Abstract
Carper's patterns of knowing in nursing have been consistently cited in the nursing literature since they appeared in 1978.The degree to which they represent nursing knowledge in the mid-1990s is explored, and a major modification is suggested-the addition of a fifth pattern, sociopolitical knowing. The article also suggests modifications to the model for nursing knowledge put forward by Jacobs-Kramer and Chinn to enable this model to be used more effectively as a framework for exploring processes of inquiry into nursing knowledge and practice.