Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER 1

Personal Philosophy Paper

Khiana Lee
NUR4142: Synthesis for Nursing Practice
Dr. Christine Turner
10/17/2017

I pledge
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Nursing can mean different things depending on your perspective. As a patient you might feel

that a nurse is a consistent, supportive and nurturing professional. As a physician you might see

nurses as your educated eyes and ears on the floor. In this paper, I will examine my beliefs and

values surrounding nursing. I will reflect on how those beliefs have developed and changed

throughout the course of my education.

Personal Definition of Nursing

I believe that nursing should be a calling. I understand and respect that it is a professional

position, but it is much more than that. As a nurse you are supporting people through the hardest

and sometimes best parts of their life. Respect is an important tenet of nursing. Nurses should

respect patient privacy and their decisions on care. Patients come to us at a very vulnerable time

and privacy is a key component of respect and trust. Quality is also an important tenet. Nurses

should continue to learn and be open to educational opportunities. As a nurse you should always

be aware of what is considered best practice by the research. I believe in providing quality

nursing care to all patients regardless of their cultural or socioeconomic background. This may

require advocacy on the nurses part, which brings me to the next tenet of Justice. Justice in

nursing is making sure that all patients are treated equally and with the best outcome in mind.

Personal Philosophy and Practice

I do feel that I was called to nursing. At the time I had a wonderful, life changing experience

with a nurse and I wanted to help someone they way she was able to help me. I still reflect on

that experience in my nursing practice. I respect all of my patients and I am empathetic when

they are having a difficult time. I know that people deal with things differently and I modify my

approach to meet their needs. If they are in a happier mood, I will use humor to connect and
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support them. If they are sad and crying, I may just stay to give them quiet support. I respect that

patients decisions should be supported even if they are different from my own.

In my personal practice I try to see the individual and not their illness. I understand that illness is

just a part of a persons life and they are not the disease. I try to remember how it felt to be a

patient and remembering that the little things do matter. Waking up to a warm wash cloth or

washing a patients hands before they eat, these are the things that can make a patient feel normal

in a chaotic hospital environment.

I can recall a specific encounter with a patient that demonstrates my personal philosophy of

nursing. This patient was a man in is late forties. He had terminal cancer and just returned from

the ICU. His tracheostomy was just removed and he was having a hard time speaking. Prior to

this he lived a very active life. He needed assistance toileting for the first time. I was talking to

him as I changed his brief. He kept apologizing and then started to cry. I told him to never

apologize and that we all need help sometimes. I might need someone to do that for me one day.

I emphasized how this is normal and that with time he will be stronger. I will never forget this

experience. It wasnt medically complex or heroic. It was just simply human. He was on the unit

for a while and I was able to see him regain is strength and autonomy. It made me very proud to

be able to be part of his journey.

Values and Beliefs

My values and beliefs have expanded through my experiences at Bon Secours Memorial College

of Nursing. I think I may have been a little naive when I began nursing school. I see that for

some nurses, nursing isnt a calling and more of a profession. I also value Justice in nursing

more. When I first started nursing I believed that nurses needed to be compassionate and caring.

That service was the most important aspect of nursing. I still believe those things but I also see
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the importance of justice and advocacy. I have seen nurses who were burnt out or in the wrong

field show little regard for their patients and peers. As a doula in the community, I have heard

countless stories of injustice and lack of quality care. My belief in quality care is stronger now

than ever before.

Benners Theory

Patricia Benners theory is outlined in From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical

nursing. Benner applied the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition to nursing. This theory identifies

the teaching and learning needs at each level of learning. The learning stages are novice,

advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert.

Novices behavior is limited and inflexible. They have little to no experience in the clinical

setting. Benner notes that not only students would fall under this category. Any nurse going into

a new specialized area would also be a novice. Advanced beginner nurses have more

understanding and skill but they lack the experience to fully recognize and understand a

situation. A competent nurse is able to function independently but lacks the speed and flexibility

of a proficient nurse. They are typically organized and rely on their routine. The proficient nurse

is able to understand situations as a whole. They have a more holistic view because of their years

of experience. An expert nurse relies more on their intuition. They can easily focus on the

solution by listening to their gut. They use their strong analytical skills when presented with an

unfamiliar situation (Benner, 2001).

Benner further describes this process of skill acquisition. She states that in the beginning it is

rigid and rule oriented. Through experience and mastery of skills the learning becomes more

unconscious. Benner also points out that this is a forward progression and if an expert is made to

attend to a formal model their performance deteriorates (Benner, 2001).

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According to Benners theory I am at the advanced beginner stage of skill acquisition. I have

experience in varied clinical settings under the guidance of an instructor. I still have to

concentrate in new environments to remember the rules that I was taught. However, I do feel that

I am able to set priorities and organize my care. I still need guidance to recognize patters. I also

feel that I need more experience to feel completely confident in all of my skills. I am able to

perform more routine skills independently. I feel that my knowledge is developing. I am efficient

in some areas of practice but I need more time to think through other areas.

Transformation

There are several things that I would need to transform from an advanced beginner to a

competent nurse. The first thing would be more time in a clinical setting. I feel that after my

clinical immersion experience I will feel more confident in my clinical practice. I will be on one

unit with a preceptor and working more independently.

I know the rules and the process on a clinical unit. As I stated before I am able to perform more

routine clinical functions efficiently and independently. I feel that the time spent in immersion

will help build my confidence and I will then trust my abilities.

The second thing that I hope I will gain from immersion is experience with an expert preceptor. I

will have the chance to work one on one with a preceptor for the first time. This is something

that I look forward to doing. I hope that during this focused instructional time I will be able to

learn how to best prioritize my care. I hope that they will be able to talk me through their thought

process and I will start to understand the whole picture. That is something that novice and

advanced beginner nurses struggle with.

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I hope that I will be able to receive constructive feedback on my progress during this process.

Receiving feedback and coaching daily will help me focus on the areas that I need to improve on

as well as help me feel confident in the areas that I am excelling in.

The last thing that would make me transform into a competent nurse is finding a supportive area

to work as a new graduate nurse. I feel that a formal training program or nurse residency

program would be the best thing for me. I would again be able to work with a preceptor and fully

learn the new unit and hospital. I think a supportive learning environment is important for me. It

will be one of the most important aspects of my job search after I graduate. I want to find an

organization that shares my values and supports my nursing view of nursing. My hope is that my

philosophy on nursing will continue to grow and expand as I transition trough the five stages of

Benners theory.

Overall I know the understand the importance of being a nurse. I am being entrusted with a

patients care. The quality of that care can have lasting positive or negative effects on that

person. A senior I feel that I am eager to start my professional practice but I have to keep

Benners main point is that time and experience is the only way to transition from an advanced

beginner to a competent nurse. I am going to try and remember that point when I feel that I am

behind my peers. Days when I question my confidence this will give me clarity. It is difficult

learning a new skill. This process is teaching me a number of new skills but also a totally new

profession that is every changing. The combination of time, experience, commitment to learning

and supportive learning environment will help be go from a rule minded and rigid thought

process to a more unconscious expert. One day I will be able to trust my intuition and years of

experience and be able to provide the kind of expert nursing care that called me to the field of

nursing.
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References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing. Upper

Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

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VI. Describe skill acquisition stage [WEIGHT: 9 (9%) - 10 (10%)]

A. Full explanation and description of the stage of skill acquisition which most represents your
current
professional development.
VII. State 3 things [WEIGHT: 9 (9%) 10 (10%)]
A. Fully explains and describes 3 things you will do to move to the next stage of skill
acquisition.