MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

My Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Sarah Reyner
The University of Southern Mississippi: College of Nursing
3 February 20!
NS" 33#
$r% Masters
MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 2
Co&passion% This single 'or( has playe( an i&perative role in &y life an( has in a 'ay
(ire)te( &y future% * have not al'ays 'ante( to be a nurse+ in fa)t+ this (e)ision is a relatively
re)ent self revelation% Until &i(,se&ester of &y sopho&ore year of )ollege+ * 'as beeline(
straight for &e(i)al s)hool to be)o&e a physi)ian% * (evelope( this fas)ination 'ith &e(i)ine at
a very young age% * )an re)all prou(ly (e)laring on the first (ay of -in(ergar(en .My na&e is
Sarah Reyner+ an( * 'ant to be a brain surgeon 'hen * gro' up/ 'hen as-e( to intro(u)e &yself%
0l&ost t'o years into )ollege+ )o&passion flippe( &y 'orl( insi(e out% The feeling that
so&ething 'as &issing appeare( to &e an( for the first ti&e% * ha( finally a)-no'le(ge( that
the enthusias& behin( &y )hil(,hoo( fantasy ha( been repla)e( 'ith an eagerness to serve &y
neighbor on a &ore personal level% Thereafter+ 'ith the help of fa&ily+ frien(s+ an( &any
prayers+ * 'as intro(u)e( to the fiel( of nursing%
Seeing the future 'ith un)ertainty 'as one of the &ost frightening perio(s of &y life+ but
in the en(+ * (is)overe( 'ho * a& an( 'hat * value% * a& )urrently in the nursing progra& at the
University of Southern Mississippi% 0lthough &y s)ope of pra)ti)e is li&ite( to )aring for
&anne1uins in the lab roo&+ the fe' 'ee-s that * have been in the progra& have reinfor)e( &y
love for the )areer% * have reali2e( that serving others 'as the sour)e of &y attra)tion to
&e(i)ine% Nurses a(&inister )ontinuous )are+ healing+ an( e&po'er&ent on a (aily basis to
those 'ho nee( it &ost% Further&ore+ they serve as the patient3s a(vo)ate an( ensure that their
nee(s are fully &et% * 'ant to provi(e patients 'ith the best life 1uality possible% * loo- for'ar(
to serving &y neighbor for a living an( )annot thin- of a &ore i&portant+ honorable+ an(
re'ar(ing 'ay to spen( &y life%
MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 3
Nursing is a )areer (e(i)ate( to serving others% To be su))essful+ one &ust be (iligent+
patient+ an( )aring to all they )o&e in )onta)t 'ith% They perfor& tas-s for patients that )annot
perfor& the& in(epen(ently+ provi(e a )o&fortable an( sanitary environ&ent+ an( )ounsel
patients to retain a positive outloo-4 all of 'hi)h+ lea(s patients to a better health )on(ition%
0lthough there is a great (iversity 'ithin the fiel(+ every nurse e5ists for a pri&ary purpose: to
a)tively rehabilitate patients% * believe that nurses are the 'or-for)e of the &e(i)al fiel(% They
a(here to the physi)ians or(ers an( interpret the& to &eet ea)h patient3s in(ivi(ual nee(+ or &ore
si&ply+ to a(vo)ate for the patient% 6ften enough+ physi)ians or(er a )ertain type of treat&ent or
pres)ribe &e(i)ations that patients &ay not un(erstan(% *t is the nurses 7ob to provi(e the
treat&ent as 'ell as fully e5plain the instru)tions of ea)h treat&ent an( the reasons behin( the&%
* (esire to pra)ti)e nursing be)ause * 'ant to be the one besi(e the patient3s be( (uring re)overy%
* have al'ays ha( a &otherly 1uality+ in that * en7oy &a-ing others happy+ an( * believe that this
)areer 'ill allo' &e to (o so on a (aily basis%
The &e(i)al fiel( is often &isinterprete( or &is7u(ge( base( on popular i(eas% For
instan)e+ &any pi)ture nurses as li&ite( to ta-ing vitals su)h as bloo( pressure+ pulse+ an(
