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Background: Today, we face a situation some call the "profession at the crossroads." The problem is the development of the profession being threatened by an imbalance among philosophical, conceptual/theoretical, and empirical inquiry., Objectives: The aims of this project are to (a) examine the development and contributions of theory, (b) outline the challenges we face in knowledge development, and (c) provide a structure for disciplinary knowledge that provides a unifying focus and renovates theories' place in nursing science that can direct the future of developing knowledge for practice., Methods: A personal narrative along with literature reviews. Narrative strategies included my own publications on theory, some relevant unpublished speeches, memories of meetings checked with concurrent attendees, and similar or dissimilar points of view in nursing theory textbooks., Results: Contributions of theoretical work in the 20th century included maturing of the discipline, clarifying the theoretical focus of nursing as holistic persons with processes and patterns for environmental integration to attain health, a plurality of grand theories for articulating and testing of theories in practice and research, identification of the mutual impact of theory and education and major conferences, and contributions globally. Twenty-first century developments used all levels of theories particularly for research. Questions are raised about the evaluation of theory. Detours and dead ends for theory development involved metatheory debates and specific events. Challenges identified relate to rapid changes in society, healthcare, and science. A pathway for the future is presented in a figure with its description of the structure of nursing knowledge., Discussion: The potential of this structure for developing future theory-based nursing knowledge for practice is envisioned, and strategies for creating this future are suggested.

Background: As more is understood regarding the human microbiome, it is increasingly important for nurse scientists and healthcare practitioners to analyze these microbial communities and their role in health and disease. 16S rRNA sequencing is a key methodology in identifying these bacterial populations that has recently transitioned from use primarily in research to having increased utility in clinical settings., Objectives: The objectives of this review are to (a) describe 16S rRNA sequencing and its role in answering research questions important to nursing science; (b) provide an overview of the oral, lung, and gut microbiomes and relevant research; and (c) identify future implications for microbiome research and 16S sequencing in translational nursing science., Discussion: Sequencing using the 16S rRNA gene has revolutionized research and allowed scientists to easily and reliably characterize complex bacterial communities. This type of research has recently entered the clinical setting, one of the best examples involving the use of 16S sequencing to identify resistant pathogens, thereby improving the accuracy of bacterial identification in infection control. Clinical microbiota research and related requisite methods are of particular relevance to nurse scientists-individuals uniquely positioned to utilize these techniques in future studies in clinical settings.