What Is and What Isn't Nursing Science?

This writing came to be out of the encouragement of two doctoral candidates in nursing who, upon learning of the publication “In Search of Nursing Science” (Pickler, 2024, p. 1), found the opportunity to discuss what is and isn't nursing science. They employed critical and theoretical thinking and lessons from doctoral training to shape this tangible reality, which originated from a friendly dialogue.

Nursing science is a unique body of knowledge that emerges from integrating theory, research, and healthcare practice. It is a distinctive discipline focused on human beings' holistic well-being, encompassing health promotion, disease prevention, personal care, and rehabilitation, a knowledge that influences public health policy (Fawcett, 2023). Thus, nursing is a science because it can conceive the human being across all its dimensions; i.e., it does not lose the holistic view of care. Likewise, it values each situation experienced and makes it narrative, which circumvents “discordant care” (Coats et al., 2023, p. 421), in other words, that which keeps away from the individual.