Derek Sellman qualified first as a mental health and then as a general adult nurse before studying for a BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies at Manchester Polytechnic and a Master's Degree and PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London. He practiced as a nurse for many years before moving into nurse education in the late 1980s. He is the Editor of Nursing Philosophy and is now Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada.
Acknowledgements. Preface. Introduction. 1. Professional Nursing. 2. Human Vulnerability. 3. Practices and the Practice of Nursing. 4. Trust and Trustworthiness. 5. Open-mindedness. 6. The Place of the Virtues in the Education of Nurses. Conclusion. References.
'The theoretical domain within which nursing seeks to fulfil its social mandate demands not only shared ideals but also systems and structures to enact them. Sellman has jumped headfirst into this treacherous intellectual and ethical minefield, and offered us an enticing new direction.'- Prof. Sally Thorne, University of British Columbia School of Nursing, Vancouver, Canada'Taking up the conundrum of what constitutes the good nurse, Derek Sellman invites us into a lively and intelligent dialogue between science, morality, and applied practice. He guides us underneath our taken-for-granted understandings of such notions as courage, trustworthiness and open mindedness so that we encounter these professional virtues not as fossilized attributes to be known or possessed, but rather as intricately complex, delicately situated, and constantly evolving expressions of human practices within the conditions that shape them. Teasing apart the ideals these virtues represent, he challenges our usual approaches to thinking about the nature of nursing, encouraging us to reframe the manner in which we educate those who seek to learn the mysteries of its practice.'- Prof. Sally Thorne, University of British Columbia School of Nursing, Vancouver, CanadaDerek Sellman's text is both a timely and highly absorbing journey deep into the heart of nursing. It reveals a timeless and essential set of key virtues that should be a major part of the moral compass of every nurse. Consequently, it should be read by all nurses and most certainly by all nurse educators who are interested in maintaining and promoting the vital moral characteristics of nursing now and in the future.' Dr Martin Woods, Senior Lecturer, School of Health and Social Services, Massey University, New ZealandThis is perhaps the most thorough and outstanding coverage of the philosophical basis for nursing practice and nursing education that exists to date. What is nursing? What sort of people nurses should be? Derek makes this difficult but important area of nursing inquiry much, much easier. Powerful and elegant from start to finish, this book should be on the desk of every nurse.' Professor Diana Lee, Chair Professor of Nursing and Director, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong KongNursing, according to Derek Sellman, is a MacIntyrian practice which can only flourish when it is not prevented from pursuing the completion of independent ideas. In What Makes a Good Nurse, being vulnerable, trustworthy and open-minded are central virtues studied critically to offer future perspectives. Situated in the realities of the nursing profession today, Sellman draws on his rich experiences as a teacher of nursing and his deep reflections as a philosopher. This is what makes the book so authentic and easy to stroll through the realms of philosophy. Readers will certainly feel encouraged to engage in a fruitful conversation on moral understandings of contemporary professional nursing.' Dr Helen Kohlen, Sociologist, Junior Professor of Care Policy and Ethics, Faculty of Nursing, University of Vallendar, Germany
