What do you think of when you think of the nursing profession? International Council of Nurses defined nursing as “an integral part of the health care system, encompasses the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of physically ill, mentally ill, and disabled people of all ages, in all health care and other community settings”. However, I personally believe that nursing is so much more than that. I will discuss throughout this paper my own personal nursing philosophy, which I believe to be a major part of the nursing profession. I will talk about some key concepts of my personal nursing theory which includes the nursing process, the four meta-paradigms of nursing, and the application of my philosophy that I use with my current
Introduction
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.
Nursing is defined as providing autonomy and care for individuals of different cultures, ages, health status and more in health promotion, prevention and caring of all people (Nursing, n.d).
My Philosophy of Nursing
The American Nursing Association defines nursing as ““protection, promotion, and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (American Nurse Association, 2011, p. 7). There is so much more to nursing as a whole moreover throughout this paper I will be examining my own personal nursing philosophy, which is what I believe is the core characteristics of nursing, the approach of my nursing philosophy, along with my belief and value system of caring, compassion, advocacy, respect, honesty and integrity. I will be discussing my choice of becoming a nurse, what
Nursing is considered one of the most trusted professions in the world. It is an essential part in the caregiving of sick, injured, and even healthy individuals. Developing a philosophy with any profession is the beginning basis of any practice. The nursing philosophy is usually incorporated from the science of nursing. That is because the field of health care is constantly changing, which causes the need of better competence in the health field of providing caring (Flagg, 2015). With nursing it starts by the science behind it. Then along with knowledge and experiences, that is when the nursing philosophy is developed. Researching differences between new ideas and cultural differences can then expand the viewpoint into a bigger picture.
In order to serve patients most effectively, one must look introspectively and determine what one believes about nursing. Additionally, one must compare and contrast one’s beliefs with the organization in which one works. This evaluation embraces all four components of the metaparadigm of nursing – person, health, environment, and nursing. Furthermore, the philosophy evaluates one’s beliefs on the pursuit of higher knowledge. Finally, once a personal philosophy is established, it guides a nurse’s daily actions and aid in providing exceptional, expertly delivered nursing care. The following
Personal Nursing Philosophy
My personal nursing philosophy is built upon my underlying Christian value system, united with the theory of Virginia Henderson, and an underlying holistic approach to patient care. By combining these elements, I have developed a philosophy that allows for an integrative approach in delivering patient services.
Providing clinical treatment, education, and empathy while involving the patient in their care achieves a win-win situation for all. I have adapted my practice to address the primary needs of each patient; education and treatment are modified to attain the best outcome for every client.
As I made my way through the nursing program, I witnessed my ideas and perceptions of the nursing practice and what nursing means to me change over time. By examining my Philosophy of Nursing assignment from first year, I can see that my current perspective on the nursing practice is similar to what it was yet has expanded as a result of being able to work alongside various Registered Nurses over the past four years. My philosophy of nursing has also slightly changed. Although my philosophy is still based on the nursing metaparadigm, that is nursing, health, the person, and the environment, I believe that my understanding of each one has evolved. Therefore, I believe it is crucial for me to further explore my current perspective on the nursing
As I reflect on my nursing education, I relieved that I have unexpectedly created a set of values and beliefs for myself, otherwise known as my personal nursing philosophy. I believe that the core of nursing is advocacy, knowledge, integrity and caring. The focus of nursing is on patient need and patient health. According to the (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2017), “nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.” I believe that nursing is an art allowing the nurse to be competent,
This paper is a first attempt at forming and articulating my own philosophy of nursing.
According to Petiprin (2016) “A philosophy of nursing is an approach to nursing, usually created by individual nurses in their own daily practice in the field. A nurse uses his or her philosophy of nursing to explain what he or she believes nursing is, the role nursing plays in the health care field, and how he or she interacts with patients.” Ethics are also addressed in a philosophy of nursing. Petiprin (2016) also states “A philosophy of nursing guides a nurse as he or she practices each day. Personal philosophies of nursing are guided by nursing theories or models which help the nurse interact and provide the best care he or she can for the patient.” The Theory of Comfort by Katharine Kolcaba helps guide my personal philosophy of nursing in my everyday nursing practice. Working on a Surgical Oncology unit, comfort for the patient and their families is essential in their care and the healing process for both. Comfort is subjective and individualized. Several factors including physical, environmental, social, and psycho-spiritual each affect the comfort level of a patient. Comfort is individualized and perceived differently by each patient and the nurse