Knowledge Production and Reproduction: What are the Implications for Nursing Practice?

Research, teaching and practice are easy words to say and at first glance seem to be relatively simple to understand. The aim of research is to produce knowledge, teaching to reproduce it and practice to apply it. But a closer look at\ud these terms reveals complex, competing, often contradictory sets of meanings which are embedded in differences in cultures, individuals and work practices. This paper examines some crucial issues surrounding ways of thinking about research, teaching and practice in nursing, drawing upon one of the stories in Homer’s Odyssey as an organising framework. It argues for the importance of mentorship in navigating the multifaceted, intricate and personally confronting terrain that is nursing