Theory and practice: Beyond the dichotomy

Equipping students with the means to bring theoretical understanding to bear on the implementation of practical nursing skills has been an enduring problem for nurse educators. The problem is partly born out of a clinical culture in which the ‘merely theoretical’ tends to be dismissed. The aim of this paper is to show ways of thinking about theory and practice which actually avoid fruitless dichotomy. Theoretical reflection and practical action are in reality richly interconnected (Heidegger 1962). In the case of the expert practioner (Benner 1984) theory and practice may be impossible to distinguish. New thinking on this problem is particularly urgent in the light of the Project 2000 initiative. It is hard to see how this new approach to nurse education can be entirely successful if students are allowed to get into the way of contrasting the reality of practice with the ‘merely theoretical’.