Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Jocelyn Alexander

Old Dominion University

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Philosophy of Nursing

The purpose of this assignment is to rediscover my personal philosophy of nursing as it

exists upon the completion of the baccalaureate nursing program. It will discuss my personal

definition of nursing, purposes and influences, the underlying set of beliefs and values that I hold

about nursing with a theory to support them, and ethical principles that guide my professional

practice.

In the beginning of the nursing program, my philosophy of nursing started out as an

artistic piece of an individual with no defining features. I believed as nurses when providing care

to patients that gender, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status should not be a weighting factor

of patient care. All patients should be treated with dignity, compassion, worth, and respect. In

addition, included in my philosophy, the person consisted of pieces to a puzzle that created a

human figure. Each puzzle piece portrays an important aspect of the patient that should be taken

into consideration when providing care, because these are the factors that helps nurses

individualize the care for each patient. Some pieces are blank because if factors that affect

physiological health are only taken into consideration while others are excluded such as

psychological, social, or spiritual factors, then the patients care is lacking or flawed. This

philosophy is closely based on holistic nursing.

As a soon-to-be graduate nurse, my philosophy of nursing remains the same. I have had

the opportunity to work in numerous different clinical settings, and during this time I have

encountered a variety of patients. These patients all varied of gender, race, and socioeconomic

status and I have followed my philosophy with treating all with dignity, compassion, worth, and

respect. In addition, I have care for these patients as a whole versus focusing only on the physical

factors of their care.

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Definition of Nursing

My definition of nursing is one defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Nursing is the protection, promotion, optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness

and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of

human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and

populations (American Nurses Association, 2016). This definition of nursing really fits my

views of nursing because I believe nurses have multiple vital roles in the profession. As nurses,

we are able to uphold this definition of nursing with our role of advocating. This role requires a

nurse to act as an educator, liaison, caregiver, and communicator. For example, many times

patients or their families need an advocate whether it is interpreting tests, procedures, or

instructions or just help with guiding them through the healthcare system. Nurses play the role to

integrate all aspects of the patients care and ensure that concerns are addressed, standards of

care are met, and a positive outcome for the patients remain the goal of the healthcare team

(American Nurses Association, 2016). I believe the ANAs definition is one that all nurses should

uphold and is one that I will use to guide my philosophy of nursing.

Purpose of Nursing

Throughout nursing school, I was frequently asked the question of why do I want to

become a nurse or how can I deal with sick people all day. The answer is simple; I wanted to

become a nurse because I believe the most rewarding career is one where you succeed in the

service of others. It is a very clich answer, but it is true. Overall, the essential purpose of

nursing is to provide services to promote health, prevent illness, and achieve optimal recovery

from or adaptation to health problems. Nurses run in my family, so growing up I have seen how

rewarding the career is and I have always felt as though it was my calling as well. As a nurse, I
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believe you learn the true value of life because often you witness and help others fight to stay

alive. In addition, I love the continuous opportunity for learning in this field and the challenges it

presents. Nursing requires a unique set of skills, as well as the ability to form therapeutic

relationships with patients and their families. Furthermore, nursing has the ability to support

growth personally and professionally, while making a significant impact on health care using my

initiative, compassion, and respect for others. These reasons are the ones that influence my

nursing practice.

Assumptions

As a nurse, we must uphold a set of beliefs and values about the relationship between the

nurse and the patient in a culturally diverse setting, nurse and the community, and nurse and

other health care professionals. My values and beliefs of nursing all stem from caring. Caring is

best demonstrated by a nurses ability to uphold the values of nursing. My values and beliefs

include human dignity and respect, integrity, quality of care, beneficence, and non-maleficence.

As a nurse, I believe to respect patients wishes, concerns, and values and care for patients as a

whole and unique human being in regards to human dignity. In addition, to only do good and do

no harm. A nursing theory that supports my values and beliefs about the relationship between

patient and nurse is Florence Nightingales Environment Theory. This theory uses a model that

must be adapted to fit the needs of individual patients. The nurse must address environmental

factors on an individual basis because these factors affect different patients uniquely to their

situation and illness (Johnson & Webber, 2010). Once the factors are addressed, it helps the nurse

alter the care in the best way for fit the individuals needs. For example, some patients come

from different religions or ethnic backgrounds, so it is required to individualize their care to fit

their needs while being culturally diverse. This theory can also be used to support the
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relationship between the nurse and the community. Whenever nurses assess the communitys

needs, it is necessary to alter care to fit each individuals needs. For example, each individuals

personal issues, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status may influence whether they are able to be

compliant with the primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention involved. The relationship between

the nurse and the community is imperative in order to make a difference within the community.

