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Philosophy of Nursing
Jocelyn Alexander
Philosophy of Nursing
exists upon the completion of the baccalaureate nursing program. It will discuss my personal
definition of nursing, purposes and influences, the underlying set of beliefs and values that I hold
about nursing with a theory to support them, and ethical principles that guide my professional
practice.
artistic piece of an individual with no defining features. I believed as nurses when providing care
to patients that gender, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status should not be a weighting factor
of patient care. All patients should be treated with dignity, compassion, worth, and respect. In
addition, included in my philosophy, the person consisted of pieces to a puzzle that created a
human figure. Each puzzle piece portrays an important aspect of the patient that should be taken
into consideration when providing care, because these are the factors that helps nurses
individualize the care for each patient. Some pieces are blank because if factors that affect
physiological health are only taken into consideration while others are excluded such as
psychological, social, or spiritual factors, then the patients care is lacking or flawed. This
As a soon-to-be graduate nurse, my philosophy of nursing remains the same. I have had
the opportunity to work in numerous different clinical settings, and during this time I have
encountered a variety of patients. These patients all varied of gender, race, and socioeconomic
status and I have followed my philosophy with treating all with dignity, compassion, worth, and
respect. In addition, I have care for these patients as a whole versus focusing only on the physical
Definition of Nursing
Nursing is the protection, promotion, 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 (American Nurses Association, 2016). This definition of nursing really fits my
views of nursing because I believe nurses have multiple vital roles in the profession. As nurses,
we are able to uphold this definition of nursing with our role of advocating. This role requires a
nurse to act as an educator, liaison, caregiver, and communicator. For example, many times
instructions or just help with guiding them through the healthcare system. Nurses play the role to
integrate all aspects of the patients care and ensure that concerns are addressed, standards of
care are met, and a positive outcome for the patients remain the goal of the healthcare team
(American Nurses Association, 2016). I believe the ANAs definition is one that all nurses should
Purpose of Nursing
Throughout nursing school, I was frequently asked the question of why do I want to
become a nurse or how can I deal with sick people all day. The answer is simple; I wanted to
become a nurse because I believe the most rewarding career is one where you succeed in the
service of others. It is a very clich answer, but it is true. Overall, the essential purpose of
nursing is to provide services to promote health, prevent illness, and achieve optimal recovery
from or adaptation to health problems. Nurses run in my family, so growing up I have seen how
rewarding the career is and I have always felt as though it was my calling as well. As a nurse, I
PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 4
believe you learn the true value of life because often you witness and help others fight to stay
alive. In addition, I love the continuous opportunity for learning in this field and the challenges it
presents. Nursing requires a unique set of skills, as well as the ability to form therapeutic
relationships with patients and their families. Furthermore, nursing has the ability to support
growth personally and professionally, while making a significant impact on health care using my
initiative, compassion, and respect for others. These reasons are the ones that influence my
nursing practice.
Assumptions
As a nurse, we must uphold a set of beliefs and values about the relationship between the
nurse and the patient in a culturally diverse setting, nurse and the community, and nurse and
other health care professionals. My values and beliefs of nursing all stem from caring. Caring is
best demonstrated by a nurses ability to uphold the values of nursing. My values and beliefs
include human dignity and respect, integrity, quality of care, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
As a nurse, I believe to respect patients wishes, concerns, and values and care for patients as a
whole and unique human being in regards to human dignity. In addition, to only do good and do
no harm. A nursing theory that supports my values and beliefs about the relationship between
patient and nurse is Florence Nightingales Environment Theory. This theory uses a model that
must be adapted to fit the needs of individual patients. The nurse must address environmental
factors on an individual basis because these factors affect different patients uniquely to their
situation and illness (Johnson & Webber, 2010). Once the factors are addressed, it helps the nurse
alter the care in the best way for fit the individuals needs. For example, some patients come
from different religions or ethnic backgrounds, so it is required to individualize their care to fit
their needs while being culturally diverse. This theory can also be used to support the
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relationship between the nurse and the community. Whenever nurses assess the communitys
needs, it is necessary to alter care to fit each individuals needs. For example, each individuals
personal issues, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status may influence whether they are able to be
compliant with the primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention involved. The relationship between
the nurse and the community is imperative in order to make a difference within the community.
