Nursing is a profession in which the true value of its work often gets lost in the limelight of the successes of Doctors who share the same work environment. I never realized the true scope of a nurse’s practice until I dealt with the loss of someone very true to my heart, my Mom. During this time we spent several days in an intensive care unit, an environment that nurses excel in, where I learned that nurses do more than check vitals and give medication. From being there to answer questions for my family to truly caring for my mom as an entire person worth more than her body parts I saw a profession that I could not only fall in love with, but also find success in. From this experience my passion to pursue a bachelor degree in Nursing Science was ignited, and the framework of the philosophy of my care began to be assembled. Person Being a “person” is more than having a physical body. As a nurse it is important that I respect and promote the well being of all of the different components that make an entire person. According to the Code of Ethics for nurses, “A fundamental principle that underlies all nursing practice is respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and human rights of every individual” (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2002, p.7). Nurses will encounter a variety of different patients some near death and others far from it, some that are highly education and others that did not finish high school, but never should these superficial experiences of someone’s life
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.
We often hear that nursing is an art and a science, and I firmly believe that. The way a nurse blends those aspects of care defines the nurse. As nurses, our roles in our patients’ lives vary depending on their needs. We are teachers as well as technical experts, and our ultimate goal is to ensure our patients and families are ready to take over when the
“Nursing is the protection, promotion, 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” (American Nurses Association, n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to expand my nursing philosophy as I transition into an Advanced Practice Nurse.
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,
One thing that makes nursing a good career is the difference that I can make in someone’s life. Although it requires commitment and dedication, nursing is one of the most rewarding professions. It’s about caring, listening, thinking, organizing, and leading. Nurses make a difference in their patient’s lives by providing hands on care and assisting complete strangers in leading a healthier life. The warm feeling of ‘helping others out,’ giving back to the community, and influencing the success of nationwide healthcare makes nursing an intrinsically rewarding career field to pursue. Nurses are helping patients and families during their intimate times of need.
A nurse is so much more than someone who administers medication, performs physical examinations, and establishes treatment plans. Nurses do not just listen to their patients needs, they advocate for them. They do not just take care of the suffering and ill, they have empathy for them. They do not just treat injuries and wounds, they heal the mind body and spirit. Being a nurse is not just a job title, it is an identity. It involves many core concepts and incorporates many values and beliefs. Being a nurse includes the concepts professionalism and patient and family - centered care. Both in which relate to the Benedictine values of the College of St. Scholastica.
Being a nurse not only means compassion, dedication, and intelligence, but the profession also requires endurance, personal sacrifice, and the need for continuous education. I have learned that nurses are some of the most caring and selfless people that anyone will ever meet. Nurses are more than willing to complete challenging tasks and care for others in a way that the majority of people are unwilling to. I am driven to bring all of these qualities into my role as a future nurse practitioner, which is why I am committed to pursuing my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP).
As I prepare for my first classes in nursing school, I recognize my unique position to examine the values that I will bring into my nursing career. Without any experience, my values remain relatively unshaped regarding healthcare. In contrast, the values of nurses who have already accumulated a variety of experiences tend to be more nuanced and informed. For this exercise, I met with one of these experienced nurses—CC, a cardiac-catheterization laboratory nurse who just welcomed her third child. Together, CC and I explored the differences in our upbringings, how we were each sucked into nursing, and how our values have changed throughout different life experiences. Above all, I intended to delve into the story of her fifteen-year career in order to discover how an experienced nurse philosophizes patient care.
Time spent at my mother’s bedside in the intensive care unit changed my perception of the nursing profession. I realized what unique value was integrated in comprehensive nursing care, which was built on excellence, compassion, and respect. I knew right then and there that nursing was a professional path which I would like to take. Changing my college major to nursing was not a difficult decision – I wanted to repay for all that courteous care my family received in the most vulnerable time of our lives.
