Review Article
Rose E Constantino, Joseph
Abstract
As the largest sector of the health professions in the United States with more than three million registered nurses, the world needs to hear our voices in forging a new vision in nursing education and nursing practice. Nursing education and practice is constantly evolving and Nursing 2013 is at the cutting edge of nursing. The purpose of this paper is to integrate Ethics, Legal and Sociocultural Issues (ELSI) as nursing’s obligation to society and toward understanding nursing as a Complex Synergistic System (CSS). The theories through which nurses could view ELSI are the complexity theory, synergy theory, and systems theory. Envisioning ELSI through the CSS lens engages nurses in the multifaceted nature of nursing (complexity theory), its collaborative relationship with various disciplines (synergy theory), and the permeability of nursing's boundaries (systems theory). Understanding ELSI through CSS as a theoretical framework and lens grounds nursing education and practice and agitates Nursing 2013 to withstand and transform challenges into opportunities for growth and positive outcomes. CSS is a powerful tool/lens that shapes, magnifies, clarifies, and guides thinking, feeling and behaving in nursing education and practice. Evidencebased literature and practice is used as background and foreground information.