Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Elizabeth Luther

Old Dominion University

PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 2

Philosophy of Nursing

As a new graduate nurse, I am confident. I have shaped the hands that my patients will

depend on through skills and I have shaped the mind that will holistically care for my patients

through theory. The start of my student nursing path lead me to believe I would value holistic

care and through the semesters I have built my personal philosophy of nursing around it. This

was established through the professional outlook assignment and was built upon through

following semesters of theory and clinical experience. The assignment aimed to articulate the

philosophy of nursing that each student had at the time of one semester into the nursing

education program. I chose to grow a plant to visualize the concepts that will guide my

professional practice.

Definition

I wanted to showcase an adaptive system, with health being the visible outcome. I have

come to see that the ideas that will guide my practice are ones shown by Sister Callista Roy and

her theory of environment. Roys Adaptation Model is an involved influence in my own

definition of nursing. I believe that patients can overcome nearly any situation, and the resiliency

of man is a legitimate factor in healing. To assist a patient in a recovery process and to help them

develop, we must utilize the environment and adversity of that patient.

ANA Standards of Professional Practice incorporated in my personal philosophy include

sections from the Standards of Holistic Nursing Practice that guide nursing care which enhances

healing of the whole person across a lifespan. It is not described as a client type or disease

grouping and is therefore practiced in all forms of care. Holistic Communication, Therapeutic

Environment, and Cultural Competence alongside the Holistic Caring Process is the basis of my
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personal nursing definition (Frisch, 2001). Assessment of the patient is a strong provision in

holistic care, as the identification of interrelating factors and communicating dimensions of

health all interact with each other in the span of one patient. Identification of the environment

and evaluation of the environments effect on health is essential. Nurses need to constantly re-

assess the situation to meet a patients basic care and psychological needs. If given the best

possible avenue of success, I believe that a patient will adapt and succeed. My personal

philosophy is that nursing centers around giving every patient that avenue of success.

Purpose

Patient health is a bio-psycho-social system that is in steady interaction with the constant

changing environment. Patients heal when every moving intricacy in health works in synchrony.

Nursing goals must centralize on holistic health throughout life. This is the purpose of nursing

and is a reflection of my nursing education and a display of my personal philosophy. My

perspective of nursing was shaped very early by a job position in end-of-life care. Before I was

formally taught anything about nursing models or theory, I was placed in an environment of

constant assessment and adjustment to ever-changing patient situations. This heavily effects my

nursing practice today, and will continue to shine different light on every experience I accrue

throughout my career. In my opinion, the purpose of nursing is to provide sharp observation and

compassionate guidance in healthcare in order to heal each individual fragment of a patient

restoring total health.

Assumptions

The underlying set of beliefs and values that I hold about the relationship between the

nurse and the patient in a culturally diverse sense are that the professional nurse must take
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environment into account in the care of any client. Individuals are molded by their environment

and therefore family members, living situations, and culture are factors in care. The underlying

set of beliefs and values that I hold about the relationship between the professional nurse and the

community are that community health is a vital preventative health initiative. Through the

dissipation of information and formation of public classes, healthcare can be brought to clients

who would not otherwise gain specific knowledge on topics from vaccinations to depression

management. Patient health is dependent on environment, and nursing practice can influence that

through the milieu. The underlying set of beliefs and values that I hold about the relationship

between the nurse and other professional members of the healthcare team is that the healthcare

team is not only meant to be cohesive between levels of education and discipline, but also

laterally between units. Interdisciplinary teamwork is essential to the care of a patient on a unit,

and interpersonal cohesion between units is essential to the care of a patient being transferred

(e.g. to the ICU) or treated for a variety of comorbidities (e.g. dialysis). The theory that supports

my beliefs in all of these categories is the Roy Adaptation Model. Health promotion and

awareness effects these relationships in nursing through our influence on environment. All

changes nurses make to an environment are challenging the patient to an adaption of the clients

system through the steps of the nursing process (Doucet, 2014).

