Running head: PROFESSIONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY 1

Professional Nursing Philosophy

Andrea DiMartino

Delaware Technical & Community College – Stanton Campus

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The honor of touching lives as a nurse is a unique blessing. Passing a licensure exam and

getting a first position as a staff nurse is just the beginning of a long rewarding career full of

diverse opportunities in nursing. A career in nursing should be defined by a commitment to

learning, following a nursing theory that resonates with the ideals of the individual nurse,

prioritizing self-improvement and wellness, seeking positive conflict resolution, committing to

patient safety and ongoing improvement of care practices, and pursuing improved community

wellness outcomes by serving as a nurse leader.

A Commitment to Learning

The role of a nurse is to serve others, equipped with knowledge, a nurturing nature, and a

genuinely caring attitude toward each patient in order to facilitate wellness. Nursing is an ever-

evolving field in which the pursuit of improved patient outcomes can be more readily

accomplished through evidence-based practice and a commitment to a lifetime of learning. Part

of that ongoing education should be the completion of a bachelor's and higher nursing degree, as

well as certification in a medical specialty, such as gerontology. Ongoing education prepares the

nurse more fully to care for patients by expanding their understanding of holistic patient care and

a more broad scope of understanding of different disease processes and treatments. Research has

shown that more importantly than experience, nurses who have a stronger education background

lead to improved patient outcomes (Kutney-Lee, et al., 2015).

Nursing Theory

In addition to the importance of ongoing education, following evidence-based practice

ensures that patients receive the best care through proven methods. According to Watson's

Philosophy and Science of Caring, a nurse works holistically and scientifically to promote
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health, prevent illness, care for the sick, restore health, and treat disease (Petiprin, 2016). Based

on Watson's guidelines, nurses should seek out ways to help patients achieve their best personal

health through 10 carative factors which include forming humanistic-altruistic value systems,

instilling faith-hope, cultivating a sensitivity to self and others, developing a helping-trust

relationship, promoting an expression of feelings, using problem solving for decision-making,

promoting teaching-learning, promoting a supportive environment, assisting with gratification of

human needs, and allowing for existential-phenomennological forces (Watson, 2019).

Self-improvement and Wellness

In order for a nurse to care for others, they must first care for themselves. Adequate sleep,

a healthy balance between work and home, and a focus on wellness in all aspects of their life is

important in ensuring the nurse is at their best. Within Watson's nursing theory, part of the

nurse's role is transferring the concept of caring, but a nurse is not able to commit themselves to

others if they have not first cared for themselves. (Watson, 2019). A clear idea of personal goals

and full understanding of their current progress toward those goals help to keep the focused on

personal improvement. To accomplish this, nurses should perform a self-assessment and

determine what their "level 10 life" looks like, then to determine where they are on the path

toward achieving those goals (Elrod, 2014). Periodically, the individual should reassess their

position, and their goals, as these will grow and change as they change. Though the categories

may be different for each individual, physical health, mental wellness, relationships, career

development, and the work and life balance should be factored into the personal assessment.
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Effective Communication

Beyond personal goals, a deep understanding of one's own personality, managing

conflict, and how to communicate well with others is a vital skill for nurses. Different

personality types may be more predisposed toward the service of others, such as the advocate or

defender personality types, but nurses don't exist in a bubble, and working with other people with

differing values and ideals will be common in nursing practice (Neris, 2019). Employing

methods of conflict resolution are more effective when one can understand their own short-

comings and personality traits which may cause tension ahead of issues arising. Talking through

problems and allowing “for expression of positive and negative feelings” during discussions

promote better mutual understanding and will help resolve many issues that may be encountered

in nursing (Watson, 2019).

Patient Safety and Nurse Leaders

The nursing profession is ever evolving, but the focus of our duties are divided into

evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, collaboration and communication, quality

improvement, and safety and informatics. Caring for patients holistically through evidence-

based methods, approaching nursing practice in a scientific way, such as is outlined by Watson's

nursing theory, puts a focus on quality patient care through safety and informatics in nursing as a

means of improving nursing practice. Each patient should be viewed as an individual, but trends

and expected outcomes that guide the plan of care help to fine-tune the course of treatment for

each patient (Disch, n.d.-a). The nurse's goal for every patient should be to achieve a state of

wellness that is appropriate for that patient as an individual, and to return them to a state of self-

reliance (Watson, 2019). Once the patient has progressed beyond the need for care, nursing care

should transition to a leadership role in the community. The role of nurse leaders is to advocate
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for improved health outcomes for individuals through community outreach and education to

promote wellness. With a strong foundation of knowledge through ongoing education, the nurse

leader is in a unique position to be a change-agent in the community by impacting wellness

through prevention education and by being a trusted positive health role model.
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References

Disch, J. (n.d.-a). Patient-centered care competency resource paper. Retrieved February 14,

2019, from https://mycourses.dtcc.edu/d2l/le/content/18735/viewContent/306576/View

Elrod, H. (2014). The miracle morning: The not-so-obvious secret guaranteed to transform your

life before 8AM. Hal Elrod International.

Johnson, J.K. (n.d.-a). Health informatics competency resource paper. Retrieved February

14, 2019, from

https://mycourses.dtcc.edu/d2l/le/content/18735/viewContent/306599/View

Kutney-Lee, A., PhD, RN, Witkoski Stimpfel, A., PhD, RN, Sloane, D. M., PhD, Cimiotti, J. P.,

PhD, RN, Quinn, L. W., PhD, RN, & Aiken, L. H., PhD, RN. (2015). Changes in Patient

and Nurse Outcomes Associated with Magnet Hospital Recognition. Med Care, 53(6),

550-557. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000000355

Neris Analytics Limited. (2011-2019). ISFJ personality (‘the advocate”). Retrieved from

https://www.16personalities.com/isfj-personality

Petiprin, A. (2016). Jean Watson nursing theory. Retrieved from the Nursing-Theory.org

website: http://www.nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/watson-philosophy-and-

science-of-caring.php

Watson, J. (2019). Caring Science Theory. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from

https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/jean-bio/caring-science-theory/