Human Becoming Theory-ER Practice Setting

IntroductionThe human becoming theory was presented as an ideology by Rosemarie Rizzo in the 80s. The theory briefly states that there is a different way in which medical practitioners can address the health issues of their patients. The nurses and other medical professionals have the options of paying attention to the individuals well being. This is addressing their physical as well as spiritual wellness. This paper intends to find a point where the ideologies suggested by Rosemarie cross with those of the practice of an emergency room nurse. This will be achieved by first reviewing the theory and thus providing an exemplar that puts the theory into practice. The selection of the theory is crucial in that services offered in the emergency rooms are often holistic. Having the skills to help a patient based on their wellness will help in ensuring that a nurse working with such patients experiences an increased rate of success.
Theory ReviewBasis for Choosing TheoryBeing involved in the ER profession brings one to ask many questions about humanity. A dedicated nurse like me would often look for ways of helping out their patient. This is because the physical services availed to patients have often been found to be inadequate. Therefore, discussing and disseminating such a theory would serve to add one’s capabilities as an ER nurse. This theory has specifically addressed some of the issues that most ER nurses have found to be difficult in addressing (Parse, 1995). For instance, an emergency patient may require emotional support more than they require physical help.

This has been attributed to the ability of a patient to hold on to their life despite how dire the situation looks. Choosing this theory will allow one to understand the dynamics involved in helping a patient other than the biomedical aspect. Addressing the bio-psycho-socio aspect of the patient’s needs has been found to be more holistic and thus more effective.
The TheoristRosemarie Parse, also known as Rizzo graduated from the Duquesne University. She went ahead to receive masters and successful doctorate from the Pittsburg University. Rosemarie has had a huge influence in the medical world as a result of the development of the human becoming theory. She was a member of the AAA, the American Academy of Nursing. As a result of her outstanding developments and ideologies in the field of nursing, she has received several honors (Pilkington & Jonas-Simpson, 1996). One such honor is the Lifetime Achievement awards. Rosemarie introduced her famous human becoming theory as the man living theory. However, she modified the title to human becoming following the alteration of the term ‘Man’ in the dictionary. The new title referred to the ideology as one that addressed humanity as a whole and not a specific sex. Rosemarie has also contributed to the introduction of many other theories through her constructive critiquing.
Philosophical & Theoretical Perspective behind The TheoryRosemarie found that to address fully the health issues of a patient, it would be important to address the patient’s emotional, psychological, and social issues. This is because most of the problems that result into the health issues treated in hospitals originate from a deficiency in the areas above. The humanity aspect of treatment and nursing care ensures that the practitioner empowers the patient to handle any eventuality. During her time, Rosemarie found that most of the patients treated for the physical issues often returned after a period with the same issues (Alligood & Marriner-Tomey, 2002). For instance, a woman faced with battery often returned with other injuries as a result of being beaten up for the second time. Therefore, to fully help such an individual, it would be paramount that the treatment process addresses both psychological and social issues facing the patient. These are the core philosophical and theoretical aspects and ideologies behind the choices in perspectives by Rosemarie in the human becoming theory.
Assumptions of the TheoryThe HumanOne of the main assumptions of the theory is that the human being coexists with one another. The truth is that the opposite is quite the fact. Coexistence between human beings is dependent on several factors. Assuming that humanity constitutes the universe is also an assumption made in the theory (McQuiston & Webb, 1995). This is concerning the rhythmical ways and patterns of relating with other individuals. This assumption is not true for all instances of interaction. It is also assumed that human beings have a choice in their daily interactions. While this is true in the developed world, some parts of the world do not enjoy such laxities. It is also assumed that the human being is a unitary being at all times, and as such will always be adapting in accordance to the interactions being made with individuals around them. It has also been assumed that a human being, through the daily interactions, will often transcend multidimensionally. This assumption is however dependent on one’s possible interactions.
BecomingThe becoming element of the theory does have some select assumptions, one being that the human being’s health is unitary. This is to say that while the individual may have influence from a secondary source, the most of it is unitary, and originates from the individuals themselves. It is also assumed that there is rhythmical constitution of the individual in the universal processes. This is to say that the individual in question has a consistent interaction with their environment to reflect the changes happening around them (George, 2002). While this is true, it does not necessarily happen for all those in the business of living. It is also assumed that the human beings will have a consistent method of becoming that is about one’s priorities. This is true in most instances. However, this can be influenced by one’s environment, and thus the priorities of an individual may change depending on one’s effects they experience from their environment.
MeaningOne of the most referenced assumptions with regards to meaning is that an individual will mix with their environment in the development of and creation of eventual results that could influence the quality of individual lives. It is also assumed that the individual may provide different meanings to their individual life based on experience. What this assumption does not put into consideration is that one’s perceptions also play a vital role in developing different conclusions. This is to say that two individuals may have different conclusions based on the experiences they have to go through (Alligood & Marriner-Tomey, 2002). The assumption that reality of an individual is molded by the vanity of experiences narrows the field of reality. This is because the information age is not necessarily reliant on experiences to mold an individual’s reality. A simple exposure to a given type of information is essential in determining whether the individual will perceive a given experience in a particular fashion or not.
