PersonalPhilosophy of Nursing
PersonalPhilosophy of Nursing
Nursesplay a major role in the health care sector where they provideservices that enhance the wellbeing of patients. However,professionals with suitable philosophies are more effective thantheir counterparts who consider nursing as an ordinary career(Petiprin, 2016). Nurses are guided by a set of principles and beliefsystems that help them define their roles and interact with theirclients. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a personalphilosophy of nursing.
Factorsthat Influence the Development of Nursing Philosophy
Thereare two factors that influence the process of developing a philosophyin the field of nursing. The first one is personal values that helpme understand my priorities as a professional. For example, integrityguides me in making the right decisions and taking suitable actions,even when no one is supervising me. Therefore, my philosophy isfounded on the need to enhance the satisfaction of the people that Iserve and give them the reason to develop trust in nursing.
Similarly,the personal value of empathy helps nurses to build theirphilosophies in a way that enables them to see problems from theperspectives of the clients that they serve. From experience, manyhealth care professionals stop seeing their patients as people andstart considering their day-to-day work as part of a normal career. Aphilosophy that is based on the value of empathy helps nurses to seetheir clients as human beings who need assistance.
Thesecond factor that influences the development of the nursingphilosophy is the culture. The increase in the immigration hasresulted in the development of a multicultural society (Wallace,Torres, Nobari, Pourat & Brown, 2012). Nurses need to rethinktheir philosophies in order to ensure that they increase theircapacity to deliver care to clients from different culturalbackgrounds.
NursingMetaparadigm
Thefour concepts of metaparadigm are instrumental in my career becausethey help me to organize my knowledge and beliefs in the context ofthe environment, person, health, and nursing. It enables me to see myclients as human beings first, which creates the desire to understandtheir background. For example, digging deeper into their culturalvalues helps me to communicate effectively and give them servicesthat meet their unique needs.
Theconcept of environment is also significant because it motivates me toenhance the quality of the place where my clients stay. I understandthat the surroundings in which patients live during the process ofrecovery influence the change in their health status (Smith &Parker, 2014). For example, I am able to reduce the risk of newinfections or worsening of the current illness by encouraging clientsto stay in a hygienic environment and maintain good relationshipswith their relatives.
Theterm “health” refers to the state of wellbeing of an individual.It is characterized by one’s ability to function mentally,emotionally, and physically. I believe that my capacity to viewhealth from different perspectives has played a key role in enablingme to deliver holistic care. Apart from helping patients to recoverfrom their current illnesses, I share information with them in orderto prevent the recurrence of diseases. My ability to enhance allaspects of the health of my clients makes me feel satisfied with mycareer.
Isee nursing as a concept that stands for the ability of a health careprofessional to provide support to individuals, communities, andfamilies in order to prevent diseases, manage their present illnesseseffectively, and help them to recover within the shortest timepossible (Masters, 2015). Therefore, nurses should consider theircareer as a practice whose main focus is the patients.
TheNursing Theory
TheJean Watson’s theory of caring holds that nursing should focus onpromotion of the wellbeing, prevention of diseases, caring for thosewho are already sick, and restoring the health of the people. It isbased on several assumptions. First, the theory is founded on theassumption that the delivery of care can only be practiced anddemonstrated interpersonally (Clark, 2016). This presupposition leadsto an argument that nurses should be able to establish strongprofessional relationship with clients in order to satisfy patients.Secondly, the theory assumes that effective caring should enhance thegrowth and the wellbeing of individuals, the community as a whole,and families. Third, it is based on the notion that the patient’senvironment should be able to offer the development potential andenable clients to select the best actions. In essence, Watson’stheory holds that caring is central to the practice of nursing.
Compatibilitybetween the Theory and Personal Philosophy
TheJean Watson’s theory of caring is compatible with the personalnursing philosophy. It is based on four key principles. First, itpromotes the practice of love and kindness (Clark, 2016). Thisprinciple is consistent with the value of empathy that enables me tosee patients as people who need care, instead of considering them ascustomers. The second principle of the theory is authentic presence,which refers to the process of enabling deep belief of a colleague,patient, and family (Clark, 2016). It supports my philosophy byhelping me to demonstrate conviction and commitment in my career,especially when dealing with hospitalized patients. The thirdprinciple is the cultivation of individual’s spiritual practicetowards the wholeness. This rule helps me to go beyond ego whendelivering care to my clients. This principle of Jean’s theory hasplayed a key role in enabling me to observe one of the key pillars ofmy philosophy, which is the delivery of holistic care. Fourth, itholds that professionals should facilitate the development of acaring and healing environment (Clark, 2016). This principle is inline with my philosophy as well as the concept of metaparadigm, whichstates that the patient’s surrounding is critical during therecovery period.
Conclusion
Thenursing philosophy is a significant tool that helps the health careprofessionals to demonstrate their professionalism, commitment, andaccountability. Nurses working in the modern world should be guidedby belief systems that increase their capacity to serve clients fromdifferent cultural backgrounds. This paper indicates that aneffective nursing philosophy should encourage the health careprofessionals to provide the best care to patients.
References
Clark,S. (2016). Watson’s human caring theory: Pertinent transpersonaland humanities concepts for education. Humanities,5, 1-12.
Masters,K. (2015). NursingTheories: A Framework for Professional Practice. (2nd Edition). UnitII Philosophies of Nursing.Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Petiprin,A. (2016). Nursing theories and a philosophy of nursing. NursingTheory Organization.Retrieved January 18, 2017, fromhttp://www.nursing-theory.org/articles/nursing-theories-and-a-philosophy-of-nursing.php
Smith,M. & Parker, M. (2014). NursingTheories and Nursing Practice. (4th Ed.)Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
Wallace,P., Torres, J., Nobari, T., Pourat, N. & Brown, E. (2012).Undocumentedimmigrants and health care reform.New York, NY: The Commonwealth Fund.
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