Running head: NURSING PHILOSOPHY

Department of Nursing: Philosophy Paper

Emily C. Lawler
James Madison University

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The American Nursing Association defines 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, and advocacy in the care of individuals,
families, communities, and populations (ANA, 2014).
The scope of nursing within the metaparadigm that I see myself in is focused on the nursing
aspect. My reasoning is that over the years I have had my fair share of experiences with hospitals
and care units; from a broken arm when I was five, to throat surgery when I was ten, and just this
past summer a tonsillectomy. Regardless of the reason or age that one is in the hospital, the
whole experience is frightening, unpredictable and confusing. As doctors are flying in and out of
the room, performing the procedure, and leaving; its the nurse whom you, as the patient, form a
relationship with. It is the nurse who is constantly monitoring you, checking your comfort, and
there when no one else is. Nurses are present to teach the patient what the procedure entails, the
length of time it will take, the recovery time, and the education for what the patients
responsibilities are prior and post operation.
I believe that the most important part of nursing is the compassion and care a nurse gives a
patient. The nurses that assisted me during my procedures helped ease my fears and briefed me
on that entire process. This education made me feel prepared and allowed me to be an active part
of the practice. They also taught my parents about the recovery process and their responsibilities
in helping me reach optimal health quickly. After my tonsillectomy, I remember needing pain
medication; however, it was too soon after the procedure to take any pills. In place of the
medication, the nurse taught me to place a cold compress below my neck to ease the pain.
Although doctors can write a prescription to help a patient heal physically, it is the nurse who

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helps all other aspects of healing, from the emotional to physical health, after the entry into the
health care setting. I believe that the need for nurses is to educate, support, care, prevent, and
relay knowledge for the better of the patient. It is the practice of nursing that makes the greatest
impact on the patient and it is the care of a nurse that the patient will remember years later.
The JMU Undergraduate Nursing Curricular Model has many different elements. The
element I believe the most substantial and influential is the micro system, focused on the
individual. Families, communities, and global aspects are still important, however, individualized
patient care should be the primary concern of the nurse. According to Suhonen, Stolt, Gustaffson,
& Charalambous, efforts need to be directed towards organizational aspects (2014). Those
organizational aspects are the primary duties of a nurse in an individualized care environment. I
plan on using this form of best practice by gathering detailed information from the patient
systematically and chronologically. This will allow me to better understand the reasons as to why
the patient has entered the health care setting. I will obtain the patients history in all aspects,
from previous illnesses to recent heath. In doing so, it is important to remain respectful,
nonjudgmental, and open to questions or concerns from the patient.
Every patient is a different individual, and must be treated as such; fairness and equality in all
situations are necessary in order to make proper medical decisions. There are historical traditions
of nursing in which the patient has been identified by the disease, which has caused
misdiagnoses and patient resentment of health care providers. These traditions impede the
individuals ability to reach optimal health and receive the proper care they need. However, there
are new technologies, interventions, and strategies that have been proved to distinguish the
patient from the disease. This approach has had many beneficial effects such as a refined focus

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on prevention, patient education, and individualized care (Kirshbaum, 2006). This practice is
imperative to patients because it helps increase healing after a procedure or even so far as to
prevent further complications. I believe that prevention is a big part of nursing. By preventing an
illness we as health care providers decrease the anxiety and stress of the patient as well as help
promote positive health goals like exercise and a healthy diet.
It is the nurses responsibility to teach and promote leadership to strengthen the profession as
a whole (Clark, 2008). I believe that I can contribute to the improvement of the organization of
nursing and promote better practices than the outdated traditions of the past. To create maximal
health services to patients, I plan on looking at the patients self esteem, self responsibility, and
spirituality to help reach maximal wellness. By focusing on the patients self-esteem, the nurse
can determine the patients confidence and self knowledge. The more respect the patient has for
their body, the better they will follow plans to obtain health goals. It is important as a nurse to
evaluate the patients self responsibility. If the patient believes they are not responsible for
contracting a disease or injury, they are less likely to be motivated to getting healthy. This plays
into Kubler-Rosss Stages of Grief and Dying which are chronologically stated as denial, anger,
bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Craven, 2013). Once the patient accepts their diagnosis,
they can begin to change, before that however, the chances of change are slim. The patient must
be active and willing to execute preventative measures and treatment techniques that the nurse
creates. Lastly, I plan on considering the patients spirituality. Some patients may be Christian,
Jewish, Buddhists, and others may be atheist; the forms of spirituality are endless (Craven,
2013). It is imperative that a nurse understands the patients beliefs so that they do not say or do
anything that the patients may find offensive.

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Each aspect of my plan is imperative to help prevent, teach, and genuinely care about the
patient as an individual. I believe that by taking this approach I will keep the confidence,
integrity, and positivity needed to provide a comfortable environment for the patient.

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References
American Nurses Association. (2014). What is Nursing? Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing
Clark, C. (2008). Creative Nursing. In K. Sullivan (Ed.) Creative Nursing Leadership and
Management (pp. 3-14). Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Craven, R., Hirnle, C., & Jensen, S. (2013). Loss and grieving. In C. Brandon ( Ed.),
Fundamentals of nursing: Human health and function (pp. 1287-1307). New York, NY:
Wolters Kluwer, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Craven, R., Hirnle, C., & Jensen, S. (2013). Spiritual health. In C. Brandon (Ed.), Fundamentals
of nursing: Human health and function (pp. 1368-1391). New York, NY: Wolters Kluwer,
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Kirshbaum, M. (2006). Moving forward in the care for people with cancer. Clinical journal of
nursing care 1(9), 99-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.cein.2006.10.004
Charalambous, A., Gustafsson, M., Katajisto, J., Stolt, M., Suhonen, R. (2014). The
associations among the ethical climate, the professional practice environment and
individualized care in care settings for older people. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(6),
1356-1368. DOI: 10.1111/jan.12297