NURSING PHILOSOPHY 1

Leadership:
Nursing Philosophy
Marie Chambers
Miami Dade College- Medical Campus

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Florence Nightingale once said Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it

requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painters or sculptors work; for what
is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living
body, the temple of Gods spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine
Arts. Nursing is an art and it takes a lot more from a person to be a nurse than just passing out
medications. Yet, some people in the community have the misconception that nurses only clean
feces and pass out medications. All we can do is educate the people in our communities and
show them that nursing is so much more than that. Nurses are the ones who stay by the patients
at their most critical points in life. They comfort and listen with nonjudgmental ears and are able
to help patients cope with their prognosis as best as possible. They are actively involved in
bringing the patient back to their optimum way of life. This can be accomplished by being
competent, empathetic, respectful, and self-actualized nurses who desire no less than the best
outcome possible for their patients. Additionally, being culturally sensitive is a must for a nurse
especially considering that we do live in such a big melting pot. No matter the religion, color,
race, or gender, we should treat all patients holistically and provide the best nursing care. We are
the face of the hospitals; we are the first impression when patients come in and the last when
they leave the hospital.
The environment plays an important role for both healthcare providers and for patients. I
believe as nurses we should lead by example and provide those around us a motivation for
change and observable results. As nurses we are to teach not only our patients in the hospital
about preventative measure and community resources, we are also to go out into the community
and teach them as well. Preventing illnesses and keeping our communities safe and healthy
should be our number one priority. As far as the work environment, it should be as stress free and

NURSING PHILOSOPHY 3
non-hostile as possible. Employee satisfaction and mood plays an important role in patient safety
and patient quality of care. Disgruntled employees will more than likely make more mistakes
that can potentially harm the patients and or fellow coworkers. Everyone in the healthcare field
has a role to play in patient care and should cooperate to get the goals met. Positive,
collaborative, and efficient employees who can communicate effectively constitute a productive
environment. The environments plays a major role in the patients well being, if patients feel they
are being taken care of and the staff has a genuine interest in helping them, they will more than
likely be compliant. Also, patients respond better to an environment that is clean and well kept.
Hospitals should maintain an environment that promotes wellness and a place where patients can
maintain their identity.
World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Prevention is the key to
healthiness; many illnesses are correlated with our lifestyles such as smoking, inactivity, and
poor nutritional choices. When nurses are involved and active in our communities, we are able to
have better outcomes with prevention and healthy life style modification. We also can provide
secondary and tertiary care for those who might have slipped through the cracks. Even in the
presence of a disease, a person may still be healthy. Our role with collaboration of the healthcare
team is to bring them back to their optimum state of health.
For nursing you have to have an innate passion for it, be empathetic, loving,
compassionate, patient, among a few other things that money cannot buy and cannot be taught.
As for me, I have spent the last three years in the Emergency Medical Field, which led to my
interest in Nursing. The mere 10-15 minutes I would spend with the patient just was not enough
for me. It made me realize that I wanted more time with patients to provide them with the

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excellent care they needed throughout their hospital stay. I wanted to be there every step of the
way and help guide and educate patients to live healthier lives and or maintain the health they
have left. Nursing is not limited to just one person; it is composed of individuals, families, and
the community. These patients are someones family members and treating them like one of my
own is my mission when I become a nurse.