Personal Nursing Philosophy Paper

Articulation of a personal nursing philosophy encompasses the examination of one’s values, beliefs, and principles that direct nursing care. Throughout my education and experiences as a nurse, I inadvertently formed a set of values and beliefs or my nursing philosophy. My nursing philosophy is a result of the knowledge acquired from education and my interactions with patients, family members, caregivers, and coworkers. As long as I can remember I have had a desire to care for others. My day to day philosophy is centered on treating every person with a caring attitude and with respect towards their beliefs and any decisions they make.
I believe that to be an effective nurse one must be able to deliver the “ art” of caring, and have the initiative
to continue to attain and apply knowledge to care “science.” As Benner (1984) said, “One way to separate the instrumental and expressive aspects of nursing is to regulate caring as the art of nursing.” Without caring, a nurse will not be able to connect with the patient and trust will never arise. Lack of caring and trust will make a meaningful connection impossible and therapeutic nursing likely will not take place. Therefore, caring is at the epicenter of all fruitful nursing encounters. Philips (2006) describes science as, “an original body of knowledge concerning human beings and their world,” a competent nurse must use knowledge and science to guide her actions and determine the best practices for patient care. Consequently, art or science isolated from each other would be insufficient when addressing patient care because nursing is a science that encompasses intangible aspects such as caring and love (Kikuchi, 2009).
Reflecting since my first years of nursing school more than ten years ago, my personal values have not been challenged.
Oppositely, I feel that my perspectives have been broadened to appreciate more my profession and my values have become stronger. My personal values and beliefs have been the same since I can remember and I have not experienced any personal conflict yet, that have lead me to deconstruct any of those beliefs. Contrarily, caring for and being with terminally ill patients and their families has changed how I see the world and has reinforced my initial philosophy of care. Working as a hospice nurse has made me see nursing, life and death differently, for the better I might add. Spiritual phenomena usually related to the dying process; like near death experiences, have incited me to stop seeing death as end of life. Observing the dying process has taught me to see death as process that teaches those who are still alive how to live more graciously. I have learned that for most patients caring means to be present, to listen, to hold their hand, and to respect their
decisions.
Working in hospice has also transformed my nursing view, I used to think nursing was only a science and now I am completely convinced nursing is an art too.
Knowing what I know now about the dying process has reinforced my beliefs and my personal philosophy about treating each person with care, dignity, and respect; focusing on treating others how I would wish to be treated one day. My nursing philosophy addresses persons, environment, health, and nursing. I see persons as inimitable beings, full of lifetime experiences, that deserve to be treated with dignity, care, and respect. Environment are the different social and physical settings where individuals exist and interact with each other. Health is person’s subjective observation of his or her well-being and the scope to which each human being can function in his or her role. Nursing is a caring relationship based on trust and respect that assists and supports individuals to maintain and recover health, to reduce the effects of disease, or to live the best possible life if they are terminally
ill.
The center of nursing practice is the act of caring. Caring and nursing are so interweaved that nursing would not be exist without caring. Caring is “a feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others; showing or having compassion” (The Free Dictionary, 2015). Caring is what drives my day to day practice. My personal philosophy is reflected in my daily practice and easily carried into my professional and personal life. I go embrace life with a positive, caring attitude and make sure my patients know I am sincerely interested in their health and care about their well-being. As a nurse, I strive to help, respect, and have empathy towards others. I endeavor to understand the needs of others whether; physical, psychological, or emotional in order to provide comfort and demonstrate my care and concern and maximize nursing care. I keep my knowledge current and use evidence practice care with special emphasis on my patients needs and requests for care. I respect everyone’s decisions and cultural or personal beliefs about care and develop my care plans based on the patient’s preferences.
My nursing philosophy has not changed since the first part of this paper but thanks to the knowledge I gained from this class, I have been able to understand and apply better each concepts. I am sure my philosophy will continue to evolve as I learn and gain more experiences but the ground will still be the same and I will hold my initial beliefs about caring being the essence of nursing and focusing on treating others with dignity and respect; the same way I would wish to be treated one day.