Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Philosophy of Nursing

Krishna Amin

Rush University College of Nursing

Philosophy of Nursing

Nursing is an ever-changing field of healthcare, constantly evolving in practice and theory.  My personal philosophy of nursing is likely to follow the same ever-changing paradigm, and while exploring my personal values and beliefs I found that my philosophy of nursing is deeply rooted in patient advocacy, education and compassion.  The influences that have help to mold my philosophy are my family, my life experiences, the interactions I have had with patients and my education.  These influences in addition to my philosophy of nursing will guide me in my practice.  Through my philosophy of nursing I strive to preserve the patient’s dignity, provide him or her compassionate care, and treat each patient with a level of respect that I would want for myself.  I also am fully invested in the idea of promoting health and educating patients on disease prevention.  My personal philosophy of nursing will evolve and progress, just as my beliefs and values will evolve with experience. 

In my personal life I strive to be a compassionate person, I trust that my life experiences and life lessons have helped guide and mold me into applying this concept in an effective manner.  I believe that every individual should be granted the same level of care regardless of his or her age, sexual orientation, religion or socio-economic situation.  Nurses must also practice compassion and they must also “deliver care in a manner that preserves and protects health care consumer autonomy, dignity, rights, values and beliefs” (American Nurses Association, 2010b).  This idea plays into provision 1 of the Code of Ethics for nurses, which states that a nurse will practice with respect for the patient’s unique qualities and dignity.  I was always thought that you must treat others how you would like to be treated if not better.  Provision One in the code of ethics for nurses discusses that you must have respect for the patient’s dignity, it is a essential standard that is the foundation for all care provided (American Nurses Association, 2010a).

All individuals deserve to be treated with respect and to have their dignity preserved, especially when they are vulnerable in the hospital.  It is during this time that I hope to establish a trusting relationship with a patient in order to provide them with the greatest care.   Each relationship will be unique because of each patient’s unique perspective, culture and beliefs.  In establishing a unique and trusting relationship with the patient it will facilitate my to develop worthy patient-centered care.  Faye G. Adbellah’s grand nursing theory regarding patient centered approaches to nursing harmonizes having a patient relationship and providing care that is specific and beneficial to the patient (McEwen & Wills, 2014).  This grand theory relates to my personal philosophy because it discusses what a nurse must do in order to provide patient-centered care.  Adbellah discusses how you must get to know the patient first; I can apply this by establishing a trusting relationship with the patient.  She also discusses validating the patients concerns, identifying plans and observing reactions of the patient and their family in order to adapt nursing care (McEwen & Wills, 2014).  I also believe that the collaboration of many disciplines can further enhance the care a patient receives. The outcomes of a patient are positively impacted when there is effective interdisciplinary collaboration. My personal nursing theory exemplifies many aspects of Abedellah’s theory, and I hope to be able to effectively translate the theory into my practice allowing me to be an advocate on behalf of the patient.

A focus of my personal nursing philosophy stems from patient-centered care, the promotion of health and education on disease prevention is vital and essential to patient- centered care.  It is the duty of a nurse is to not only being an advocate for the patient but to provide them with the education and tools to prevent disease and promote health and safety.  With the guidance of the nurse providing education, a patient’s outcome can be greatly affected.  In order to guide my philosophy of being a patient educator and advocate I have pulled ideas from Provision 3 in the code of ethics for nurse’s, it states that “the nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health and safety of the patient” (American Nurses Association, 2010a).   This provision marries well with the standards of professional nursing practice, which states, “ the registered nurse employs strategies to promote health and a safe environment (American Nurses Association, 2010b).   It will be my responsibility and duty as a nurse to educate patients and promote health in order to ensure patients are safe and their healthcare needs are met.   The education will be unique to each patient because it will be specific to their beliefs, values, relations, learning styles and their own readiness to participate and learn.   Each experience will be different and patient centered, this idea is the foundation of my personal nursing philosophy and I am consistently striving to maintain it in my practice.

I have found that my philosophy of nursing is constantly changing, in fact in the process of solidifying my philosophy for this paper I have found that I have learned more than I could have imagined and I am actively applying the theories, principles and ethics of nursing in my practice.  Each new experience in my practice provokes me to follow up with a re-evaluation of the effectiveness of my philosophy. In my daily life I strive to be an ethical and morally responsible individual. I believe that all individuals have the right to equal quality of care, regardless of age, gender, religious affiliation, and personal beliefs. In searching through my beliefs and values I have found that compassion, patient advocacy and education and trust are the foundation to my philosophy. I hope with time and more experience I can build on that foundation to enhance and solidify my personal philosophy of nursing. My personal values, clinical experiences, and understanding of ethics, scope of practice and theories, will constantly evolve and shape my personal nursing theory.

References

American Nurses Association. (2010a). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

American Nurses Association. (2010b). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4^th ed.). Philadelphia, PA.