Uncovering the Knowledge Embedded in Clinical Practice

Nursing practice has been studied primarily from a sociological perspective. Thus we have learned much about role relationships, socialization, and acculturation. We have learned less about the knowledge embedded in actual nursing practice–that knowledge that accrues over time in the practice of an applied discipline. Nurses have not been careful clinical record keepers of their own clinical learning over time. While ample single case studies have been published, few clinical comparisons exist of multiple case studies or clinical observations across patient populations. This lack of charting of our practices and clinical observations deprives nursing theory of the uniqueness and rich‐ness of the knowledge embedded in expert clinical practice. This paper examines the difference between practical and theoretica'l knowledge, provides examples of competence identified from the study of nursing practice, describes aspects of practical knowledge, and outlines strategies for preserving and extending practical knowledge.