Another theory that supports my values and beliefs of the relationship between the nurse
and patient is Madeleine Leiningers Transcultural Nursing theory. This theory discusses the
spiritual, and social perspective (Johnson & Webber, 2010). It is also states the importance to
take a patient's culture and cultural background into consideration when deciding how to care for
that patient. The relationship between the nurse and healthcare team is also one that should hold
value. A nurse should be apart of a healthcare team that holds similar values and beliefs in order
to work effectively together to provide quality care to their patients. The shared governance is a
model of nursing practice designed to integrate core values and beliefs that professional practice
embraces, as a means of achieving quality care (Anthony, 2004). This theoretical model is
designed to improve nurses work environment, satisfaction, and retention. It includes the values
believe these are all necessary when having a relationship between the nurse and healthcare
team.
Principles
Following the ANA New Code of Ethics for Nurses, Provision 1 is one that guides my
professional practice. This provision states, The nurse practices with compassion and respect for
the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person (Lachman, Swanson, &
PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 6
Winland-Brown, 2015, p. 269). This provision encompasses the same concepts as my philosophy
of nursing in the aspects of treating everyone with compassion, respect, dignity, and worth
regardless of their unique attributes. This provision addresses nurses fundamental ethical
obligation for patient respect and development of trust between nurse and patient, which is why
it guides my practice as well. During my clinical experience, I have demonstrated this ethical
principle by setting aside my personal values and beliefs of my patients that are different from
myself in order to provide culturally competent care and practice with compassion, respect,
dignity, and worth for the patient. For example, during one of my clinical experiences I cared for
a male patient that recently had his penis amputated due to gangrene. The man expressed his
concerns of feeling less of man due to his recent surgery. Throughout my care, such as giving a
bed bath, it was required that I treat him with compassion, respect, worth, and dignity.
Another provision from The New Code of Ethics for Nurses that guides my professional
practice is Provision 5. Provision 5 states, The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others,
including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and
integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional development (Lachman,
Swanson, & Winland-Brown, 2015, p. 363). This provision guides my professional practice
because it has emphasis on what a nurse must do for themselves in order to create an
environment in which they will be able to provide the best care to their patients. Lachman and
colleagues article discusses the importance of individual health. For example, ensuring adequate
rest, stress relief, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are all necessary in order to provide safe
care to patients. Without these necessities, I believe it will lead to nurses working without the
ability to fully use their nursing judgment, depression, or burnout. I have demonstrated this
before long 12-hour clinical days, talking about my feelings and taking breaks when I feel
stressed, and exercising and maintaining a healthy diet to have energy. I firmly believe that as
Conclusion
Over the past two years, I have gained insight into the field of nursing in my clinical
experiences while attending nursing school. Although, my philosophy hasnt changed drastically,
I believe it has expanded and will keep improving in the future as I gain experience. As a nurse, I
will practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of
every person. Aforementioned, I will abide by the two provisions apart of the ANA New Code of
Ethics for Nurses during my practice that state nurses fundamental ethical obligation for patient
respect and development of trust between nurse and patient and discusses what type of
environment nurses should create to provide the best care. My future goals are to continuously
learn everyday and I believe my philosophy will guide my career on to a positive path.
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References
http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing
Anthony, M. (2004). Shared Governance Models: The Theory, Practice, and Evidence. Online
Johnson, B & Webber, P. (2010) An introduction to theory and reasoning in nursing (3rd ed.).
Lachman, V. D., Swanson, E. O., Winland-Brown, J. (2015). The new code of ethics for nurses
Lachman, V. D., Swanson, E. O., Winland-Brown, J. (2015). The new code of ethics for nurses
with interpretive statements (2015): Practical clinical application, part II. MEDSURG