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Personal Philosophy of Nursing
Victoria Alexander
Saint John’s College of Nursing
Abstract: This paper is my personal nursing philosophy and how I plan to live out my nursing career not just after graduation but throughout my schooling. Nursing is obviously about patient care, but it is so much more than that. At Saint John’s Hospital we believe in Care, Respect, Joy, and Competence. This is a beautiful way of thinking about nursing. It is not just about treating the illness, it is also about treating the patient’s needs that are more than just health. We have to treat the patient with respect, make sure we bring joy to their lives even when they are suffering, and make sure we care properly for the patient both physically and mentally. We have to have a strong background and be competent in what we do on a daily basis.
Personal Philosophy of Nursing
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I always strive to make others around me feel blessed and feel like they are more than just any person – stranger or friend. I feel most fulfilled when I am serving and caring for others, and my personal nursing attitude is one that is centered on compassion and service. My philosophy of nursing incorporates the knowledge of medicine while combining it with compassionate caring that respects each patient. I believe each patient should feel empowered in his or her right to choose and make decisions for their own health satisfaction. This may not be a traditional health plan, but that is what makes each of us unique. My philosophy of nursing includes keeping the patient informed and letting them be an individual in their care. All walks of life come into the hospital and I believe we should respect each of these persons in their decisions and goals of their own
According to Chitty & Black (2014) the philosophy of nursing is defined as beliefs and values that are the bases for how we think and act in our nursing careers. Similar to a nursing philosophy, a personal philosophy includes a person’s specific beliefs and values. The purpose of this paper is to start evolving my own personal nursing philosophy that contains my own beliefs and values that I will take with me throughout my career as a registered nurse.
Throughout the history of nursing, many philosophies and theories have emerged in regards to how we as nurses should carry out our profession. I believe that nursing is a highly respected profession than I am honored to be a part of. My personal philosophy on nursing is to treat and care for each patient in the best way that I can. While my philosophy can be considered very broad, I believe that each patient deserves their own specific approach and not necessarily be generalized with one way of thinking.
In my practice, I provide care to the best of my ability. I empathize with my patients when they are having a bad day and I provide laughter when it’s a good day. To go into the nursing profession it is imperative that you care for others, without care for your patients there is less chance for cure. If a patient does not feel cared for they may feel they are not important and that can cause them stress, making it more difficult to get better. My Philosophy for my nursing career always has been and will continue to be to provide the best care possible for my patients, ensuring they feel cared for and their needs are met. Just like these theorists and the Jacksonville Philosophy in which caring is at their core, I to will put caring at the core of my
Prior to entering the professional role of nursing, a nurse should also determine the principals and personal values that will guide their nursing practice. Personal values, past experiences, and influences of other nurses are what attract many to the profession of nursing. Nurses have a profound impact on the lives of their patients, their families, and the community. Nursing is a constant process of building a prevalent knowledge base while maintaining a sense of compassion and empathy for those during a time of need. Nursing is more than a career, it is an art form that is continuously being molded by personal experiences and the gain of knowledge; what we do with it is that defines us as nurses.
This paper is a first attempt at forming and articulating my own philosophy of nursing.
There are a variety of definitions that organizations create to aid in a better understanding of the importance nursing holds in providing safe, patient centered health care to the community. For example, The International Council of Nurses states that “nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities sick or well, and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health; prevention of illness; and the care of ill, disabled, and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” (Potter & Perry, 2016, p.3).
This paper explores the personal philosophy I have as a nursing student and what I intend to convey throughout my nursing career. A philosophy is “an analysis of the grounds and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs (Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, n.d.). Before entering into any profession it is important to evaluate your personal philosophy about the profession, as it pertains to values and principles in which believe in to guide your practice. The field of nursing is more than treating a physiological ailment, but it involves providing quality care for the individualized needs of each patient, hence being client centered. My philosophy of nursing integrates the importance of knowledge base practice of medicine, combined with addressing holistic needs of the patient and family, including the physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional, spiritual and social care (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, 2010). Additionally, a vital aspect of nursing is effective interpersonal relationships with other healthcare professionals to promote quality patient care. Moreover, my philosophy includes the importance the client-nurse relationship to aid in health promotion to prevent illness and increase the level of health of clients.
