Nursing in Malawi: Nursing Theory in the Movement to Professionalize Nursing

Nursing in Malawi has been predominately a technical trade and only recently has begun the transition to a profession with autonomy and advanced degree preparation. Nursing theories provide a framework for the evolution of nursing to an independent profession. Theories provide a means for the articulation of the nursing role to other members of the healthcare team including consumers. Healthcare and human needs are basic and the guidance provided by nursing theories, including Nightingale's, gives language and structure to the education of nurses as the profession moves into advanced practice in a developing country.