Running head: PHILOSPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Lindsay Winston

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Dr. Turner

Synthesis for Nursing Practice NUR 4140

March 20th, 2019

“I Pledge…”
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Philosophy of Nursing

A personal philosophy of nursing requires one to consider their beliefs, principles and

values within their scope of practice. In my opinion, it is essential to explore and determine your

personal philosophy of nursing in order to provide the best care possible. In order to develop a

philosophy that is specific to you, you must undergo situations that allow you to contemplate and

develop a personal view regarding the practice of nursing. Nursing is an extremely unique and

important profession and being in touch with your individual beliefs and values will only help

you excel and deliver excellent care to those in need. Throughout this paper, I will explain the

journey I endured in order to discover my personal philosophy of nursing and how it improved

my overall nursing ability in so many ways.

Definition of Nursing

The term ‘nursing’ can be defined and interpreted in many different ways. Every

individual in the nursing profession describes and practices nursing in their own unique way. Of

course, there are certain things that are universal to nursing; such as performing physical

assessments and documenting your findings. However, personalizing the way you practice

nursing and deliver care is essential and very appropriate for this profession.

Throughout my journey through nursing school, I realized that nursing is so much more

than putting in an IV, or administering medications. Nursing is a complex, unique, difficult

profession that involves a wealth of knowledge and experience. When I was given the task to

develop a definition of nursing, an abundant number of characteristics flooded my mind. Nursing

is so much more than learning about a disease process and being able to treat it properly. In order

to be a well-rounded nurse, you must obtain components such as a compassionate attitude,

critical thinking skills and patience. In addition, nursing requires immense teamwork and you
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must be able to conquer the task of therapeutic communication with your patients. Overall, I

believe nursing is and art and in order to deliver the best possible care, you must establish what

nursing means to you and how you want to be portrayed in the field.

The program philosophy statement provided by the college of nursing outlines and

embodies important aspects and components of nursing. As I am approaching the final days of

my long journey through nursing school, though I am eager to be finishing up, I am very aware

that the education does not end here. After referring to the philosophy statement, one tenet in the

nursing category that stood out to me was, nurses are lifelong learners. The medical field is

constantly growing and evolving with new technology, better treatment plans and much more.

There is always room to grow and learn in this profession. Therefore, as a nurse you will always

have opportunities to expand your knowledge and continue your education. In addition, as a

nursing student I embrace every educational opportunity I am offered. I cannot emphasize how

important nursing education is. Prior to nursing school, I can honestly say I was completely

naïve to the complexity and overwhelming amount of dedication that nursing requires. However,

as I sit in my final weeks of school, I feel confident in my ability to be a nurse in all aspects due

to the empowerment and support from my professors and mentors throughout the process.

Having the ability to translate knowledge into my practice is rewarding and very fulfilling and it

has increased my ability to discover the philosophy I currently obtain.

As I stated above, compassionate care is an essential characteristic to obtain in order to be

an effective nurse. In my opinion, having a caring personality is the number one requirement in

order to be successful in the nursing field. A caring attitude can be expressed in many different

ways and it is important to not lose sight of how imperative obtaining a caring attitude is.

Therefore, as I wrap up the overall definition of nursing, there are two more characteristics that
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have to be considered; health and service. These two aspects go hand-in-hand and are

emphasized greatly in the Bon Secours philosophy statement. The Bon Secours mission and

values really help define nursing as a whole and benefit the overall health of everyone involved.

Overall, having to put a specific definition to nursing was a challenging task for me. In my eyes,

nursing is an extremely special profession that involves empathy, adaptability and dedication and

I am honored to be able to call myself a nurse.

Personal Philosophy

I have always obtained a very unselfish, caring personality. Taking care of others has

always come extremely easy to me and I have an intense passion for it. Therefore, my personal

philosophy of nursing is reflected in my nursing practice in every situation. In addition, my

personal values and beliefs are always growing and improving with each unique experience I

encounter.

