Knowledge is an old English word meaning to acknowledge or recognize. In philosophical terms, knowledge is based on what is a true, justified belief or understanding. It denotes a familiarity and experientially learned truth.
What is it to be known or to know someone? There is an assurance that your actions are correct when you act with knowledge. We place a great deal of emphasis on knowledge. We provide education for our children and encourage them to go to a good college. We seek training in apprenticeship programs, attend lectures and workshops, and read books to gain knowledge. Never has data been so readily available to us, and yet, I wonder if we miss the point of true knowledge. True knowledge inspires intimacy. To cultivate that knowledge and intimacy, we must spend time engaged with the subject. Knowledge takes time. To be an expert in any remarkable thing, we must immerse ourselves in the act of doing and being in the activity. If I want to be a virtuoso on the violin, it takes discipline to practice. If I want to be a master carpenter, I need not only the tools to do the work, but the understanding it takes to choose the appropriate piece of wood to make the vision that I have in my mind’s eye come alive. A piece of wood in the hand of a woodworker becomes a chair and that same piece of wood in the hand of an artist becomes a sculpture. Both are capable of beautiful works of art and function, but it is the knowledge the individual possesses that makes the difference between making a chair and a sculpture.
Knowledge in the hands of an expert is much different than the knowledge of a novice. In nursing, the novice nurse has the basic knowledge to hang an IV, but it is the experienced nurse who knows which meds can infused together and which cannot. The more experienced nurse knows how to establish rapport while effectively maintaining professional boundaries that an inexperienced nurse may not have yet mastered that skill. It is one thing to see an event through simulation, and quite another to have to put it into practice such as practicing CPR in class on a mannequin and performing CPR in ER. It is also quite another experience to perform CPR in the field as opposed to the ER with all the support staff and tools readily evaluable. Knowledge is power when it is in the right hands.
How are you cultivating knowledge? When was the last time you learned a new technique or skill? Did you gloss over the basics or take time to really gain the knowledge and experience that you need? I am encouraging everyone to take time out to gain knowledge and with knowledge, gain wisdom.
Nursing News
Trigger Warning: This article contains a sensitive topic. Stop here if you do not wish to continue.
By now, you may have heard about the tragic death of Nurse Joyce Grayson, a former home care nurse in Connecticut. Nurse Grayson, who was visiting a patient at a halfway house, was murdered, and found in the basement of the patient’s home. The suspect has a history of sexual assault and stabbing a woman was on probation. Health care workers deserve more protection. As someone who worked in home care and hospice care, it can be scary to go into someone’s home. Last December in 2022, home care nurse Douglas Brant was shot and killed by a patient’s grandson while conducting a home visit. It is time for sensible safeguards to be in place for home care workers, and by extension, all health care workers.
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