My Nursing Philosophy

My Nursing Philosophy: Beliefs, Values and Ethics The philosophy of nursing consists of values, beliefs and ethics that shape the way a nurse thinks, performs their duties, and behaves. “Philosophy is the intense and critical examination of beliefs and assumptions. Philosophy gives coherence to the whole realm of thought and experiences" (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, & Walton, 2014, p.25). Nurses follow their personal philosophies, but also need to adhere to the professional standards and guidelines set by their governing body. This paper will discuss my personal nursing philosophy including my values, beliefs, ethics and clinical practice. I will outline my definition of nursing philosophy and how this relates to standardized practice guidelines

A definition of Nursing I consider my personal definition of a registered nurse to be an educated person working in the field of nursing, who cares, helps and advocates for individuals in need. This would include people with mental, physical, and emotional concerns. The sole purpose of nursing is to promote personal well-being for people in all levels of their existence at any stage of life. According to the International Council of Nurses (INC,2017) “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” (Par 3). Nurses play a vital role within the health care system in developing health policies and procedures, management, research, patient advocacy and providing education to their patients and at the community level, illness prevention ( INC, 2017). Being a nurse consists of more than the day to day tasks of administration of medication,

This care includes supporting the people I care for in their journey through life, encompassing their mental, physical and emotional make up. I see this approach as a shared world view between my nursing peers and myself, and other health care professionals. Goals that I encompass in my everyday practice and that I find important to uphold would include providing safe care, high quality care, promoting a safe environment and increasing my personal knowledge base. All these goals will have a positive impact on the patients helping them return to health, improve health promotion or provide comfort care. Another goal is to lead by example, through showing compassion, understanding, empathy and the ability to respect the decisions of others. I believe that the key to providing this type of high quality care rests on the foundation of nursing