Donna Frost

Discussion and conclusions 249 8 Andresen and Fredericks ( 2001 ), McGinley ( 2009 ), Titchen ( 2009 , 2019 ) and Mulcahy ( 2013 ) all emphasize that professional artistry is expressed in the moment, in the embodied action of the professional. Where some of the literature focusses on the doing, or acting, of the professional demonstrating professional artistry, taking wise action for example when faced with less than complete information (eg. McIntosh, 1996 ; Gore et al., 2000 ; de Cossart and Fish, 2004 ; Kennedy, 2004 ; Ajeneye, 2005 ; Paterson, Higgs and Wilcox, 2005 ), diverse sources also emphasize the ability of the professional with professional artistry to dialogue with the situation using their whole selves, their cognition and their embodied responses (eg. Andresen and Fredericks, 2001 ; Beeston and Higgs, 2001 ; Klemola and Norris, 2001 ; Grainger, 2003 ). Professional artistry is not a kind of knowledge that is applied, in other words, but a practice stance which enables an openness to diversity of signals and cues present in the encounter (eg. Conway, 1996 ; Cowan, 2007 ; Henderson, 2009 ; Cherry and Higgs, 2011 ; Daoud, 2011 ). As well, it results in a holistic response involving the whole person of the nurse, not just their technical action (eg. Tarnow & Butcher, 2005 ; Gramling, 2004 b; Titchen, 2009 ; 2019 ; McGinley, 2009 ). This perspective is supported by the findings of the present study, where the ontological orientation of the nurse and their view of practice and their ways of being, doing and becoming were a central feature in the nature of professional artistry. These findings fit too with Titchen’s ( 2009 , 2019 ) explicitly holistic understanding of professional artistry which emphasizes the role professional artistry plays for example in professionals being able to embody practice wisdom. The particular preparation of nurses demonstrating artistry, their capacities and capabilities were not the focus of study within this research. Nevertheless, the central finding that professional artistry has to dowith a nurse’sway of being, seeing, doing and becoming are congruent with sources which argue that practitioners demonstrating professional artistry are not merely engaged in doing certain things but in being and becoming a certain kind of person (eg. Fish, 1998 ; Grainger, 2003 ; Gramling, 2004 b; 2006 ; Stockhausen, 2006 ; Manley, 2008 ; Greggans and Conlon, 2009 ), and that they bring this capacity, or this way of viewing and engaging with practice, to the encounter (eg. Conway, 1996 ; Klemola and Norris, 2001 ; Austen, 2010 ). The second overarching finding concerning the nature of professional artistry is that nurses who are practising in this way are engaged in expanding the space for becoming. This too is an expression of the ontological nature of professional artistry. It is furthermore a finding which fits closely with the sixth key aspect presented in the concept analysis (Chapter 2 ): professional artistry contributes to human