I Am A Nurse : My Personal Philosophy

This paper explores the personal nursing philosophy I plan to convey in my personal career. This philosophy is going to be described in my own terms to explain what being a nurse means to me. I believe that there are a number of factors that are important to be successful in the nursing field. I believe that being a nurse it takes commitment to accountability, professionalism, and compassion for the ill. I will explain each one of these in my paper and what they mean to me.

This paper brings up my personal nursing philosophy that I am planning to deliver in my nursing career. I believe that nursing is more than merely as a profession, it also involves my medical knowledge combined it with a commitment to quality nursing care with compassion, respect, dignity, and advocacy for each patient. I believe that the interdisciplinary care and collaboration in the medical field are crucial elements that lead to a healthy relationship among healthcare professionals in promoting quality patient care that is individualized to each patient’s needs.

I have read and understand the plagiarism policy as outlined in the syllabus and the sections in the Catalog relating to the IWU Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I certify that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act/s, which could include expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Every individual typically holds a personal philosophy about life which includes beliefs and values that help shape our choices and lead us to specific life path or in a certain direction. Very similarly every nurse has a philosophy about nursing and their career. Every nurse has guidelines that they choose to follow and motives for why certain choices are made. In order to develop a philosophy of nursing a nurse must reflect on the characteristics that they abide by and by which they base their nursing care. A nursing philosophy defines the motives behind why the nurse puts their heart and soul into their career. A personal nursing philosophy produces an individual viewpoint for nursing care, research, and education (Hood, 2014). In order to have a personal philosophy or a nursing philosophy, a nurse needs to understand themselves. Not one philosophy is permanent, right, or wrong and a personal philosophy is subject to change at any time (Hood, 2014).

anything thrown your way, yet sympathetic enough to be understanding of it. There is so much

Most important to my philosophy of nursing is the health and well-being of the entity seeking nursing care. To further define, nursing can be called upon to treat not only one individual, but a group of individuals, or a community. In my personal experience, I have worked almost exclusively with one individual, however I feel my philosophy could be applied to groups and

The purpose of this assignment is to enable the student, myself, to rediscover his or her personal philosophy of nursing as it exists upon the completion of the baccalaureate nursing program. Throughout the semesters, the view I had on what nursing meant to me has grown deeper, but one thing has stayed the same; my philosophy. In my philosophy project from the very first semester, I stated that nursing involves many different parts that all come together to make one great final end product, just like cookies. I compared nursing parts and all the different items nurses bring into the field, to being similar to the ingredients used to make cookies. I still believe that nursing is comprised of many different parts that all come together in order to give the best patient care possible. The personal philosophy paper now is an extension on that first semester’s assignment, to show the growth and development I have had while in this nursing program. It will explore what my personal definition of nursing is, the purpose of nursing, what assumptions in nursing there are, and will conclude with the principles of nursing.

The journey to development of my personal philosophy of nursing quite possibly began in my preteen and teenage years. It was brought about from experiences I had when I was doing missions work in Mexico. While these missions left quite an impact upon me, it did not end there. Time, age, experience and education also played critical roles in development of my personal nursing philosophy. These factors have helped my nursing philosophy grow and has allowed me to refine it. The purpose of this paper is to identify according to my views, what nursing is, my perspective of nursing, values and beliefs about nursing, ascertain two principles or rules that guide my nursing practice, and finally a reflection and conclusion.

Nursing is based on caring in nursing. Compassion and concern for protecting and enhancing the

Community beliefs and values change based on varying locations. Different communities find different beliefs to base their values off of. One community may not find it important to have their women

My vision for myself as a nurse is that I will continue to grow and learn ways to be empathic. My desire is to always put my patient well being above my own. To live out my philosophy of nursing, every day I must remember that when I go to work it is not about me. It doesn’t matter what I am going through or what I am dealing with, when I step onto the

My love for nursing started as a young kid growing up and watching my aunt care passionately for the sick and the less privileged for many years. I somehow picked interest in the profession and that ultimately led me to choose nursing as a career. First I think in order to identify my personal nursing philosophy I have to define nursing. Although nursing can mean different things to different people, The American nursing association defined nursing as “the protection, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA,2012). I believe that personal philosophy of nursing is important to the professional nurse and to me in particular because it demonstrates the principals and personal values that will be evident throughout my nursing career.

In the fall of 1862, a war raged between the union and confederate forces at the Battle of Antietam. More than 130,000 soldiers fought, more than 22,000 were wounded. On the battlefront was a woman, Ms. Clara Barton, nicknamed the “Angel of the Battlefield”. Ms. Barton observed the strain of frontline battle, namely hunger, sickness, and wounds and once said “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them”. (CITATION) It is this same dedication to nursing and our armed forces that drives my philosophy of nursing.

I chose to commit myself to the nursing profession because I believe the nurse is the comma in every health care sentence. A comma may seem insignificant, or even invisible in a properly structured sentence, but its absence can be detrimental to the whole. The nurse links the art to the science of care, connecting two independent clauses creating one fluid idea. Nurses help connect the patient and the doctor; they translate the jargon to the civilian’s understanding. In a constantly changing environment, they elicit an essential pause, assisting each crucial transition. A carefully placed comma doesn’t just manage a checklist of ideas; it inadvertently leads them forward in motion. Nurses are ever present in the healthcare experience, beginning with

Nursing has evolved over the years and it took many years for a nurse to be recognized as a profession. Since 1991, nursing is considered to be the most trusted profession in the United States. According to the American Nurses of Association (2005), "For the past 1 years, the public has voted nurses as the most honest and ethical profession in America." Not only has nursing become a trusted career, but the values and the way nurses care for their patients has helped people see them as family.