A discipline, with regard to academic reference, means concentration or knowledge in a specific academic area of study or profession. A discipline, in this sense, enjoins expertise, projects, people, challenges, studies, communities, inquiry, studies and research areas that are highly associated with academic areas of concentration and professional practice.
A recognized discipline is characterized by several attributes. First, it must have a departmental status, formal recognition and autonomy in the academe (Krishnan 47). It must also have a considerably extensive body of knowledge and well defined theories and conceptual frameworks. Moreover, a disciple is characterized by universality of mind and a sense of harmony on areas of inquiry with regard to the methods of going about inquiry on problems as well the methods for studying such problems. This also includes a common belief that advancement of the discipline’s insights is an endeavor which is worth of pursuit.
Additionally, a discipline should demonstrate a continued development of itself as a result of both basic and applied research, must gain support and recognition from a learned society and must have a considerable age. A discipline must also have a number of people who are interested in its study and also individuals, recognized within and without the field of study, who can be attributed to and revered for the advancement of its research, knowledge generation and practice( Thomson 694).
In the light of the above criteria, nursing can be regarded as an evolving discipline. Nursing encompasses knowledge in the existent theories and frameworks that are entrenched in the simultaneity and totality of paradigms. The totality view demonstrates individuals as being body-mind-spirit at the same time. The unitary view harmonizes these aspects of individuals as views them as one – unitary. The ontologies in the totality paradigm direct research with regard to finding solutions to the diseases imperiling health. On the other hand, the ontologies on simultaneity lead to research on patterns. Thus, in light of the above, nursing can be said to fit well within the academic disciplines.
Works cited
Thomson, David. Is nursing viable as an academic discipline? Nurse Education Today. Volume 29, Issue 7, 2009: 694.
David, R. ThompsonemailKrishman Armin. What are academic Disciplines? Some Observations on the Disciplinarity vs Interdisciplinarity Debate. ESRC National Center for Research Methods, 2009: 47.
