nursingforsocialjustice

What is progress? Are we in a never ending pursuit of a better us? A better we? What does that even mean?

I have many existential crises each week. The emotional moments of questioning the purpose of my life are more numerous and closer together today than they were when I was an angsty teenager in the 1990s. How is this possible? As I approach 40, I am more sure of my values and beliefs than ever before, but much less sure about if they matter in the grand scheme of things. And some of this (most of this) questioning come because I am in the thick of preparing to write my comprehensive exams for my PhD. The deeper I get into the theory and philosophy of nursing the more I see that the hope and optimism of nurse scholars of the past did not play out like they thought it would. And, the more I see that patriarchy is powerful, much more powerful than 1990s punk me realized…more powerful than 2000s sociology student me realized.

I shared with a colleague that I have never been more unsure about the future of nursing as a profession and a discipline than I am right now. I became a registered nurse in 2008. That seems like yesterday but my 4 kids and graying hair tell me that it’s been a significant amount of time. It seems I became a nurse at a time of upswing. A time when nurses were making strides in academia and autonomous practice, a time when the hopes and hard work of nursing scholars were expanding their research programs. A time when the degree entry to practice was becoming a reality across Canada. And, in 2021 it seems like in some respects we are stalling out. The bridges between theory and practice were built and paved with nursing scholarship positioning the nurse perspective along other health disciplines (ie medicine) to help people and communities actualize their health and wellness goals. Why not? What happened?

I’m disappointed that nurses fit into a health system structured by the medical model. Some really deep thinking and really bold action is required to break free of the de facto understanding of healthcare are medical care. It isn’t. And while other disciplines emerge and find a place alongside physicians, I am frustrated that nursing is not one of them. Nursing, as I have experienced in my mostly mental health focused career, is still expected to observe and report, to do as directed by physicians. What happened? How do we change this? The question is posed to all nurses. I suspect this won’t happen via media campaigns that present nursing as abused and mistreated. So, how do we change that? How do we move from nursing to nursology?

Love,

Michelle D.