My Nursing Philosophy Essay

Each person has intrinsic beliefs that play a role in their own philosophies. Therefore, a personal philosophy of nursing, reflects what is important for me. My beliefs are a product of my clinical experience – which include interactions with patients, families and other healthcare professionals –, and knowledge obtained from the classroom. Philosophy provides me with a deeper connection to those beliefs, and the values that initially led me into the nursing profession. My philosophy of nursing addresses: the commitment to deliver compassionate, holistic care to the acute and critical ill patient in a competent, ethical, respectful and caring manner by appraising nursing ethics, theories and core values of practice.
A nurse is individual
I believe that in order to be a nurse, one must be able to provide the “art” of caring and respect, and have the drive to continue to attain and apply the knowledge “science” throughout our career. In the book Novice to Expert, Benner states, “One way to separate the instrumental and expressive aspects of nursing is to regulate caring as the art of nursing (Benner, 1984, 170). Without caring and respect the nurse cannot connect with the patient. If the nurse cannot connect, trust will not develop. Without this trusting and respectful relationship, therapeutic nursing will not take place. Therefore, caring and respect is at the center of all-successful nursing encounters. Correspondingly, science is also valuable for nursing. A competent nurse must be able to use the technical resources available. The nurse should have knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, pathology and current guidelines for pharmacological therapy. Science also encompasses the skill required to perform technical tasks. Benner’s Novice to Expert model explains the science behind skill acquisition. As nurses we are all on a continuum to achieve “ expert” in each of the seven domains of