RhythmicityThe single most important assumption that is associated with the theory is that there is a rhythm between the universe and an individual’s development. This rhythm is supposedly in line with one’s mutual relations with earthly experiences and interactions. This assumption based on rhythm is limited to one’s interaction to their environment. Just like the normal curve, there are extremities with regards to the degree of rhythm. It has also been assumed that there is a close relationship between a man and their environment (George, 2002). This relationship helps in the concoction of the eventual results. This assumption factors the individual’s environment with regards to their valuing as well as languaging. This aspect of an individual’s environment is crucial in determining their wellness in that the cocreation process will eventually result in the individual becoming well or not. The process of cocreation will therefore be in rhythm with the most influential elements of one’s environment.
TranscendenceTranscendence means the tendency of a situation or event to reach out beyond one’s capabilities. The theory therefore assumes that there is tendency of can transcendence in different directions. This tendency relies on the varied possibilities that the individual interacts with on a regular basis. The assumption also assumes that the individual will always have an interaction with an environment that is constantly transforming. This assumption does not factor in individuals who have a lifestyle that is rhythmical and thus is fixed in a particular routine (McQuiston & Webb, 1995). Such individuals would have difficulty in expressing any form of alignment to this assumption. However, for most people this is true. The experiences that one has to go through today are not the same experiences that they will go through tomorrow. Therefore, adapting to these changes will have an effect on an individual’s capability to handle the different effects and results of such exposure.
Principle/Tenets of the TheoryThe core principles of the theory are totality, simultaneity, and human health. These tenets culminate in the development of the three key pillars of the theory. These are meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence. There is also a relationship between the theory and certain paradigms of the theory. These are the person paradigm, environmental paradigm, health paradigm, and the general nursing paradigm. The principle of totality refers the fact that a human being is combination of several elements (Pilkington & Jonas-Simpson, 1996). These are the biological, the psychological, the sociological, and the spiritual elements of an individual. Attending to all these elements of an individual ensures that the individual receives a holistic treatment. The simultaneity tenet refers to the tendency of a unitary individual to have relationship with their environment. This individual has a parallel relationship with their environment, which translates to the resultant holistic effects on the individual’s life. The human living tenet refers to the holistic application of the previous tenets. A combination of the totality paradigm with the simultaneity paradigm results in the development of the human being tenet.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the TheoryOne of the main strengths of the theory is that the theory is specific and therefore differentiates the practice of nursing from other related disciplines. This makes the application of the theory in the practice of ER feasible. The theory is also realistic as the practice and implementation of the different ideologies are made possible by the provided methodologies and thus strategies of implementation. The theory is not only useful in the implementation during practice, but also useful in the educational purposes of the individual learning about the theory (Pilkington & Jonas-Simpson, 1996). The theory also provides the reader with the different research methodologies use in the development of the theory. The theory also provides one with a framework for inquiry on the part of the individual learning about the theory. However, like any other theory, this theory too has several disadvantages. The chief disadvantage being that the results collected following the provided methodology are rarely confirmed or quantified. This limits one’s capacity to determine the effectiveness of the results collected. It has also been found that the processes followed in the theory do not follow established nursing methods for diagnosis, thus making it difficult in the development of specific strategies to determine the prognosis in an actual application.
Practice MethodologyThe implementation of this theory is essential in determining a prognosis and thus a diagnosis in an ER patient. The ER attending nurse would use the key tenets of the theory in determining a holistic prognosis. This means that the nurse would determine the patients immediate requirements on treatment based on an analysis of the patient’s biological, psychological, and sociological condition. The biological determination would be based on the patient’s clinical prognosis while the psychological would depend on historical records (Parse, 1995). The sociological aspect of the patient’s condition would depend on the information forwarded by the patient’s closest relations. These would mostly be the individual’s family or close relatives and friends/
ExemplarThe original example of a patient being brought in as a result of battery would clearly fit such an analogy and the implementation of the theory. A patient returning with a case of being attacked and harmed by their partner should be analyzed in all the mentioned areas of the theory. This allows the attending nurse to determine the other issues that could be subjecting the patient to a repeat of the situation that results in the injuries. A proper examination of the patient will result in the determination of a psychological problem in the patient. A close relation to a sociological problem will also ensure that the patient gets treated for all the ailments affecting the patient. The ER profession would do one better to develop methods of implementing these methods at a faster rate without endangering the lives of the people. This is essential in providing reliable results to the ER practitioners.
ConclusionThe Human Becoming Theory clearly depicts the ideologies held by Rosemarie in the early 80s. However, modern application of the theory would require one to consider modern applications as well as circumstances surrounding one’s situation. The theory would therefore be essential in the improvement of the services provided by an ER practitioner. This is because the practitioner would be in a better place to help the patient to make a full and holistic recovery. An early detection of the health issues could ensure that the patient in question is successfully treated for the health problems diagnosed after the implementation of the theory. The theory also ensures that the nurse has a close relationship with the patients. This has a therapeutic effect on both the nurse and the patient. This is to say that a proper implementation of this theory in an ER setting would provide beneficial effects on both the patient and the nurses.
ReferencesAlligood, M. R., & Marriner-Tomey, A. (2002). Nursing theory: Utilization & application. St. Louis: Mosby.
George, J. B. (2002). Nursing theories: The base for professional nursing practice. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
McQuiston, C. M., & Webb, A. A. (1995). Foundations of nursing theory: Contributions of 12 key theorists. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
Parse, R. R. (1995). Illuminations: The human becoming theory in practice and research. New York: National League for Nursing Press.
Pilkington, F. B., & Jonas-Simpson, C. (1996). The human becoming theory: A manual for the teaching-learning process. Toronto, Ont.?: International Consortium of Parse Scholars.