ceptions, and expressions of health events
and leads to innovative ways of practicing
nursing. There is an ever-growing body of lit-
erature demonstrating the application of
Rogerian science to practice and research.
Rogers’ nursing science is applicable in all
nursing situations. Rather than focusing on
disease and cellular biological processes, the
Science of Unitary Human Beings focuses on
human beings as irreducible wholes insepa-
rable from their environment.
For 30 years, Rogers advocated that nurses
should become the experts and providers of
noninvasive modalities that promote health.
Now, the growth of “alternative medicine”
and noninvasive practices is outpacing the
growth of traditional medicine. If nursing
continues to be dominated by biomedical
frameworks that are indistinguishable from
medical care, nursing will lose an opportu-
nity to become expert in holistic health-care
modalities.
The Science of Unitary Human Beings
offers nursing a distinguishable and new
way of conceptualizing health events con-
cerning human well-being that is congru-
ent with the most contemporary scientific
theories.
References
American Heritage Dictionary.(2000). (4th edition). New York:
Houghton Mifflin.
Anderson, M. D., & Hockman, E. M. (1997). Well-being and
high-risk drug use among active drug users. In Madrid, M.
(Ed.),Patterns of Rogerian knowing(pp. 152–166). New York:
National League for Nursing.
Anderson, M. D., & Smereck, G. A. D. (1989). Personalized
LIGHT model.Nursing Science Quarterly, 2,120–130.
Anderson, M. D., & Smereck, G. A. D. (1992). The consciousness
rainbow: An explication of Rogerian field pattern manifesta-
tion.Nursing Science Quarterly, 5,72–79.
Anderson, M. D., & Smereck, G. A. D. (1994). Personalized nurs-
ing: A science-based model of the art of nursing. In Madrid,
M., & Barrett, E. A. M. (Eds.),Rogers’ scientific art of nursing
practice(pp. 261–283). New York: National League for
Nursing.
Barrett, E. A. M. (1983).An empirical investigation of Martha E.
Rogers’ principle of helicy: The relationship of human field
motion and power.Unpublished dissertation, New York
University, New York.
CHAPTER 13 Applications of Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings 183
graphing, recording music, or creating mean-
ingful products.
- Maintain theoretic, methodologic, reflective,
and peer review notes.
- Engagement with participants is negotiated
and may last from several weeks to more than a
year.
- Construct a pattern profile using synopsis that
meaningfully represents the person’s experi-
ences, perceptions, and expressions of partici-
pants and captures the wholeness, uniqueness,
and essence of life. The profile may be created
by the scientist/practitioner, the participants,
or as a joint venture. The profile is often in the
form of a story and may be shared with the
participant.
- The pattern profile may be used in unitary the-
ory by seeking universals that may exist across
cases while acknowledging the individual
differences.
“Nursing is the study of caring for persons
experiencing human-environment-health
transitions” (Butcher, 2004, p. 76). If nurs-
ing’s content and contribution to the better-
ment of the health and well-being of a society
is not distinguishable from other disciplines
and has nothing unique or valuable to offer,
then nursing’s continued existence may be
questioned. Thus, nursing’s survival rests on
its ability to make a differencein promoting
the health and well-being of people. Making
a difference refers to nursing’s contribution
to the client’s desired health goals, and offer-
ing care is distinguishablefrom the services of
other disciplines.
Every discipline’s uniqueness evolves from
its philosophical and theoretical perspective.
The Science of Unitary Human Beings offers
nursing a distinguishableand new way of
conceptualizing health events concerning
human well-being that is congruent with the
most contemporary scientific theories. As
with all major theories embedded in a new
worldview, new terminology is needed to cre-
ate clarity and precision of understanding
and meaning. Rogers’ nursing science leads to
a new understanding of the experiences, per-
