title: Merging nursing research and practice: a case of multiple identities.
abstract: Although using research to guide nursing practice has been a long-standing goal for the nursing discipline, the actual merger of research and practice is not yet widespread. There are many possible explanations for the limited progress that has been made in this arena. In this paper, it is suggested that the multiple identities taken on by nurses may stifle actualizing a merger between research and practice. Diverging responsibilities and orientations among identities are depicted by considering the nurse as researcher, clinician, educator and administrator. In addition to elucidating differences among these various nurse identities, the paper addresses their commonalities, the most obvious and important of which is that of nurse. If individuals retain the identity of nurse as the generic and salient characteristic, the multiple nurse identities have the potential to become a complementary array of diverse resources that can empower rather than thwart merging research and practice.
authors.affiliation: Health Care Studies Division, Health Services Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009718:Nurse Administrators; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000379:methods*; D015399:Nursing Research; D012380:Role