Nursing is something that cannot be simplified to one word or phrase; it is more than treating the ill and more than just a profession, rather it is a standard of care and service to others, and it is constantly evolving. Nursing should revolve around commitment and a desire to help those in need. As I reflect on my nursing education, I have realized that I have inadvertently created a set of values and beliefs for myself, otherwise known as my personal nursing philosophy. A product of my knowledge obtained from classroom lectures, my interactions with an array of patients, family members, and healthcare professionals at my clinical sites and my job in a long-term care facility. I believe each patient should be treated as an individual and given the best quality of care, regardless of their gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religious preference, socioeconomic status, or choices they may have made. Every patient is worthy of respect, even when their views differ from my own. Each patient has the right to honesty, and to feel safe.
What is the philosophy of nursing? Many of the nursing theorists have different answers to this question, but all of them share the main concept and idea of nursing: a philosophy, which focuses not on the treatment of a disease but on the wholeness of human being. Florence Nightingale concentrated on the surrounding environment of the patient and how it affected the patient’s health (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Her findings had incredible impact on the philosophy of nursing today. Along the environment factors Betty Neuman believed that nursing should be primarily concerned with appropriate actions in stress-related situations to help patients, their families, and society achieve and sustain wellness (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). The ideas of Jean Watson focused first on the commitment to self to be able to commit to others. A philosophy of nursing addresses four different meta-paradigm concepts known as client, health, nurse, and environment (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). In the movie Wit, Emma Thompson’s character Vivian Bearing was treated like a test subject with no sense of human dignity, respect and decency. The movie started with Dr. Kelekian telling Vivian that she had stage four-metastic ovarian cancer and that the treatment involved a vigorous course of therapy. There was no explanation to what that meant. He simply told her diagnosis in medical terms. The human factor was not present at all, and the rapid decline in her health was thanks to the lack of empathy, kindness, and humanity. The only character that was on the human side in the hospital, the one that had the understanding of basic human decency and cared for Vivian’s condition was the nurse Susie. She was caring, companionate, provided comf...
The greatest aspect about nursing is that it is never going to be just a job and is even more than a merely profession. Instead, it is a belief system or way of life and not a discipline that can simply be practiced then abandoned to the dictates of a time clock. To simply say that “I love people” or want to “help people get better” does not demonstrate the drive behind this feeling. Articulating my philosophy is not an easy task, to better explain my philosophy of nursing, I am going to use some values that I have learned. These tools truly explain how I feel and what has motivated me to pursue nursing as a career.
My philosophy of nursing is summed up in one abridged sentence; “Treat all patients the same way you would want your family members to be treated”. The implication of this statement is that patients must be given the best quality of care regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, religious preference, or whatever poor judgement they must have made which may have resulted in their need for care. Every person deserves respect and dignity, regardless of
Nursing is more than merely a job, an occupation, or a career; it is a vocation, a calling, a frame of mind and heart. As a nurse, one must value the general good of others over his own. He must devote of himself nobly to ensure the well-being of his patient. However, today’s well-recognized nurses are notably different from nurses of the recent past. Service is the core of the nursing profession, and the essential evolution of the vocation reflects the ever-changing needs of the diverse patient population that it serves. As a profession, nursing has evolved progressively, particularly in its modernization throughout the past two centuries with the influence of Florence Nightingale. The field of nursing continues to grow and diversify even today, as nurses receive greater medical credibility and repute, as its minority representations
My mission of being a nurse is to provide a non-judgmental care to all those in need regardless of race, spiritual beliefs, color, life style choices, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, financial status and disability. The aspects of my nursing philosophy and the belief/value system include knowledge, time management, compassion, caring, advocacy, respect, honesty and patient privacy. I believe every patient is
Every nurse determines the way they will practice in the beginning of their career. More than likely these roles and values are created and sparked in nursing school. As time goes on, nurses dig deeper and establish who they are in their new role as a professional. When the metaparadigm of nursing and personal philosophy coincide with one another, individualized concepts, care, and professionalism are achieved and delivered in multiple settings. From a personal perspective, these concepts were established and developed very early in my career. Maintaining and establishing myself as a nurse remains a top priority ten years later in my practice.
I always treat each person as a unique individual with unique life experiences. I treat my patients with respect and address their cultural beliefs and values. I pride myself with having a caring attitude and want to help and heal people from their illness physically and psychologically. I think nursing can be both science and art. I think to be a successful nurse; the nurse needs to master the art of caring and continually learn and apply knowledge of nursing science throughout their career. Without caring or nurturing the nurse cannot connect with the patient and trust will not develop, without a trusting relationship, therapeutic nursing will not be able to occur. Therefore, I feel caring is at the forefront of all successful nursing interactions. This is not to negate the value that science brings to nursing. A competent nurse must be able to have a variety of knowledge and skill. The next part of the paper will discuss the metaparadigm of