The nurse, Allison, in the case study used a wide variety of knowledge to best care for her patients in a holistic approach. In this section, we will discuss five different types of knowledge and explain how Allison used each type to treat her patients. Carper, Van der Zalm, Bergum, and Wolfer described empirical knowledge as “knowledge that we consider to be a “fact,” such as what we read in textbooks or what has been demonstrated through research” (as cited in Bungay, 2005 ). Allison consistently applied experiential knowledge throughout the beginning of her shift. Some examples of applying experiential knowledge in her nursing profession included listening to reports and gathering all patient information in order to determine care priorities. Explain the benefits of a nicotine patch to Mr. Nelson and when you determined that Mr. Nelson's oxygen intake and demand were adequate through your assessment of the heart monitors, his breathing work, and by observing the color of his skin. Another Kind The knowledge that Allison used in caring for her patients was ethical knowledge. Van der Zalm and Bergum established that “ethical knowledge represents knowledge that helps us choose and be responsible for the right action in a situation” (as cited in Bungay, 2005). An example of when Allison used ethical knowledge in her care was when she made the ethical decision about which patient to see first, which was Mrs. Johnson. This is an example of ethical knowledge because, because Mrs. Johnson was the last patient admitted and had had a cardioversion forty-five minutes earlier, she was Allison's most unstable patient. If Allison had chosen to evaluate the other patient first, she would not have been told…halfway through the document…about how they felt about their hospitalization. Finally, the effects of the immediate environment play a role in the interactions between a nurse and then the patient. Being in the hospital, there are many extraneous sounds such as call bells and codes repeating over and over again. While Allison may be used to loud noises on the ward, this is new to the patients. This may have played a role in Mr Nelson's inability to sleep, altering his mood. Being in a new environment, especially a hospital, can be nerve-wracking for patients and takes them out of their comfort zones. Bibliography Bungay, V. (2005). Module 1 High Acuity Nursing Practice [PDF document]. JL Dehaan, 2012, (ed.). British Columbia Institute of Technology, School of Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://learn.bcit.ca/d2l/le/content/188743/viewContent/1059245/View