Furthermore, I explained that sociopolitical/emancipatory theories provide evidence for the context of nursology practice and for patient preferences; aesthetic and empirical theories are other evidence sources for patient preferences. Finally, to account for all aspects of evidence-based practice (theories, nursing practice context, patient preferences, and nursologists’ experiences and judgement), I identified aesthetic, ethical, personal knowing, and empirical theories as sources of evidence for nursologists’ experiences and judgment.,

Fawcett, J. (2012). Thoughts about nursing science and nursing sciencing on the event of the 25th anniversary of Nursing Science Quarterly. Nursing Science Quarterly, 25(1), 111–113.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318411429072

This the first Essays on Nursing Science column I wrote, at the invitation of Dr. Rosemarie Parse. The column includes my understanding of nursing science and Parse’s use of the term, nursing sciencing, rather than nursing science. Sciencing is consistent with Parse’s preference for terms ending in “ing,” such as imaging, valuing, and languaging. Of note, Dr. Parse founded this Essays on Nursing Science column as a way to acknowledge and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the existence of Nursing Science Quarterly.