Nursing's epistemology revisited in relation to professional education competencies.

As nursing continues to debate entry-into-practice issues, it is important to re-examine patterns of knowing as well as their end products for the discipline in relation to the overall competencies of liberal and professional education. The changing landscape of society, along with the needed skills to provide comprehensive care that promotes the health and well-being of the people nursing serves, requires a close examination of what institutions of higher education can provide the discipline of nursing. A discussion of the epistemology of the nursing profession, needed competencies, and the goals of higher education are presented in this article. Patterns of knowing distinguish disciplines from one another. Nursing patterns of knowing and subsequent clinical, conceptual, and empirical knowledge require placement in institutions of higher learning that promotes both professional competencies and attitudes.