Developing School Philosophy
Creating and maintaining a philosophy for any curriculum is a large undertaking. Philosophies set the tone, help create goals and maintain a standard for a school. There are theories, including nursing, that can help to support a philosophy. It is important to address theories and how they can support a philosophy as well as noting the concepts and goals of the school.
Discussion
Out of the many different theories that can help to support a philosophy, the humanistic and constructivism theories come to mind. Keating discusses that the humanistic theory as it emphasizes self-determination and holds the assumption that people have “unlimited potential for growth” (2015, p.77). The humanistic theory would coincide with student values because they are still learning and gaining experience.
Similarly, in an article written by Zane Robinson Wolf and Denise Nagle Bailey, it was noted that the humanistic approach to nursing also applies to everyday experiences (2013). Wolf and Bailey further that, “Humanistic nursing practice asserts that clinical practice is predicated on the essential experiences of the nurse that are deliberately and consciously constructed.” (2013, p.62).
Another theory that would be supportive to a philosophy for a school of nursing is constructivism. “Constructivism is a learning perspective, arguing that individuals construct much of what they learn and understand, producing knowledge based on their beliefs and experiences.”
For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)
I define my philosophy of nursing within the three nursing domains of person, health, and environment. My goal is to communicate the importance of nursing as a knowledge-based career, depending not only on the nurse fulfilling her role but also on the patient’s compliance. A patient must learn to provide self-care at home in the same capacity as the nurse would provide care in the clinical setting. I discuss various subjects within nursing. I explain why I want to be a nurse, what I believe a nurse’s role is, the different domains of nursing, and where I believe nursing will be in the future. My philosophy demonstrates the interdependence of the nursing domains. You cannot fully evaluate a person without evaluating their health,
According to Merriam-Webster (2016), philosophy is “an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs” (para. 1). Most people have a philosophy that is either a vague, general idea or a distinct guiding principle that is based on beliefs relevant to the individual, to their patients, families, communities, and colleagues. The beliefs that comprise a person’s philosophy influence the choices that person makes. Many base their choice of profession on their beliefs, thereby ensuring that the principles of their career are consistent with their personal expectations. For example, getting a job or taking actions that are inconsistent with someone’s beliefs is one of the causes of stress and burnout. Therefore, it is healthy for individuals to clarify their philosophy to help guide them to make choices and to live a life consistent with their
It is essential in nursing to continue learning and applying knowledge to the everyday practice. In doing so, it is important to understand how to organize, test, and apply knowledge to nursing. Barbara Carper identified four fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing which are necessary for the teaching and learning of nursing. Carper's four fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing are defined as empirical, ethical, personal and
“Philosophies of nursing are statements of beliefs about nursing and expressions of values in nursing that are used as bases for thinking and acting. Most philosophies are built on a foundation of beliefs about people, environment, health, and nursing” (Chitty & Black, p. 298). By using person, environment, health, and nursing as a guideline to achieve the ultimate goals of nursing; I will discuss my personal philosophy and how these factors are used in nursing.
The development of a philosophy related to the profession of nursing is important in that it provides a framework for the nurse to base his/her work on. Philosophy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means”. In other words, philosophies are based on beliefs and assumptions with an overall goal of obtaining an objective which states the nurse’s purpose in the profession. In my undergraduate nursing program I was exposed to multiple nursing concepts that guided my practice. Coupled with my ten years of experience in the nursing field, I was enabled to formulate my own framework or guide to nursing. The paradigm which resonates with me the most is the interactive-integrative perspective as it views practice “as having multiple, interrelated parts in relation to a specific context.” (Newman, Sime, & Corcoran-Perry, 1991, p.38). My framework includes three main components: the client, the professional nurse, and the nurse-client relationship.
