Threshold of awakening: Hearing the call for nursing

The aim of this investigation is twofold: first, to describe the lived experience of hearing the call for nursing, from the perspective of the nurse; and, second, to illuminate nursing knowledge through an interpretation of the phenomenon's meaning in nursing practice. Phenomenological hermeneutical inquiry, as applied by van Manen (1990) and modified by Munhall (1990) guided the investigation. Expressions of the lived experience of seven participants were ultimately captured by the researcher in the form of hermeneutic phenomenologic writings. The findings of the research are discussed with their subsequent relevance, implications, and significance for the art and science of nursing practice. Hearing being mutually sharing meaning with human vulnerability revealing feeling nursing.