My Personal Philosophy Of Life In The Field Of Nursing

In today’s modern society, “health” has been recognized as anybody who is able to perform daily basic functions and appear without any physical ailments. A “person” can be described as an individual who has a moral right to make their own life choices, capacities to have reasoning, enjoy experiences, have a conscious and social relations with others. “Nursing” encircles the promotion of well-being, prevention of illness and end of life care. “Environment” can be perceived as the source of all our needs both physical and biological factors. Three of the components stated, fall under the umbrella of nursing. This paper will explore my personal philosophy of nursing compared to a nursing theorist.

Nature of Nursing Practice

Nursing has a much more profound meaning then the shallow definition mentioned above. The very first nurse I’ve ever encountered was my mother. Her sacrifices, sleepless nights, and caring for her sick children is the definition of love. My mother did not have a college education or a nursing degree, but I believe she encompasses what a nurse should be. My personal philosophy of nursing is founded in love and compassion. My views in nursing is very broad because I believe it is more than treating an illness; rather it is focused on delivering quality patient care holistically. A nurse is understanding, does not pass judgement, lends a listening ear, provide a shoulder to lean on, or bestow the warmth of her company. A nurse understands that each person needs are unique, she can formulate a care plan that best suits that individual. A nurse helps enhance a patient’s health by nurturing, educating and providing a stress-free environment to help achieve a better patient outcome. Most importantly, I believe majority of nurses has a rooted undeniable desire to serve those in needs.

Joyce Travelbee developed the “Human-to-Human Relationship model”; she explains “human to human relationship is the means through which the purpose of nursing is fulfilled” (Human to Human, 2012). Joyce also stated, “that nursing is accomplished beginning with the original encounter, which progresses through stages of emerging identities, developing feelings of empathy, and later sympathy, until the nurse and the patient attain rapport” (Appraising Travelbee, 2016). I find similarities to my philosophy compared to Joyce Travelbee as it is important to attain your patients trust and without this virtue it is impossible to build a therapeutic relationship. To empathize with my patients, I must imagine myself in their situation in which they find themselves. I need to have some knowledge of who they are and what it is they are trying to accomplish. By building a therapeutic relationship, it can help guide me in formulating a care plan.

Florence Nightingale is the pioneer of nursing. Her “Environmental Theory” is the basis of standards of nursing practice today. During the Crimean War in 1854, Florence noticed that in every thousand injured soldiers, six hundred were dying because of communicable and infectious disease. Florence developed a care plan with simple interventions. She provided a clean environment, medical equipment, clean water and fruits. With this work the mortality rate decreased 60% to 42% and then to 2.2% (Florence Nightingale, 2015). In contrast to my philosophy Florence was more focused on the environmental aspect of nursing. I am not disagreeing with her philosophy as I find it very critical to keep aseptic technique with every patient contact, but my philosophy is first establishing a therapeutic relationship, then providing for their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs; Simultaneously providing standards of practice.

Nature of Caring

Regarding “nature of caring”, nursing is defined by kindness. My philosophy in caring, is a nurse who places her patient in the best position to be able to heal. A caring nurse is astute, helpful, and sympathetic. Caring for the patient holistically can have a positive patient outcome. According to Jean Watson theory, “Science of Caring”, she explains, “Nursing is concerned with promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick, and restoring health” (Watson’s carative factors, 2017). Jean Watson as do I, believe that approaching holistic care of the patient is the focus of caring in nursing. Nursing is a work of heart, even the smallest act on the part of a nurse can have a ripple effect impacting countless lives.

Social Purpose of Nursing

Society need nurses today to help aid in their cure, to have an advocate, to have an educator, to be the bridge between them and their physician. The nursing role has evolved throughout time. Nurses perform a plethora of duties that 10 or 20 years ago was performed only by doctors. Nurses practice in many settings such as hospitals, outpatient centers, offices, home health, or private duty just to name a few. The many flexible options in nursing also include continuing of education, anywhere from certified nursing assistant up to advance nurse practitioner.

Nursing serves so much to society not only in benefiting a person’s health and well-being but contributing financially as well. According to a study done by Medscape, this study used a design to compare the amount of Medicare paid on claims submitted by nurse practitioners (NPs) with the amount paid to primary care physicians (PCPs) in inpatient and ambulatory settings over a 12-month period. The findings indicated that across all payment categories, Medicare paid amounts are consistently lower for NP-assigned beneficiaries than for PCP assigned beneficiaries (Cost of Care, 2016). Nurse practitioners are performing more complex tasks at an economical price compared to physicians. Helping thousands of people save money.

Conclusion

Through this philosophy paper, I have identified what nursing truly means to me. My nursing foundation is rooted in love and established in compassion. I want every patient I encounter to feel cared for and trust me with their lives. I value holistic nursing because I believe in treating the patients every need not only their physical ailment. I understand that every patient is unique and have different set of values. In order for me to build a therapeutic relationship, I must respect them as a person. Respect helps preserve their dignity. My goal is to always make the patient the focus of my care and to make sure the patient’s values are understood. Nursing theories has helped me to build a sense of identity, purpose, and role in the healthcare setting. This information and these personal values will serve as a guide for my personal standards of nursing practice.

References

Current Nursing, (2013). Human to Human Relationship Model. Retrieved April 13, 2019, from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Joyce_Travelbee.html

Medscape, (2016). Cost of Care: NPs vs Physicians. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/861044

National Library of Medicine, (2016). Appraising Travelbee’s Human to Human Relationship Model. Retrieved April 13, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5866131/

National Library of Medicine, (2015). Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4557413/

National Library of Medicine, (2017). The concept of Watson’s carative factors in nursing and their (dis)harmony with patient satisfaction. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5299993/