A nursing theory that has influenced my professional nursing practice is Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. In this theory she addresses how nurses care for their patients. Caring is the essence of the nursing profession and is a relationship formed between the nurse and the patient. In Watson’s theory she believed that caring could assist the patient to gain control in their own health care, become educated, and in the end find health. Watson focused on the patient’s mind, body, and soul and this is the aspect of her theory that I try to use in my professional practice. As a new nurse straight out of nursing school I focused more on protocols and procedures to make sure I was doing everything right. My patients had good outcomes but I was amazed when I started thinking about the patient as a whole and not just thinking about the illness they had and how to treat it. Many times just treating the patient’s
A nursing philosophy coincides with self-awareness. Nursing philosophies are developed by each individual nurse regarding the nursing practice and are important in understanding what is fundamentally important to each nurse, along with their values and beliefs. Self-awareness, in short, is knowledge of one 's self, feelings, motives, and desires. In order for nurses to develop their own nursing philosophy they must first have a good sense of self-awareness. As a future nurse it is important that I recognize my own self-awareness so I can continue to build onto my beliefs and values of the nursing profession and gain a better understanding of what is fundamentally important to me as a nurse. In this paper I will discuss why I chose the nursing profession, my beliefs and values, and what I feel is fundamentally important in the nursing profession.
I have read and utilized some of the following theories from some classic nursing theorists
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and summarize the philosophy of nursing and how nursing theory guides this nurse’s practice. Information used to do this paper was retrieved from the online database, Nursing and Allied Health Source and CINAHL through the SJR State Library. Our textbook, The Conceptual Foundations and the Merriam- Webster Dictionary website was also used. Some of the search phrases used were Jean Watson theory of human caring, philosophy of nursing, and Watson’s philosophy and theory of human caring in nursing on the online database. The word philosophy was also searched on the Merriam- Webster Dictionary website. There was an abundance information throughout my research on
Nursing Philosophy Statement My nursing philosophy is based on my nursing experience as a registered nurse and the knowledge and education that I obtain everyday. As I delve into the nursing profession, my nursing values and beliefs become stronger and stronger. I see nursing as being an excellent profession as it advocates to others and enhances the health of our patients and our community.
guides the nurse in every day patient care (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). Butts and Rich (2011)
Paterson and Zderad’s humanistic nursing theory addresses nurses’ personal gestalt affecting the nurse-patient relationship. The goal is that both the nurses and the patients will benefit from each other’s own uniqueness as stated in Petiprin (2016). One important concept in humanistic theory is authenticity – the transparency that comes from self-awareness, as mentioned in George (2011). Past the technical and scientific method of nursing lies the nurse’s unique experiences needed to form a meaningful relationship with his patient. Looking into personal gestalt, my personal experiences as a patient, mother, and a daughter shaped my nursing approach to my patients.
Skilled and effective nursing practice is a combination of art and science. Both the art and science of nursing are employed when working with a patient on their health goals. The art of healing is the communicative and relationship building skills while the science of nursing is the technical skills related to the field. Throughout nursing history, theories have been developed that attempt to explain the role of the nurse. These theories often try to either explain the science or art of nursing. Some of these theories attempt to combine the two. In order to understand nursing theory one must also understand the nursing practice. To help readers appreciate the role of the nurse and to understand both the science and art of nursing this paper will discuss nursing as a human science, the nursing theories related to this concept and will offer ways the theory of Humanistic Nursing impacts nursing practice.
In the bachelor nursing program was the same who went over the nursing theory and theorist, but not in detail. In the mastered nursing program these nursing theories are studied more, because in the MSN program, we as nursing students are being prepared to apply the nursing theory we learn in our nursing practice to help guide the way we as nurses treat and care for our patients. Studying the nursing theories, helps the MSN prepared student to be better critically thinkers. Nursing theory is useful in nursing practice, because it focuses on caring relationships with the health care team, which helps allows for positive patient results. Using nursing theory, it helps nurses, to provide better rationales for collecting reliable and valid data about the health of the patient. The main thing why using nursing theory in nursing practice, is it helps what you learned about nursing theory in school to give the patient the best quality care. According to Keith Carlson “These theoretical structures can serve as a basis for nursing practice, patient care, professional development, education, nursing research, or administrative decision-making” (Lpntobsnonline,2012). Nursing philosophy in nursing separates other healthcare professionals, because, nurses learned how to use different theories in their practice that has been studies and researched to help improve the care and treatment of their