Personal Philosophy of Nursing Profession

In today’s society most people know what career path they are going to pursue before entering college and have known exactly the purpose of their career. However, I had no idea the career path that I wanted to pursue until I was encouraged by peers and instructors to look into nursing. While upon doing research into nursing, my family members pointed my characteristics that would apply greatly to nursing. Most of what I envisioned nursing to be was confirmed as displayed in clinical settings and even in school. After this semester, I have developed and enhanced my own philosophy of nursing. Although, I have only spent little time at the hospital, my philosophy of nursing will only improve, and grow throughout my experience. My philosophy has been created based off of my personal definition of nursing, beliefs, values, and concepts from nursing theorists.

What is Nursing?

In my personal opinion, I think that there is not one right or wrong way to define nursing. This is a career that you can make your experience and job what you want it to be. Overall, I think most people would agree with me when I say nursing’s number one goal is patient care. We are allowed the opportunity to help provide a safe and comforting environment for patients. We get the chance to be with patients and families during some of the hardest times of their lives or the most exciting times. Our profession advocates for patients and it is our job to do our work to the best of our abilities. Lack of knowledge or care can not only affect the patient, but also their families. A nurse’s responsibility is to know and question everything about the care we provide for our patients. We are the last line of defense to our patients and we need to acknowledge that and take it very seriously. The American Nurses Association defined nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities prevention of illness and injury alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response” (2013). It is extremely scary thinking about how much responsibility a nurse’s job is, however it is extremely rewarding getting to help other people during this time of their life.

Beliefs and Values

I believe that nursing itself is a profession that embodies every aspect of dedication, hard work, and devotion. This profession gives nurses the ability to participate in several different aspects of health care. It is a profession because of the need for knowledge in order to care for patients in the most effective way possible, and without this profession there would be a significant lack in the health care system. Caring for people that cannot care for themselves is not only a profession but an essential duty of all nurses. Patients are not able to care for themselves usually due to some type of illness that inhibits them from normal functions or every day activities. Illness is anything that occurs when there is an absence of mental, physical, or emotional health. While the goal of nursing is to decrease illness by promoting health, we want our patients to be the healthiest version of themselves that they can be. This can be accomplished by focusing on the specific needs of an individual. In addition to the nurse’s responsibility to provide care, they also have the duty to provide safety. Nurses have strict rules and regulations in regard to keeping patients safe and also the nurse. These rules and regulations are created by both legal and ethical guidelines. “Generally, this process includes a review of current clinical practices, policies, and protocols; selected medical records; recent sentinel events; and open and closed obstetric professional liability claims” (Creehan & Simpson, 2014). Our goal is to keep every aspect of the patient safe whether that’s physical, emotional, personal, and religious. The whole person matters in the nursing profession and this is why there are guidelines in place to help nurses provide their best and safest care. Nurses are constantly challenged with ethical dilemmas. This is when rules and regulations are extremely helpful for deciding what to do. “The nurse uses ethical principles and standards (codes of ethics) to guide his or her practice when faced with an ethical dilemma” (Burke, Eby,& Mohn-Brown, 2016).Leadership in the hospital is a huge determinant if nurses will uphold and respect the guidelines they promised to abide by. It is leaderships job to enforce these rules and regulations to ensure their nurses being safe.

Personal Comparison With Nursing Theorist from History

As I stated earlier, my philosophy of nursing significantly focuses on patient care. Providing the best care for these patients is essential and even life altering. We could potentially determine the outcome for patients and their families. The people we are providing care for are usually sick and unable to take care of themselves, so they rely solely on us to help them reach health and wellness. I believe good care creates trust and we want trust from our patients. Nursing Theorist, Jean Watson, created her own philosophy of nursing and its primary focus was about caring. “Watson sees the person as a mind–body–soul connection. Health is unity and harmony within the mind, body, and soul. The nurse comes in contact with the person during a “caring occasion” or “caring moment” and promotes restoration of a sense of inner harmony through Watson’s 10 ‘carative’factors.”(Garneau & Zerwekh, 2018). love how Jean Watson addresses the concept of a “caring moment” because we are with patients at potentially their most vulnerable time in their life. We want to restore that sense of balance and “harmony” that might have gotten lost in the process of their illness. Not having inner harmony can possibly affect and delay their ability to get healthier. Many may differ on their philosophy of what nursing is. I may significantly focus on other areas of nursing that some nurses may not. I believe this is what makes nursing a continuously evolving profession. There are many types of personalities and some may be better at other areas with patients which I think is essential. As long as nurses are providing the best care they can then their care is a success.

Over the past semester I have spent a lot of time observing and learning about the profession of nursing. It has been a short period of time, but I have learned so much in every aspect of the nursing profession. The biggest takeaway of my time at nursing school is seeing the same drive with every nurse. Every nurse has displayed being a patient’s advocate, and to provide the best care possible. This is the part of the nursing philosophy that actually matters, and all nurses can agree on that. Although many may differ on small issues they at least have this in common. This is what keeps the nursing profession so impactful and helpful to society.

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