Principles

Nursing is cemented in theory and evidence based practice, grounded by ethical

principles. Ethical principles are met by the healthcare team with every patient, and utilization of

moral principles are routine. Nurses are able to act on these issues through patient advocating,

interdisciplinary collaboration, being empathetic with patients, and staying informed on patient

care techniques and individual patient status (Epstein & Turner, 2015). Ethical principles such as
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nonmaleficence and respect for autonomy have been utilized in clinical practice while enrolled in

this nursing education program to solve these ethical questions. End-of-life decision making is a

common ethical question in healthcare. Through nonmaleficence, nursing care decisions such as

pain control can be established. I have seen this demonstrated while enrolled in the nursing

education program through the re-evaluation of the wishes of a woman with stage 4 metastatic

liver cancer. Her health status had changed and her abdominal pressure was causing her pain

control to become inadequate. New evaluations of her pain and assessment data utilized this

guiding principle. Through the respect for autonomy, a patient choice for the implementation of a

DNR/DNI can be upheld. I have seen this demonstrated while enrolled in the nursing education

program through a patients RN fighting to advocate for their patient who had a previous

DNR/DNI and was planning her own end-of-life care outside of hospice. The patient family

became involved after the patient became unconscious at home and was brought to the hospital

by EMS. When the patient was registered and a DNR/DNI discovered by the RN, the patients

wishes were upheld above the patients family members who were struggling to accept the

patients wishes.

Conclusion

My personal philosophy is that nursing centers around giving every patient a clear avenue

of success in order to facilitate their adaption and success. The purpose of nursing is to provide

close observation and compassionate guidance in healthcare in order to heal fragments of a

patients health ranging from physical trauma to psychological trauma. My personal philosophy

will drive my career as I graduate and enter the healthcare community as a RN in the sense of

viewing the patient as a whole. Holistic nursing also is a commitment to furthering myself as a

nurse by surrounding my professionalism with journal article reviews, medication studies,

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advanced practice information, simulations, and furthering education. I will pledge to engage the

patient community as completely as possible to better serve as a source of healing.

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References

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Lake, E. T., & Cheney, T. (2008). Effects of Hospital

Care Environment on Patient Mortality and Nurse Outcomes. The Journal of

Nursing Administration, 38 (5), 223229. doi:10.1097/01.NNA.0000312773.42352.d7

Doucet, T. J., & Merlin, M. D. (2014). Conceptualizations of Health in Nursing Practice.

Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(2), 118-125. doi:10.1177/0894318414522665

Epstein, B., Turner, M., (May 31, 2015) "The Nursing Code of Ethics: Its Value, Its History"

OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 20, No. 2, Manuscript 4.

Frisch, N. (May 31, 2001). "Standards for Holistic Nursing Practice: A Way to Think About Our

Care That Includes Complementary and Alternative Modalities". Online Journal of

Issues in Nursing. Vol. 6 No. 2, Manuscript 4. Available:

www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/T

ableofContents/Volume62001/No2May01/HolisticNursingPractice.aspx

Roy C. (2009). The Roy adaptation model (3rd. ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
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Appendix A

Philosophy of Nursing Grade Sheet

Grading Criteria Comments Points

Appropriate introduction including

a summary of the professional
outlook assignment from Nursing
300 (5 points)

The students definition of nursing,

whether borrowed or original, is
described and explained. (15
points)

The purpose of nursing from the

students perspective is clearly
described. (15 points)

Assumptions about the

relationships between

the nurse & client in a

culturally diverse setting
the nurse in the community
the nurse with other health
care professionals

are discussed in relation to an

appropriate theoretical model(s) (15
points)
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TWO principles or rules that guide

professional practice are identified;
and specific examples specific of
how these rules have been utilized
or demonstrated in a clinical
practice experience are described
and analyzed. (15 points)

Conclusion summarizes main

points of paper, describes how
personal philosophy has changed,
goal for future (10 points)

Three (3) or more references are

cited in the paper and included on
the reference list (10 points)

Intro Page submitted (5 points)

Correct use of grammar & APA

format, including adherence to page
limit (10 points)

Grade:
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Comments:
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Honor Code:

I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form

of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a

member of the academic community it is responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the

Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.

Name: Elizabeth Luther

Signature: Elizabeth Luther

Date: 3 February 2017