Another theory that supports my values and beliefs of the relationship between the nurse

and patient is Madeleine Leiningers Transcultural Nursing theory. This theory discusses the

importance of caring for a patient as a whole person from a physiological, psychological,

spiritual, and social perspective (Johnson & Webber, 2010). It is also states the importance to

take a patient's culture and cultural background into consideration when deciding how to care for

that patient. The relationship between the nurse and healthcare team is also one that should hold

value. A nurse should be apart of a healthcare team that holds similar values and beliefs in order

to work effectively together to provide quality care to their patients. The shared governance is a

model of nursing practice designed to integrate core values and beliefs that professional practice

embraces, as a means of achieving quality care (Anthony, 2004). This theoretical model is

designed to improve nurses work environment, satisfaction, and retention. It includes the values

and beliefs of collaboration, discipline, understanding, problem-solving, and accountability. I

believe these are all necessary when having a relationship between the nurse and healthcare

team.

Principles

Following the ANA New Code of Ethics for Nurses, Provision 1 is one that guides my

professional practice. This provision states, The nurse practices with compassion and respect for

the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person (Lachman, Swanson, &
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Winland-Brown, 2015, p. 269). This provision encompasses the same concepts as my philosophy

of nursing in the aspects of treating everyone with compassion, respect, dignity, and worth

regardless of their unique attributes. This provision addresses nurses fundamental ethical

obligation for patient respect and development of trust between nurse and patient, which is why

it guides my practice as well. During my clinical experience, I have demonstrated this ethical

principle by setting aside my personal values and beliefs of my patients that are different from

myself in order to provide culturally competent care and practice with compassion, respect,

dignity, and worth for the patient. For example, during one of my clinical experiences I cared for

a male patient that recently had his penis amputated due to gangrene. The man expressed his

concerns of feeling less of man due to his recent surgery. Throughout my care, such as giving a

bed bath, it was required that I treat him with compassion, respect, worth, and dignity.

Another provision from The New Code of Ethics for Nurses that guides my professional

practice is Provision 5. Provision 5 states, The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others,

including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and

integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional development (Lachman,

Swanson, & Winland-Brown, 2015, p. 363). This provision guides my professional practice

because it has emphasis on what a nurse must do for themselves in order to create an

environment in which they will be able to provide the best care to their patients. Lachman and

colleagues article discusses the importance of individual health. For example, ensuring adequate

rest, stress relief, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are all necessary in order to provide safe

care to patients. Without these necessities, I believe it will lead to nurses working without the

ability to fully use their nursing judgment, depression, or burnout. I have demonstrated this

ethical principle in my clinical experience is by ensuring I have an adequate amount of sleep

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before long 12-hour clinical days, talking about my feelings and taking breaks when I feel

stressed, and exercising and maintaining a healthy diet to have energy. I firmly believe that as

nurses we owe the same duty to ourselves as to others.

Conclusion

Over the past two years, I have gained insight into the field of nursing in my clinical

experiences while attending nursing school. Although, my philosophy hasnt changed drastically,

I believe it has expanded and will keep improving in the future as I gain experience. As a nurse, I

will practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of

every person. Aforementioned, I will abide by the two provisions apart of the ANA New Code of

Ethics for Nurses during my practice that state nurses fundamental ethical obligation for patient

respect and development of trust between nurse and patient and discusses what type of

environment nurses should create to provide the best care. My future goals are to continuously

learn everyday and I believe my philosophy will guide my career on to a positive path.
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References

American Nurses Association. (2016). What is nursing? Retrieved from

http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing

Anthony, M. (2004). Shared Governance Models: The Theory, Practice, and Evidence. Online

Journal of Issues in Nursing, 9(1).

Johnson, B & Webber, P. (2010) An introduction to theory and reasoning in nursing (3rd ed.).

Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Lachman, V. D., Swanson, E. O., Winland-Brown, J. (2015). The new code of ethics for nurses

with interpretive statements (2015): Practical clinical application, part I. MEDSURG

Nursing, 24(4), 268-271.

Lachman, V. D., Swanson, E. O., Winland-Brown, J. (2015). The new code of ethics for nurses

with interpretive statements (2015): Practical clinical application, part II. MEDSURG

Nursing, 24(5), 363-366.