te&perature% The truth is that nurses are the pri&ary )o&ponent to &e(i)ine% They are
responsible for restoring the health of their patients% 0((itionally+ patients are not li&ite( to
those 'ho )annot fun)tion on their o'n (ue to so&e serious illness or in7ury% They are any
person see-ing )are+ re)eiving treat&ent+ an( being e(u)ate( on health pro&otion an(
prevention% 8ith the e5)eption of a &e(i)al (iagnosis+ ea)h of these pertain to the 7ob of the
nurse% Physi)ians or health )are provi(ers (eter&ine the &e(i)al proble& of the patient an(
(e)i(e the best option for treating their &e(i)al (iagnosis% The patient is then han(e( off to the
nurse 'here the patient is then gui(e( along their )ourse of re)overy%
MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 4
Su)h &e(i)al proble&s )an originate fro& an en(less a&ount of sour)es% 9o'ever+ the
)o&&unity upon 'hi)h the patient belongs to )an play an i&perative role in the patient3s health%
The e)ono&i) status of the )o&&unity )an (eter&ine 'hat type of treat&ent the patient )an or
)annot affor( as 'ell as 'hether the patient has &e(i)al insuran)e% 0lso+ the )ulture of the
)o&&unity )oul( pre(ispose patients to ris- fa)tors% For e5a&ple+ if a )o&&unity 'as lo)ate(
near fa)tories+ there is a ris- for e5posure to (angerous to5ins in the air an( 'ater%
Nursing is )o&pose( of three (o&inant )o&ponents that &a-e up the fiel(% :a)h of
theses three )o&ponents interrelate 'ith one another% The person is the one see-ing treat&ent+
&eaning they ai& to restore so&e fault they are having 'ith their bo(y% The overall )on(ition of
their bo(y is the patient3s health% This )onsists of their &ental+ physi)al+ an( e&otional 'ell,
being% 6ne of the &ain goal3s of nursing is to )ontrol the patient3s environ&ent% This in)lu(es
their physi)al surroun(ings su)h as the a&ount of stressors+ soun(+ an( lighting in the roo&+
patient saniti2ation+ an( )o&fortableness%
6ne of &y visions for future nurses is the e1uali2ation of )are a&ong ea)h an( every
ea)h an( everypatient% * 'ant ea)h patient to be provi(e( 'ith the sa&e a&ount of 1uality )are%
6ne reason * hol( this as a &ain priority is 'itnessing the )are of &y aunt as she battle( 'ith
)an)er% * 'itnesse( first han( ho' she 'as )are( for by several nurses% So&e nurses 'ere
rushe( an( perfor&e( their (uties )arelessly 'hile others (iligently too- the ti&e 'ith &y aunt
to ensure that she 'as )are( for thoroughly% :ssentially+ * hope to instill in every nurse that the
patient they are )aring for is so&eone else3s love( one an( that no &atter ho' busy 'e are+ 'e
&ust treat ea)h an( every patient 'ith the best )are possible% 6n the other han(+ one of the
greatest )hallenges * 'ill fa)e as a nurse 'ill be being stern 'ith &y patients% * have learne( that
&any patients 'ill be stubborn or un)ooperative an( that it is ne)essary to )oa)h the& through
MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 5
)ertain e5er)ises 'ith austerity o))asionally% * believe that this s-ill+ li-e &ost others+ 'ill )o&e
'ith e5perien)e as * be)o&e &ore )o&fortable 'ith a nurse to patient relationship%
8ith this being sai(+ * reali2e that &y hopes for future nurses as 'ell as &y reali2e(
'ea-ness 'ill gro' as * 7ourney through nursing s)hool% * loo- for'ar( to this e(u)ation an(
e5pe)t to learn &u)h of it in &y professional (evelop&ent )lass% * still have &any 1uestion
regar(ing the fiel( of nursing su)h as )areer progression an( the (ifferen)es in nursing areas an(
greatly loo- for'ar( to fin(ing ans'ers in this )lass%