A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF THE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE NURSING SCIENCE

At their annual meeting during 1987, the heads of the Departments of Nursing at South African Universities discussed the sub-division of Nursing Science. They identified the following problems in this regard: (1) There was no consensus amongst nursing leaders about which sub-disciplines make up the academic disciplines of nursing. (2) This made it difficult to communicate with agencies outside the • ursing profession, such as the Committee Sr University Heads or the Department of Education and Training in a way that lent legitimacy to the discipline. (3) Some of the titles traditionally used in describing certain sub-disciplines were conceptually unsatisfactory. (4) In the present climate of rationalisation in academic institutions some of the traditional titles lent themselves to misinterpretation by members of other academic disciplines, and threatened the continued existence of these sub-disciplines as part of nursing science. A subcommittee was appointed to address these problems and at their 1988 meeting the total group accepted the following model for the discipline of nursing science. Nursing Science consists of sub­ disciplines which can be subdivided into three groups; core disciplines (kernvakke), ^^^M "actice disciplines (praktykkunde vakke), '^ • ^ P l d clinical disciplines (kliniese vakke). These categories include the following sub­ disciplines:

• ursing profession, such as the Committee Sr University Heads or the D epartm ent of Education and Training in a way that lent legitimacy to the discipline.
(3) Some of the titles traditionally used in describing certain sub-disciplines were conceptually unsatisfactory.
(4) In the present climate of rationalisation in academic institutions some of the traditional titles lent themselves to m isinterpretation by members of other academic disciplines, and threatened the continued existence of these sub-disciplines as part of nursing science.
A subcommittee was appointed to address these problems and at their 1988 meeting the total group accepted the following model for the discipline of nursing science.
These categories include the following sub disciplines:  In the centre of the prism one finds the core disciplines of Nursing Philosophy and History, which permeates all the other sub disciplines.If you analyse any of them, you will find a philosophy and a history of that sub-discipline.
The whole prism is placed in a sphere or a ball, which represents the context in which nursing takes place.The sphere reminds us that nursing touches all life modes, including all ages, cultures, sexes, etc. and that it takes place in a comprehensive health-care approach.
The basic content-areas of these sub disciplines will have to be identified, described, researched and broadened over The characteristics, philosophy, aims, objectives and structures of a nursing service.
The types, structure, economics, philosophy and aims of the health-care system.
The dynamics of the nursing service and the health service.
The principles and techniques of the planning, m aintenance and evaluation of a nursing service on a unit, section, institution, program m e, regional or national level.
The legal and professional requirem ents of nursing practice.

Nursing Didactics:
The process of professional socialisation in nursing.
The characteristics of the learner, the learning process, the teaching process and the evaluation process in nursing.
The types, structure, economics, philosophy and aims of nursing education systems.
The legal and professional requirem ents nursing education.
The preparation of nurse-preceptors, role models and teachers.
The adm inistration of nursing education.

Fundamental nursing science:
The basic health needs of healthy human beings in all age-groups.
The basic nursing approaches and techniques to address the health needs of individuals, families, groups and communities.
A scientific approach to the practice of nursing.
The legal, professional and philosophical param eters of nursing.

General nursing science:
The history and philosophy of nursing as applied to this sub-discipline.At the moment the content of each sub discipline is seen to include the following:

Philosophy and history of nursing:
The history of nursing and all its sub-disciplines.
The influence of world and regional history on nursing.
The influence of philosophical trends on nursing.
The philosophical anthropology and cosmology in nursing.
The delineation of the science and profession of nursing, distinguishing it from other sciences and professions.Conceptual models for nursing.N ursing ethics.The organised profession.

Psychiatric nursing science:
The history and philosophy of nursing as applied to this sub-discipline.
The health needs of people with psychiatric problems.
The health needs of different patient characteristics on health needs and nursing.
The process of psychiatric diagnosis and treatm ent and its influence on nursing.
The nursing approaches and techniques to address these health needs.
The nursing assessment of patients, planning, implem entation and evaluation of care.
The structures, philosophies, systems, economics, politics and aims of psychiatric services.

Midwifery:
The history and philosophy of nursing as applied to this sub-discipline.
The health needs of women during pregnancy, labour and the puerperium.
The health needs of babies from conception to the age of six weeks.
The transition of the family through different life stages associated with child-bearing.
The process of medical diagnosis and treatm ent during pregnancy, labour and the puerperium.
The nursing approaches and techniques to address these health needs.
The nursing assessment, planning, im plem entation and evaluation of care to the woman and baby.The structures, philosophies, systems, economics, politics and aims of midwifery services.

Community nursing science:
The history and philosophy of nursing as applied to this sub-discipline.The preventive and prom otive health needs of groups and communities.The influences of the environm ent and com m unity characteristics on these health needs.The structures, philosophies, systems, economics, politics and aims of com munity health services.The nursing approaches and techniques to address these problems.The nursing assessment of communities and the planning, im plem entation and evaluation of com munity health programmes.
It is envisaged that these sub-disciplines in nursing become the basis of the organisation of the course content of basic nursing programmes, and that they also form the basis of post-basic and advanced nursing programmes.
Conceptualisation of the sub-disciplines of a special science is one of the im portant aspects of a philosophy for a special 4 science.This development in nursing thinking in South Africa should form a solid foundation for further conceptualisation and debate.

A
diagram was prepared to illustrate the com position of the discipline of Nursing Science.A prism forms the central figure of this diagram.The floor of this prism is made up of Fundam ental Nursing, since all other clinical sub-disciplines are based on this com ponent.The four clinical sub disciplines form the prism in equal parts.The four sides of the prism, which gives it its shape, is the Science of Nursing Practice, or what used to be called nursing adm inistration.The corner pillars of the prism, giving it its stability and height is the Nursing Didactics, or what used to be called nursing education.
sphere: the context of nursing Curationis Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, July/Julie 1989 KO NSEPTUELE M O D EL VAN DIE VAKW ETENSKAP VER PLEEG K UN D E C O NCEPTUAL M O DEL OF THE AC AD EM IC DISCIPLINE NURSING SCIENCE