Running Header: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4142 Synthesis for Nursing Practice

Dr. Christine Turner, PhD, RN

Patricia Keneagy

I pledge. October 1, 2018

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Definition of Nursing

As I come to the end of my bachelor’s preparation in nursing, I reflect on the paper that I

wrote in the very first semester of school outlining my personal nursing philosophy. This

included my beliefs, values, and thoughts on their application to nursing. While I still hold the

same beliefs to be true, I have a slightly different perspective based on my accumulated

experience.

I define nursing as relentless care for others. Nurses go above and beyond, regularly

taking care of others before themselves in both personal and professional arenas. Nurses break

the mold when it comes to professional identity, as it regularly bleeds into their personal identity.

When those in the nursing profession do take time for themselves, it is regularly to read a journal

article, complete an in-service, or complete work toward a new clinical status. In this fashion,

nurses are continuing to care for others, while caring for themselves and their pursuit of

continuing education. Additionally, the care provided by a good nurse is not only meeting basic

human needs but is also providing a holistic healing environment for the patient, and when

appropriate, the family. Nursing care in a hospital setting is not limited to bed baths and

medication administration; care entails education, therapeutic modalities, patient advocacy,

nursing interventions, and support.

Personal Philosophy

As I originally outlined in my philosophy paper, I was taught that my purpose on this

Earth is to help others in need. My mother instilled this sense of service in my sisters and myself

from a very young age. Similarly, my mother taught me to never settle and to continue to push

myself to be the best version of myself that I could be. These basic beliefs are at the center of

my philosophy on nursing, as they have been at the center of my life for nearly thirty years.
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I believe that my philosophy shines through in my nursing practice. I provide

nonjudgmental care to each patient that I encounter and strive to provide the best hospital

experience for them. Each patient enters the hospital for a different reason and comes from a

different background with different circumstances. Regardless of a patient’s beliefs, practices, or

attitude, it is still my responsibility and mission to provide the very best care possible. I have

had opportunities to provide care for patients with a history of heroin abuse, diagnosis of AIDS,

patients of different ethnicities who do not speak English, and many others with backgrounds

that differ from my own. I begin each nurse-patient relationship by trying to establish trust and

loving kindness. In some cases, these patients with more diverse backgrounds require additional

trust and relationship building. These vast opportunities have allowed me to practice my nursing

philosophy and have challenged me personally. Through these opportunities I have experienced

personal and professional growth.

I also provide my full efforts in every task I am faced with. This is part of never settling

and always trying to be the best version of myself. If a patient comes to the hospital with a

diagnosis I am unfamiliar with, I am not just going to follow all the orders as laid out by the

doctor and carry on with my day, but I will do personal research in order to educate myself on

what my patient is experiencing. These efforts also will allow me to be a resource for others

working on my unit. I believe that nursing is not an individual “sport,” but rather a team effort.

I respect the other nurses that I work with and know that if I ask for help that I should be

available to help them in the future. It would be incredibly difficult to be a successful nurse if I

were to isolate myself from others on my team.

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Nurse Patient Encounter

While in my labor and delivery clinical rotation, I was given the opportunity to work with

a patient who was a known heroin user. The patient was expecting her second child and admit to

using during the beginning of her pregnancy. She also reported that she had no personal contact

with the father of the child, and that he would not be involved in the child’s life. When I was

introduced to this patient, she was alone in her hospital room. I was concerned for both her and

her child, as it did not appear as though she had much of a support system.

As the day went on and the primary nurse continued to provide information on this

patient and her history, I was increasingly concerned. However, I continued to provide the best

care possible for this patient, as I knew that while she was in the hospital, I could be her support

system. I did experience a considerable amount of inner conflict. I was initially mad that this

mother would use drugs while all along pregnant. I quickly refrained from judgment, and

remembered that my job was to provide the best care possible. I knew that if I provided her with

a great experience, there was a chance that she would reflect upon it and know that her baby

deserved great care as well.

