Development Of A Theory Of Wisdom-In-Action For Clinical Nursing

Nurses published dialogues on wisdom; yet, a conceptual model is unavailable. We present the development process for a theory of wisdom-in-action for clinical nursing developed in 3 phases: (1) a deductively derived model using derivation and synthesis; (2) inductively, a constructivist grounded theory captured the experience of wisdom in nursing practice; and (3) the 2 theories were synthesized into a nascent theory. The theory describes 2 antecedent dimensions, person-related and setting-related factors, and 2 types of wisdom, general and personal. The theory provides a framework for translating wisdom in nursing practice, depicting both the science and art of nursing.