Running Head: MY NURSING PHILOSOPHY

My Nursing Philosophy
Pilar Mueller
Old Dominion University

MY NURSING PHILOSOPHY

My Nursing Philosophy
The Art Medium
A collage
Chosen for its randomness and chaos, mirrors the chaos and randomness of nursing
Meaning we are presented with all this material that requires us to critically think through
and sort through to get to the bottom of the present situation
What I thought back then
Growing up I believed nurses only worked in hospitals, gave medications, and followed
doctors orders.
What I know now
Some of the things I believed were not wrong
o Nurses DO work in hospitals
o Nurses DO gives medications
o And to an extent nurses do carry out doctors orders
But it is SO much more than that
Nursing:
Helping people maintain or achieve an acceptable state of wellness
This state of wellness is determined by the client or the patient, not by healthcare
professionals
Nursing is practice on an individualized basis, and is not applying blanket treatments to each
client or patient
Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development, Orems Self-Care Theory
o Meeting the client or patient where they are and providing the scaffolding to get
them where they want to be.
o Orems theory of self-care deficit, ways nurses can help patients according to
Johnson & Webber (2015)
Acting for or doing for another
Guiding and directing
Providing physical or psychological support
Providing and maintaining an environment that supports personal
development
Teaching
Person:
Anyone at any age
Healthy people and sick people
Overall, any person needing assistance to achieve their personal wellness goals
o Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually
Environment:

MY NURSING PHILOSOPHY

Traditionally we think hospitals, and I would like to spend some time working as a nurse in
a hospital
The environment is anywhere people are at risk for having a personal health deficit.
o Hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, fitness centers, family homes

Health:
A state of being holistically well
Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually
A deficit in an aspect can lead to a waterfall effect and puts people at risk for being
unhealthy
Qualities for Practicing Environment:
Sounds like a cope out, like I didnt want to pick an environment, but I can be a nurse
anywhere, at a hospital, at a nursing home or community center, at a school, or at the
grocery store
Being a nurse means never giving up the opportunity to help better someones life in any
way you can
The environment should be supportive of common goals, have the resources or know where
to find the resources to help the client or patient, open to new ideas, should be a safe place
where patients, clients, or even employees are not afraid to talk about what plagues them
Professional Outlook
After being a competent nurse, I would like to combine my Exercise Science degree with
my nursing degree
Possibly work in a community center to work on disease prevention
o Help people stay OUT of the hospitals and stay IN control of their own lives
I never want to stop learning about the field, about the people we work with, and they best
ways to help them
o Formal education (continuing classes or certifications) and hands on daily life
education
o Everyone has some kind of knowledge to give
Challenges to Nursing
Lack of education, people dont know what is detrimental to their health until its too late
and they are already in the hospital
People defining health as presence or lack of disease when so many other factors affect
our daily functioning
Lack of affordable, or lack in general of, facilities to educate people and prevent future
complications relates to disease, illness, and wellness imbalances.
Small & Small (2011) wrote that nursing engagement in patient and family centered care led to
better patient outcomes. They also state that when it comes to patient perceptions of care, nurses are
among the most important factors.
We have to meet people where they are, find out their personal goals, and provide the way for them
best to achieve them or at the very least help them work towards them.

MY NURSING PHILOSOPHY

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References

Johnson, B. M., & Webber, P. B. (2015). Dorothea E. Orem: theory of self-care deficit- 1971. An
Introduction to Theory and Reasoning in Nursing (pp 158-159). Philadelphia: Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins.

Small, D. C., & Small, R. M. (2011). Patients first! Engaging the hearts and minds of nurses with a
patient-centered practice model. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 16, No. 2.
doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol16No02Man02