Thankfully, as the day progressed, the patient was joined in her empty hospital room by

multiple friends and her mother. This gave me the opportunity to provide education and support

not only to the expecting mother, who may deliver a baby with complications, but also to her

support system who would follow her outside of the hospital. This was a trying day full of

emotion, inner dialogue, and challenges. I am grateful that my philosophy on nursing and my

personal beliefs are a strong enough base for me to provide nonjudgmental care to this mother. I

was able to provide education in a sensitive, thoughtful manner, and provide the best possible

care to a mother in a fragile situation.

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Values and Beliefs

My values as outlined in my original Philosophy of Nursing paper included respect,

dependability, generosity, and education. I believe that it is important to do whatever you can in

order to help another person. Each of these tenets come together to build my nursing philosophy.

While I still hold each of these values and beliefs to be true, I can apply them in a much broader

manner in my nursing practice. However, this does not necessarily mean that these values have

not been challenged at different points in my student career.

There have been moments when my generosity and patience have been challenged when

faced with noncompliant patients. I have been through trials with patients when they do not

make life choices that I agree with, and still provide them with respect and dignity. If anything,

the opportunities and challenges that I have been faced with have made my foundation even

stronger and have forced me to cling to my values even tighter.

Benner’s Theory

Dr. Patricia Benner’s theory, “From Novice to Expert,” outlines how expert nurses

develop knowledge and skill over time and through professional experiences (Benner, 1991).

The first stage, which Dr. Benner refers to as novice, is the very beginning of the development of

a nurse. In this stage, the nurse is just beginning their education, and their clinical experience is

minimal. This would be comparable to my experience as a sophomore and junior in clinical

rotations. This nurse lacks the clinical thought processes to predict patient outcomes or foresee

changes in patient condition. The next stage is considered the advanced beginner. This stage

includes new graduate nurses, like myself, who have nursing knowledge and can tease the

important information out of a situation, but do not yet have enough hands-on experience. The

following stage is the competent nurse. These nurses have advanced organization and time
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management skills, but still are fairly rigid thinkers. They can recognize patterns and evaluate

more situations quicker than the advanced beginner. The proficient nurse can envision the

bigger picture, while managing their time and prioritization, and can adapt to changing

situations. The proficient nurse has higher critical thinking ability and can perform on a more

fluid level. Last, the expert nurse knows what needs to be done intuitively. These nurses have a

bulk of professional experience and can focus on the most relevant problem. Additionally, they

do not necessarily follow step by step rules to guide their decisions, but rather have a better grasp

on the entire situation and what needs to be done.

Skill Acquisition

I currently would fall under the advanced beginner classification of nurses. As a new

graduate nurse, I will have a bachelor’s preparation in nursing knowledge. I will be able to

decipher the important information in a situation, but I do not yet have enough clinical

experience where I will be able to act on intuition. I am making progress toward the competent

nurse, as I have worked diligently in my immersion experience to improve my time management

and organization skills. However, I do recognize that I am a rigid thinker, and will need more

clinical experience to broaden those horizons. I have also worked to improve my recognition of

patterns in patient conditions and lab values. While I am striving for the competent nurse status,

I do realize that my clinical experience is minimal. I know that I am more comfortable working

with patients who have conditions similar to those that I have worked with in the past.

Action Plan for Moving Forward

In order to move forward toward the competent level of nursing, I plan to accumulate

hands on clinical hours with patients in a full-time new graduate position. Increased patient

contact will assist in the development of my critical thinking skills, nursing practice, and ability
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to recognize patterns in patient conditions. I also plan to seek a mentor on the unit which I am

hired. While working with a mentor, I will be able to ask questions, receive constructive

feedback, and learn how and where in my practice I can be more efficient. Additionally, I plan

to seek out professional nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association.

Organizations such as these provide continuing education opportunities, access to professional

journals, and other services such as career counseling. By becoming a member of a professional

organization, I will be able to fuel my passion for continuing education and self-improvement. I

will belong to something larger than my personal practice and gain professional growth.
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References
Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice

(commemorative ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.