Chemistry in nursing

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Chemistry in Nursing
Chemistry is one of the compulsory subjects studied in nursing schools. The majority of nursing students especially in their first years of study usually fail to understand why they have to study chemistry. To understand the connection between chemistry and nursing, one needs to start by following the definition of both disciplines. Chemistry is a science that investigates matter’s properties, composition and interactions (Haynes 1). It is thus a physical science concerned with the analysis of various aggregates of matter like molecules, atoms and crystals (Whyte 1). On the other hand, nursing is both a science and an art. As an art, nursing involves the capacity to skillfully respond to the needs of the patients (Haynes 1). As a science, nursing entails systemized knowledge used to improve and maintain the health of patients and their families and the interplay between different disciplines like social behavior, and physical sciences (Haynes 1).
The definition of these two disciplines points out that chemistry is a physical science and nursing derives knowledge from physical sciences. Chemistry is thus fundamental to nursing since it is a source of practice informing knowledge. In the healthcare setting, nurses are usually tasked with the administration of medication to patients. Regarding this role, knowledge of chemistry serves two purposes; enabling the nurse to understand how medicines function and enabling the nurse to…