Throughout my nursing journey this far, one value I have found is imperative in the

nursing field is teamwork. Having peers, co-workers and mentors to rely on for help and

guidance is crucial in a health-care setting. Teamwork and collaboration are on the top of my list

when it comes to my nursing philosophy and I make sure to implement it into my practice no

matter what my role is. Regardless if I am a patient care tech, a student, or even just observing, I

offer my help to those in need and will always include teamwork in my nursing practice. In

addition, a value that belongs in my philosophy regarding interprofessional relationships is

respect. Having respect for yourself and others is essential in my opinion. Respect should be

given to everyone involved in the patient’s care including patient care techs, janitors, dietary

services, etc. No matter what your job title is, you offer an integral part of the patient’s plan of
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care in some aspect, so respect should be delivered in order to have a collaborative, effective,

positive team.

I am very passionate about the nursing philosophy I obtain, especially regarding nurse-

patient relationships. I am very dedicated to establishing a relationship with my patients from the

very first encounter. It is essential to establish a relationship with the patients because that allows

the patients to develop a trusting connection with the healthcare professional and also create a

positive rapport. Therefore, benefiting the overall delivery of care in a positive manner.

Furthermore, another belief I am very adamant about is holistic care. The goal of holistic care is

to treat the whole patient including their body, spirit and mind. It is a comprehensive model of

care that ensures the patient is looked at as a whole and obtains a plan of care that benefits their

well-being. In addition, it emphasizes that each patient is looked at individually and the treatment

plan that is offered is specific to their needs. The personal viewpoint I obtain is precise to my

beliefs; thus, I am very passionate and proud of the philosophy I have developed.

Values and Beliefs

At the conclusion of reviewing my original philosophy paper, I was interested to see how

my values and beliefs have differed just from a few additional years of experience and education.

It was interesting to see how real-life experiences, maturity and appropriate guidance influenced

the way I practice in a positive way. With that being said, my values and beliefs haven’t

necessarily been changed, but they do differ in the fact that I am more passionate regarding my

original beliefs and have gained additional values to base my practice on.

At the beginning of nursing school, I was aware that compassion and a dedication were

essential if you wanted to be a successful nurse. Furthermore, I was committed to being the most

caring, dedicated nurse I could be. However, after encountering valuable classes and many
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clinical experiences, my nursing philosophy has evolved and matured immensely. I have added

imperative principles to my philosophy such as, incorporating holistic care, a passion for

community health, a commitment to always take advantage of improving my education and

much more. I am eager to integrate the personal philosophy I obtain into the delivery of my care

in order to benefit my patients in a positive way.

Nurse Patient Encounter

Bon Secours has provided me with ample opportunities to make a difference in not only

my life, but also my patients’ lives. I have had multiple patient encounters that have been

monumental in molding me into a better caregiver. However, one situation I experienced, will be

one that I will never forget. It was my second clinical day on the Medical Surgical floor. I was in

my second semester of my junior year at the time, so I was still getting comfortable in the

clinical setting on my own. The patient I was assigned that day was extremely sick and his health

status was declining. Upon first arriving into the patient’s room, I observed that the patient was

severely sick and the family was at the bedside. About midway through the day, the patient

began to get very anxious; thus, decreasing his oxygen saturation. As alarms were sounding, the

family responded with anxiety and panic. I ran into the room not knowing what to do at the time.

I was overwhelmed and scared to say the least. Instead of yelling out into the hall to make things

worse, I first attended to the patient medically to make sure he was stable. Next, I calmly pressed

the call bell to avoid adding any stress to the family that was present. At this point, my attention

was directed to the family. They were obviously feeling a mix of emotions and I knew my

priority at this point was to calm them down. I asked the wife if it was okay if we prayed

together and she looked at me with complete relief and a sense of calmness and replied, ‘that

would be great.’ At that time, I realized that it is so important to look at the whole picture.
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Taking care of everyone involved is essential and demonstrates holistic care. This situation

relates to the professional care model because I was able to provide a faith-based solution and

relate to the mission and values that Bon Secours embodies. Overall, this situation initially left

me with a feeling of urgency, but at the conclusion I felt confident and proud of the interventions

I performed and it provided a great learning experience that will benefit my care in the future.

Role as a Change Agent

Nursing 4140 has provided me with a whole new outlook on community health.

