Running Head: PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

Personal Nursing Philosophy

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
Foundations of Nursing Scholarship
Nur 1100
Amanda Wise
October 8, 2013

Becoming the best nurse possible is the ultimate goal; even if he or she needs to be
reminded of that every once and a while. What better way to do that then to be able to verbalize

PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

2

AMANDA WISE

and write down your own personal beliefs and values, to identify and become aware of your
thinking mechanisms, and how you react in given situations. Once known, the nurse can write a
personal nursing philosophy to guide his or her nursing career. Then, when you are
overwhelmed, and your mind seems a blur, you can remind yourself of the nurse you are, and the
nurse you know you can be.
A philosophy of nursing is, how beliefs and values are used to determine actions and
ways of thinking. This can be done in two ways, individually and collectively. When a
collective nursing philosophy is created, such as for hospitals or schools; it is done so by
multiple individuals, to define the meaning or purpose of the business. How health care is to be
performed according to the group, by the professionals of the business. An individual nursing
philosophy is, ones personal beliefs and values as it pertains to nursing, or caring for patients.
This determines how a nurse will treat a patient or how he or she will react in a given situation.
Most personal nursing philosophies are not written down, unlike with collective nursing
philosophies, which are usually put into statements and available for all employees and
consumers to read. Both however, are dynamic, and as the group or individual changes, so does
the philosophy. As philosophies changes, so do expectations and actions. It is important to
know, and be aware when changes to ones personal or professional (collective) nursing
philosophies occur. As this will change how the nurse will provide nursing care.
To be aware of ones own personal nursing philosophy, the nurse must know his or her
own beliefs and values. A belief is an opinion, passed on through generations, based upon faith,
that the nurse believes to be true; however the belief may not be true to others. For example, I
believe that work stays at work, and home stays at home; while some interaction may occur, it
should not be done so regularly. Values are chosen more freely, are based on experiences and

PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

3

AMANDA WISE

influence decisions and determine a nurses actions. For example, I value the state of well being
of each individual, and if a patient is not well I will care for them no matter their race, or culture.
It is impossible for me to not care about a person, because they are different from me; everybody
is different from me. For me, beliefs are things that I think are true, even though I cannot prove
them; most of which are based on religion. Values, to me, are important ways of acting in
everyday life, based on my beliefs. For example, in Ephesians, God Says, that we are to cherish
and nourish our bodies because we are created from God, and I believe this to be true. I
therefore, value health, and taking care of oneself. I also value autonomy, in that peoples ideals
of health will be different, and thus, they take care of them differently.
Nursing, to me, is taking care of the whole person; mind, body, and spirit. To be
able to do that, and at the heart of nursing, is communication. I need to be able to see through a
patients appearance, culture, socioeconomic status, and mental abilities, to be able to see what a
patient really needs, and if they know they need it. This is why, as a nurse, I will focus on
teaching whenever I can. By learning, the patient will be able to use that information as they see
fit to better themselves and their health, so that in the future they will be able to care for
themselves more effectively and with confidence. I envision myself to be an honest,
trustworthy, accountable, and intelligent nurse, with a cheery disposition; because my attitude
and self-confidence affects how patients and other health care professionals perceive me and
therefore the care and information that I provide them.
To be with a patient during a time when they feel the most vulnerable, reminds me that
everything I do is for my patient, all of my efforts must go into each patients care and wellness;
individually and collaboratively. The patients family can also be an important factor to
remember. If the patient considers their family members to be a part of them, as many do, I

PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

4

AMANDA WISE

must remember that communication with the family can be just as important as communication
with the patient.
As a nurse, my colleagues are very important to me. I need to remember that
while I teach my patients; my fellow health care professionals teach me, and I should
show them gratitude and respect. I will remember that I do not know everything, that I
can always grow, learn and be a better nurse. Also, my own health must not be forgotten,
because if I do not take care of myself, I cannot take care of my patients.
As a nursing student, I know I will get caught up in the mechanics of nursing; I
will become overwhelmed and focus more on doing a task correctly than addressing the
patient. As I learn and practice the tasks will become easier, and require less
concentration; so that I can communicate with the patient, as well as, provide excellent
nursing care. As a nurse, I will get caught up in the volume of patients; I will focus more
on the body of the patient and forget about the mind and spirit. Having my own personal
nursing philosophy will aid me in grounding myself when I am feeling overwhelmed. To
have that philosophy written down will give me the opportunity to refer back, to remind
myself how I saw nursing as in the beginning, and the kind of nurse I truly want to be.

PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

5

AMANDA WISE

References
Chitty, K.K. Black, B.P. (2011). Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges (6th ed.).
Maryland Heights, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier.