Lecture: Four Nursing Theorists

Nurse educators are finding innovative ways to deliver information that involves active learning. The "sage on the stage" is another sacred cow.

I've decided that instead of a lecture or power point presentation about four nursing theorists, I'll present nursing theory versions of "two cows" theory.

Why? "two cow" jokes are widly circulated on the internet (see for yourself-- google two cows) they are reported to be a good example of "cross-cultural humor." They are concise, illustrative. irreverant and just plain fun:

Florence Nightingale has two cows. One got shot in the Crimean war, (and became a holy cow) the other helped her write "Notes" which moo-tivated the development of professional nursing.

Madeleine Leininger (Transcultural nursing) has two cows. While milking them she noticed the differences and similarities of their bovine beliefs, values, and cowpaths. Madeline was able to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial milk from one, and allowed the other to wander freely to exploring the (how now) brown cow-nter culture.

Martha Rogers (Science of Unitary Being) has two cows. They are unceasingly transforming bovine energy with the rest of the universe. Within their view there is no dichotomie of cows, both cows are essentially one inseparable whole. Their milk is the actualizing of cow potential. One cow drifted off into space…

Jean Watson (Caring Science) has two cows. She cares deeply for both of them and feels united and connected to them. The cows get dizzy from moo-ving on cowpaths that move in concentric circles of caring from individual, to others, to community to world to planet earth, to the universe. They have no time to give milk.