Nursing is an excellent career choice, where an individual acquires great gratitude while attending to others necessities. If someone is constantly trying to improve themselves and wanting to be challenged in life, “as nurses, we face tremendous challenges and often see and do things that are extraordinary” (Ulrich xix). By becoming a registered nurse the individual will make a difference. Nursing allows an individual to continuously be benefiting a fellow human being, not only with the patient but with their families as well, having the opportunity to becoming someone especial in the patient’s life. Nursing is a
I realized I wanted to be a nurse in 2010 when I was sitting by my grandfather as he was diagnosed with a stroke. As the physician explained to my family and I that the man we knew and loved would not be able to speak or walk again we were struck with heartache. The compassionate and holistic care that the nurses provided him solidified my determination to become a healer to patients who were not able to care for themselves. Today, I have the joy to work in an Emergency Department caring for acutely ill patients and their families, as they are vulnerable and grieving just as my family was. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that my journey will not end until I become more involved with patient care by earning a degree as a Nurse Practitioner. In this paper, I will discuss my educational and professional goals, short term and long-term goals, and how earning a Nurse
The greatest aspect about nursing is that it is never going to be just a job and is even more than a merely profession. Instead, it is a belief system or way of life and not a discipline that can simply be practiced then abandoned to the dictates of a time clock. To simply say that “I love people” or want to “help people get better” does not demonstrate the drive behind this feeling. Articulating my philosophy is not an easy task, to better explain my philosophy of nursing, I am going to use some values that I have learned. These tools truly explain how I feel and what has motivated me to pursue nursing as a career.
After graduating high school, I was destined for a career in law, so I thought. However, I wasn’t prepared for what was to come; my grandmother was dying of breast cancer-cancer! - What is that! Yes, I had “heard” of cancer, but no one was “truly” able to tell me what it was and why it had stricken someone that I loved. My mother and I took on the daily responsibility of caring for my grandmother, without hesitation. Sadly my grandmother passed on May 10, 1992, mother’s day. Yet, that compassion that I showed each day while caring for my grandmother continues in me today. To date, I have over 20 years of nursing experience, 9 years in the ICU and over 11 years in acute and long term care settings. To embrace the next challenge in my life it was vital for me earn my CRNP.
Almost anybody can become a RN if they put their mind to it, but not everybody can be a Nurse. A Nurse is something more than somebody who is willing to sit through physiology or pharmacology classes while obtaining assessment or perfect technical Nursing skills. Nurses are called to the profession by something greater than themselves. Not everybody has the selflessness, empathy and willingness to put themselves second, but a Nurse does. I’ve learned in my work and clinical experience that a Nurse must put themselves second each day when they come to the clinical setting; we must understand that we have the privilege to step into another family’s life, in potentially the most difficult, scary, stressful and emotional time in their lives, and present to them as a beacon of hope and love. This capacity for empathy and love is why Nurses are among the most trusted people on this planet. I’ll never forget one clinical day when I walked down the hallway at about 0630 to answer a light, another nurse walked past me and said, “You can get it this time.” I told them I would. I walked into the room to find an 88 year old lady in bed complaining about the night and how she couldn’t sleep. I walked up to her bed, kneeled down next to it, and asked her if I could hold her hand, she said yes. She explained the difficulty she had been facing throughout the night over the next few minutes as I sat there in silence. While she was talking, I could sense a shift in the atmosphere
I have known since a young age that I wanted to become a Nurse, this desire is something that has driven me to gain knowledge, experience and to now strive for a higher education to solidify this dream. The compassion and knowledge of the women and men that I have known as nurses has been unlike that of any other, they have always been held at a different level of dignity and selflessness one that I would like to aspire to become,. As our text states “nurses themselves cannot agree on a single definition”(Ellis & Hartley, 2012. p.21) I believe this is to be true, because a Nurse’s job is so complex that it cannot be defined. A nurse holds so many positions throughout a single shift without expectation of reward and or acknowledgment. A nurse holds true to all definitions of the title from the early definitions to those that are yet to come.