An Outline of Nursing and Professional Philosophy

Welcome, currently I am working as a nurse. I graduated in 2004. After the completion of my course I joined in a multi-speciality hospital in India as a staff nurse in CCU. On the way of my journey, I found that as a nurse we should learn new skills and knowledge for safe and effective practice according to our area of practice. With this experience I can confidently write “Personal philosophy of nursing” essay to show other people knowledge that I have gained during years of work as a nurse. 

I believe each person differs from their values and beliefs. I selected nursing as my profession because I think this career will provide an opportunity to help the people who are suffering with various illness. I consider the core values of nursing are empathy,caring and effective communication. According to me empathy means, to identify the client and their family emotions,thoughts, experiences in an effective way to provide appropriate care according to their situation. I think communication played a vital role in nursing process. For instance we can apply communication skill at the time of assessment as well as the planning, implementing and evaluation of nursing care.The nurse should always interact with all other members of health care team to facilitate standardised holistic care. I believe nurses should follow a method like critical thinking to adapt the new changes of clinical field.

Metaparadigms Concepts

The four main concepts are person, health, environment and nursing. Firstly, I understand myself through my experience the profession is mainly focus on clients and we should approach them in a holistic way to provide ideal care to them. We should identify their history, family life and also their socio-economic status. I Believe according to Watsons interpretation theory a client should have their own beliefs,values and customs so we should identify their wishes and provide holistic approach which focus on the body ,mind and soul. It is essential for their recovery and also I feel that even avoiding any of the element will affect the healing process of the client so we should value their concepts. For instance during my clinical practice I usually spend my quality time with my clients to understand their feelings and clarify their doubts related to their disease to create a comfortable and secured feelings in their mind.

Second aspect is health, it is more than cure of illness. Nurses should do their assessment many times to identify their needs to maintain optimum health. Watsons theory states that ‘In order for healing to be effective that, there needs to be a complete balance person’s physical, cognitive and spiritual self. These components are essential to achieve good health and also, Watson’s theory stresses the equal importance of illness prevention with total health. We can see that in acute care setting nurses are doing their care plan in each shift to assess the mental status.

The third aspect is nursing, I believe the viewpoints of Watson, the nurses should create a therapeutic relationship with their clients. They should consider the person as a whole and assure that their clients are getting quality care physically, mentally and spiritually. Building relationship with the clients can provide more information about them which enables nurses to provide greater care according to their situation and it will become automatically facilitate better healing in an effective way. I strongly feel that the application of Watson’s theory in hospitals provide excellent care to their customers. Watson also conclude that assessment and evaluation played an indispensable role to prevent other diseases occurring.

The fourth concept is environment. Florence Nightingale’s says that “the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery”. She identified environmental factors like fresh air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness, sanitation and direct sunlight were essential in achieving a healthful house. Hence I firmly agree with her views and I feel that a nurse should always observe the surroundings of a patient and report the state of the patient to health care team and encourage the family to participate in their care plan. In this way we can identify the needs of the client and provide a better environment to suitable to their situation. So, such changes of the environment can lead to a speedy recovery of clients.

My Personal Philisophy of Nursing 

Nurses should consider the patient as a person and not just the health problem, we should identify client’s background, family status. I believe such factors can directly contribute in patient’s life so we can easily identify mental status of a patient. I believe nursing is an honourable career and nurses have a responsibility to the public to provide a safe, holistic and patient-centered care. I understand that my patients are not room numbers or medical conditions and they deserve individualized attention and care. Also, nurses should encourage their patients and family to become active partners in their own care. Nurses should maintain confidentiality. Nurses should educate patients and their family about various diseases and treatments also they should always update their knowledge in a timely manner, in this way we can provide quality care to them. I believe that the core values of nursing are caring knowledge and integrity. The focus of nursing is on patient needs, patient heel, safety and patient empowerment. The nurses should support other team members to create positive environment. I always interact with other health team members to clarify my doubts to improve patient outcome.

Example in Practice

A patient was admitted in CCU, who was a 50 years old women who was diagnosed coronary artery disease and with some E.C.G variations. At the time of admission, she was examined by the doctor and he ordered coronary angiography. When I performed my initial assessment on her, I found that the client was worried , nervous and feel sweaty . When I began to collect subjective data, the first thing I noticed was that she had very little knowledge about the treatment options available for cardiac diseases. I instantly realized that she needs proper education related to her treatment plan and I reported regarding the situation to the consulting doctor as well. In addition, I doumented all the collected data in her chart .The doctor discussed with the client about her disease process and clarified all her doubts to relieve her anxiety.

References

• Dahlin, Brandi. (n.a). Personal & Professional Philosophy of Nursing. Retrieved September 23, 2019 from https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/brandi-dahlin/philosophy-of-nursing
• Gonzalo, Angelo (2019). Florence Nightingale: Environmental Theory. Retrieved September 22, 2019 from nurseslabs.com/florence-nightingales-environmental-theory/