Honestly, at the start of the semester when we were assigned the project, I was very apprehensive

and underwhelmed at my ability to change such a big problem. Despite my hesitance, as the

semester is coming to an end, I am very thankful for the experience and learning opportunities

this class has presented me with. My role as a change agent has evolved and solidified. I no

longer doubt my ability to assess a problem and offer a feasible solution. In addition, my

advocacy skilled have improved immensely; thus, improving the way I deliver care in a positive

way.

Community health has always had a special place in my heart. The first hospital I

attended clinical at was Richmond Community, which was a little daunting at first, but turned

out to be a great place to learn skills and evaluate unique situations. Furthermore, I was able to

use these past experiences to guide me in the right direction for our current clinical project.

Working with the Care-A-Van has been a very refreshing and rewarding experience. In addition,

it only continued to fulfill my love for community health and benefit my role as a change agent. I

believe these unique experiences have shaped me into a better nurse, while allowing me to

express my passion and love in a positive way.

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Benner’s Theory- Skill Acquisition

Becoming a nurse is very challenging and requires extreme dedication. My nursing

school journey has not been easy, but it has been very rewarding and a great learning experience.

As my time in school is coming to an end, I have started to reflect on where I stand as far as my

ability to perform skills, interact with patients and complete physical assessments. Patricia

Benner offers a theory that serves as guide for the skill acquisition of nurses. Dreyfus (2004),

does a great job of breaking down the five stages of the novice to expert theory; thus, allowing

nurses to decipher their skill acquisition and reflect on what they can improve to conquer the

stages.

The stage of skill acquisition that adequately describes me at this point in my journey is

advanced beginner. According to Dreyfus (2004), the advanced beginner is able to move from

the instructional phase of nursing and start coping with real situations. As an advanced beginner,

you are expected to be able to start critically thinking and anticipating what could happen.

Furthermore, in this stage, the individual can recognize high stress situations and begin to learn

how to cope and handle them correctly. However, even though the advanced beginner has more

experience than the novice, there is still so much room for improvement and additional learning.

Eventually, my goal is to make it to the expert phase and be able to share my expertise

with others while anticipating actions and being an influential figure. However, at this point in

my nursing career, that is just not possible. It is not because I am not smart, or not trying my

hardest, but the expert level of the theory comes with years of experience and exposure to critical

situations. I feel extremely comfortable with my progress throughout this journey and the skill

acquisition I obtain. Finally, I am very eager to continue my adventure and I look forward to

enhancing my knowledge and experience as a nurse.

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Action Plan for Moving Forward

With graduation in sight, I have been experiencing so many emotions. Excitement,

nervousness, happiness and much more. It brings back memories from a few years ago when I

got accepted into nursing school. I was feeling the same emotions in a different capacity. The

thing is, when life presents a new chapter, it is completely normal to have mixed emotions.

Despite the roller coaster of emotions I am experiencing, I use those emotions as energy to do

my very best and facilitate my movement in advancing in the nursing field. In addition, since I

obtain such a dedicated personality, I plan to take advantage of every learning experience I

encounter in order to advance myself in the stages of skill acquisition. Furthermore, I will rely on

the wisdom from seasoned nurses in times of stress, which will aid me in my journey to facilitate

my goal to make it to the expert level of skill acquisition.

In order to continue growing as a nurse and exceling in professional development, you

must first take care of yourself. I am a firm believer in taking care of yourself in order to take

care of others, so that will be a priority in my action plan. In order to fulfill my goal of self-care,

I plan to perform self-soothing exercises such as meditation and running. Also, professional

development is very important to me, so I plan to join nursing committees, move up the clinical

ladder and incorporate myself in any other activities that will benefit my development in the

professional atmosphere.

Conclusion

Obtaining a personal philosophy in nursing is essential to being successful in the

healthcare profession. Exploring and being confident in your values and beliefs is imperative, so

you can deliver the best care possible. After a long, tough journey, I have established a solid

philosophy that molds my beliefs and influences the way I practice nursing in a positive way.
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References

Dreyfus, S. E. (2004). The five-stage model of adult skill acquisition. Bulletin of Science,

Technology & Society, 24(3), 177-181. Doi: 10.1177/0270467604264992