Personal Philosophy of Nursing

For as long as I can remember I have been overwhelmed with a longing desire to care for those in need, and I feel this ultimately led me to the career choice of nursing. I feel most fulfilled when I am serving, educating, and caring for others, and my personal nursing attitude is one that is centered on compassion and service. Throughout this personal philosophy of nursing essay examples paper I will portray my philosophy of nursing, define nursing, and stress why nursing is important to the healthcare profession.

My philosophy of nursing incorporates the knowledge of medicine while combining it with competent, compassionate, empathetic, and holistic care that respects the dignity of each patient. This philosophy stems from the values and beliefs instilled in me during my early childhood. These values and beliefs are accompanied by trustworthiness, honesty, respect, life-long learning, and that is what drove me to this profession and is currently driving me as I continue to provide care to my patients, family, and community. Nursing is a profession dedicated to the wellness of human beings, prevention of illness, and the promotion of health in a safe and healing environment. My philosophy is one that serves as an advocate and focuses on the empowerment of each patient in the delivery of holistic nursing care. As advocates, we should empower patients by encouraging them to become active allies in their care. I think the best way to connect with patients and their families is by educating them about their disease, treatments, and healthy behaviors to intensify the healing process. Furthermore, we must also strive to demonstrate positive healthy behaviors of our own in belief that we will provide better care to others if we care for ourselves first.

It is my belief that in order to keep in stride with my philosophy, education will have to play a very significant role. As nurses, we have a commitment to life-long learning to keep current in our knowledge and skills. I strongly believe that education does not end at graduation, rather it continues for as long as you are in the nursing profession. Part of being a nurse is the application of knowledge and the continuation of learning. My goal is to make it a priority to stay current on education by taking courses, obtaining certificates, and joining nursing organizations. In addition, my goal is to be a competent nurse and strive to understand the rationale behind everything I do. Committing myself to lifelong learning will give me the confidence and the ability to think twice and reduce any errors in my practice. By completing this goal, I am advancing my career and expanding my effectiveness as a competent and prosperous nurse.

My personal philosophy of nursing is influenced by Virginia Henderson’s theory of nursing. In 1966, Henderson stated, “the role of the nurse involves assisting the patient to perform activities that contribute to health, recovery, or a peaceful death, which the patient would perform without assistance if he or she possessed the necessary strength, will, or knowledge”. I view and value nursing as having an insight into patient’s needs and situations, seeing the person as a distinct being and treating each person with the dignity and respect they deserve. I believe one of the goals of nursing is to help people attain, retain, and regain health. I can accomplish this goal by being an advocate for my patient in a time when they are not able to advocate for themselves, whether it be due to lack of knowledge of their care, or the inability to communicate effectively due to an illness. Henderson also stated, “the nurse must get inside the skin of each of her patients in order to know what he needs”. This can be accomplished by gaining the patients trust in having a transparent relationship. It is my job as a nurse to advocate for my patients by allowing them to be active participants in their care, giving them a sense of independence and control. In addition, Henderson addresses 14 basic needs of the patient and these needs scale from the need to breathe normally, to being able to learn and discover curiosity, leading to normal development. Her 14 points are relevant today and are used widely across every hospital in the nation. She has left her mark on nursing practice for the better. With her guidelines to follow, I too plan to leave my mark on nursing practice for the better and contribute to administer safe, effective, physiological, and emotional needs to every patient I care for.

Virginia Henderson and her philosophy of the 14 basic needs of the patient is very inclusive and addresses Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and the physical needs as well as the emotional needs of the patient. In order to meet the basic needs of my patients, I must attend to my personal needs as well. Naturally, as nurses, we are nurturers. It is ingrained in our DNA. However, we need to have a balance in our work and personal lives as well. We have all heard the saying, “you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of other people”. In my personal experience as a nurse, I have neglected my needs and put myself on the backburner for my patients. With that being said, after assessing my personal wellness, I know now that I need to allow myself the proper self-care so that I can always be on my A-game at work and deliver safe patient care.

The nursing profession is one that is based on collaborative relationships with both colleagues and patients. It requires individuals to work closely with others with varying backgrounds or cultures. Individuals can hold diverse values and beliefs, potentially affecting these relationships, which may result in conflict. In addition, nurses often care for patients whose value systems conflict with their self-values and beliefs. In order to ascertain the patient’s needs are being met, the nurse must have an understanding of the patient’s values. My values as a person and a nurse, is to always show respect, kindness, honesty, compassion, and acceptance. If my beliefs conflict with a patient’s care plan, I will continue to provide safe, compassionate, and timely care to that patient, until other arrangements are in place. Although we may disagree with the plan of care, patients are entitled to non-judgmental nursing care. In addition to nurse-patient conflicts, conflict can also arise between co-workers who have different personalities that share diverse values and beliefs. Preventing the difficulties that come with having different personalities on the team is possible by raising awareness of the existing differences and encouraging everyone to be considerate of one’s personality. It is important to communicate, listen, and accept one another in order to resolve conflict. Personality clashes are going to happen. Having a strategy to work these situations out will help lower stress and improve relationships.

Mindful of the intricate relationship between the patient and nurse, care is delivered through the most effective, efficient, and compassionate means. The hallmark of my philosophy is patient safety and the delivery of high-quality care. As nurses, we provide a link to health information and tools both to nurture individuals personally, and to foster independence and dignity while furthering the healing process. I believe that the core of nursing is knowledge, safety, and integrity. Nurses are responsible for providing the best care for the patient and assuring that the healthcare team adhere to the professional standards of practice. Therefore, providing a safe environment will help safeguard the patient from any harm. As I practice my nursing philosophy, I must show my patients that I am competent in providing quality care. This means that I am competent in my field of nursing, I am educated on the latest policies and procedures, and make ethical decisions in my care.

Previously mentioned, my nursing philosophy is about integrity, empathy, honesty, respect, and compassion. Though, every patient not only needs care, they also need someone who will be a leader, teacher, advocate, and provider. This means that a patient needs full-fledged support in all aspects of life in order to recover as fast as possible. Leadership will always be something that I keep in the back of my mind and keep reiterating to myself because without being a strong leader, especially in nursing, I will not succeed in helping my patients. Without having the nurses speak up and be an advocate for the patient, the patient will not get the care they truly need. As a leader, I will do my best to ensure safe, quality, and compassionate patient care in an efficient and responsible manner. I will be an educator for my patients and provide them with information about their illness and treatments and allow them to participate in their care. I believe a good leader does not sit around, hoping for things to change, instead they make things happen. I will accomplish this by inspiring others to make a change, showing them the way, and by challenging them to do the best that they can do. Finally, I will continue to deliver safe, high quality care by maintaining a culture of transparency, integrity, honesty, and trust.

In conclusion, throughout this paper, I have explored what nursing truly means to me, and have become more aware of the principles I value for clinical practice. This paper has given me a chance to reflect on my nursing philosophy and to see where I stand in regard to my own strengths and weaknesses in my practice. I have also learned a lot about myself and nursing theories I did not even know I was mimicking in my practice. I have many areas to improve upon, and Henderson’s theory to guide me in shaping my nursing foundation. If anything, this paper has provided me with an opportunity to grow and continuously shape my nursing philosophy and to expand on it as I continue in my career. No matter what changes may occur, I will continue to exemplify my core values and beliefs in every situation of my life and career.