Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER

Personal Philosophy Paper

NUR 4142- Synthesis of Nursing Practice
Professor Susan Wilkins
3/23/2015
Alicia Wheeler

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Nursing is a profession which involves actively caring for those who are ill. These
illnesses, can include physical, as well as mental health disorders. My definition of nursing
places emphasis on the nurses duty to treat each patient holistically. This comprehensive model
of patient care facilitates a superior level of caring and healing for each patient. Through the use
of holistic patient care approaches, nurses are better able to serve and advocate for their patients,
while utilizing available healthcare options to limit the pain and suffering of those in their care.
Tenets of our philosophy of nursing at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
(BSMCON) have helped to shape my nursing philosophy. These tenets include themes such as
nursing, nursing education, caring, health, and service. According to the philosophy of Bon
Secours, nurses provide a holistic level of care to provide healing. Likewise, my philosophy of
nursing focuses on taking care of the whole patient considering the physical, mental, social, and
emotional aspects of their well-being. Nursing education at Bon Secours raises quality
improvement practices to enhance patient safety (BSMCON Handbook, 2014-2015). I believe
that nurses should continue their educational pursuits after graduation to promote their
professional growth. According to the Bon Secours philosophy, Nursing facilitates healing
across the lifespan by extending a caring human presence (BSMCON Handbook, 2014-2015).
In my opinion, one must have a caring attitude before entering into nursing practice because
without it, they may begin to feel as if their nursing career is unrewarding and unsatisfying. Ive
had the opportunity to provide a nursing presence to some of my patients. These personal
experiences were just as rewarding for me as they were for those in my care. The tenet of health
describes human beings as unique individuals with complicated situations. I understand and
respect that each of my patients is unique, and that they each deserve individualized treatment,

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regardless of their disease process. The mission of Bon Secours addresses the importance of
providing good help to those in need. As I excel in my nursing career, I will continue to apply
this idea to my practice because it is the root of what nursing is all about- the willingness to serve
others.
In my nursing practice, my personal philosophy is reflected in my inter-professional and
nurse-patient relationships. Through inter-professional collaboration, I work collaboratively with
other healthcare personnel directly involved in each patients care, to achieve the best possible
outcomes for each patient. My nurse-patient relationships are established through trust and
therapeutic communication. Trust is the foundation for any effective relationship. Once my
patient realizes that I have their best interest at heart they are more willing to work
collaboratively on an effective treatment plan. By communicating therapeutically, I show my
patients that I support them and care about both their physical and emotional well-being. A
relationship without these things is impaired from the beginning and the patients overall health
may be compromised.
Based on my experiences thus far, I believe that nurse-patient relationships are primarily
based on trust. Nurses must build trusting relationships with patients by communicating
effectively, actively listening, being sensitive to their needs, and remaining non-judgmental in all
nurse-patient interactions. Patients wishes are often disregarded by their family members and/or
their physicians. Sadly, this limits the patients satisfaction with the level of compassion and
understanding they have received while under direct medical care. Fortunately, nurses serve as
advocates for their patients in these situations. Nurses provide patient-centered care by
partnering with their patients and giving them a voice to make sure that they are included in any
decisions related to their health. Patient-centered care is a concept that not only empowers

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patients, but also improves the quality and safety of their health while increasing the satisfaction
of both the patient and the healthcare provider.
A nurse-patient encounter that demonstrates the application of my philosophy of nursing
would include the offering of my nursing presence to a patient. I had the opportunity to care for
a patient who was admitted to the oncology unit about once a month to receive his chemotherapy
treatment. Most of the nurses knew him and were so familiar with his care that he was often
treated as if he were just a friend. About mid-day on the day I cared for him I peeked in to his
room to check on him. He was reading, so I sat down next to him and asked what he was
reading. He began talking to me about the book and before I knew it he was sharing stories with
me about his childhood, family, and the day he found out he had cancer. He seemed relieved to
finally be able to share this information with someone and I was glad to be there to listen.
My philosophy of nursing includes actively listening to patients and being present in the
moment. I was able to give my patient more than physical healing that day and he appreciated it.
In fact, later that day I learned that he had given me a memorable moment by expressing his
appreciation for the time I took out of my chaotic day to just sit with him and listen to what he
had to say. Its easy for a nurses patient care approach to become rote or superficial hen
interacting with the same patients on a regular basis. However, it is vitally important for every
nurse to remember that each patient has the right to receive unparalleled, holistic and
compassionate care every time a nurse interacts with them, not just during the first nurse-patient
encounter. In doing so, the nurse is providing world class care.
My beliefs and values havent really changed since I wrote my original philosophy of
nursing paper. Initially, my philosophy of nursing focused on what it meant to be a good nurse
and all of the beliefs, values, and characteristics that would help them reach their highest

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potential. While I dont disagree with this ideal version of a nursing philosophy, I now know that
nursing involves so much more. Today, my philosophy of nursing focuses on the nurses role as
a servant leader. Nurses must not only be willing to serve those in need, but they must also be
willing to lead their team members by example. Servant leaders seek to understand the needs of
others and attend to those needs while motivating the individual and enabling them to act. This
philosophy works because those who choose to follow feel empowered and cared for.
Patricia Benner discusses the skill acquisition model and how it applies to the profession
of nursing in her book titled, From Novice to Expert. This model, created by Stuart Dreyfus (a
mathematician) and Hubert Dreyfus (a philosopher), is based on how well an individual learns
and performs specific skills. Dreyfus model of skill acquisition suggests that one must pass
through five developmental stages to become an expert in the nursing profession. The five
stages include: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. In Benners book,
the novice nurse has very little to no experience related to the job and is unfamiliar with the rules
needed to enhance their learning and improve patient outcomes. The nurse who performs as an
advanced beginner has had enough experiences to be able to show an acceptable level of work
while still receiving guidance from other nurses in situations that are least familiar to them.
After about two years of experience in the same area, the nurse becomes competent and has the
ability to make more conscious decisions based on their personal perspective. Proficiency is
reached when the nurse is able to plan a particular reaction to a situation based on what they
expect to occur because they have ability to see the situation as a whole. The expert nurse has a
wealth of personal experience, does not rely on rules to perform efficiently, and is highly skilled
in their profession.

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The stage of skill acquisition that most accurately represents my current professional
development is advanced beginner. According to Benner, advanced beginners move from
acting like a nurse to the early stages of coming into their own as nurses and developing their
sense of what it is to embody the nursing role (Benner, 2001). As a Bon Secours Memorial
College of Nursing student in her final semester, I have encountered enough situations and
experiences to guide how I will care for my patients. In my role as a new graduate nurse, still
performing at an advanced beginners level, I will be able to perform my duties appropriately,
while possibly needing the guidance of a more experienced nurse in more intricate situations.
Three things I will do to advance to the next stage of skill acquisition include continuing
my education, hands-on experiences, and observation. By continuing my education I hope to be
able to improve my competence and keep my knowledge and skills up to date. Through
observation and hands-on experiences I will develop skills and gain sufficient knowledge of
patient care to become both confident and competent in my area of practice. Continuing to take
advantage of as many hands-on experiences as possible will challenge my critical thinking skills
and help me to develop a strong knowledge base.
My nursing philosophy is unique and continues to develop as I advance in my nursing
career. Ive learned so much since my first nursing class and I expect to continue my education
after graduation. Years from now after Ive gained more experience, I hope to have gained more
insight into the nursing profession and what it means to be both a good nurse and a servant
leader.

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References
Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing
practice (commemorative ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
BSMCON Handbook, 2014-2015