There are many ideas and beliefs about philosophy. The applicability of a philosophy is personalized to an individual and/or discipline of study. It results in variability of meaning when it comes to defining philosophy. According to Meleis (2012), “philosophy is concerned with the values and beliefs of a discipline and with the values and beliefs held by members of that discipline” (p. 28). After much reflection, I discovered a quote that aligns with my philosophical beliefs. As stated by philosopher Barry Smith (Popova, 2012), I think it’s thinking fundamentally clearly and well about the nature of reality and our place in it, so as to understand better what goes on around us, and what our contribution is to that reality, and …show more content…
Judith A. Shelly and Arlene B. Miller (2006) stated, “In order to understand ourselves in any depth, we must first look to God to know what he intended us to be” (p. 77). Without his presence, I would not have a peace of mind or be very far in life. The people I surround myself with have a considerable influence on what I hold as important in life. My mother is a Special Education Teacher and my father was Engineer for a train company. They instilled in me the importance of hard work, consistency, and patience. I am a wife and mother. In this role, I have to be supportive and love unconditionally. Serving as a nurse, I am in a position to care for individuals in their most vulnerable states. When I go to work, I hold the idea that every patient is somebody’s somebody. This helps me to always treat the patient as if I would want someone to treat my family member. Joyce Travelbee (Meleis, 2012) defined the goal of nursing as the following, to assist an individual or family to prevent or cope with the experience of illness and suffering and, if necessary, to assist the individual or family to find meaning in these experiences (1966, pp. 10-12, 20), with the ultimate goal being the presence of hope (p. 261). Nurses give a sense of hope. It is our responsibility to help patients cope and equip them for their state of health. We provide them with the tools to adapt to the changes necessary to maintain a quality of life. A state of illness
Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded
Nursing is as much science as it is a study in the human condition. Combining caring and the notion of human flourishing allows the nurse sharpen her understanding of patients’ needs by observing and understanding herself (Husted & Husted, 2008). A nurse is able to better anticipate the needs of her patients by noting similarities and differences between the two of them. With caring in the nursing corner, even under less-than-ideal conditions, one can still create havens of hope, nourishment, and the possibility for flourishing (MacCulloh, 2011).
Not all patients are capable of independently identifying and articulate their care needs, so the nurse also adapts the role as an advocate. Clarity and continuity in a trusting environment enables good communication. Progressive identification of needs takes place as nurse and patient communicate with one another in the interpersonal relationship (Peplau 1988, p. 84). Being considerate to the needs and vulnerability of patients is a moral attribute, as nurses are accountable for the care they deliver.
Giving myself time to read up on nursing experiences, attending more clinical practice labs, participating and watching these duties in the health care setting will allow me to develop a secure level of confidence the next time that this type of situation may occur. Staying in the room allowed me to experience the feeling of support while looking past social norms and how they are challenged. I met my personal values, and I believe that one should respect another person`s privacy. This understanding allowed me to be there to support the resident during her time of need. In the article `starting out` by Jane Schulz, a nursing student shares her experience of helping her colleague assist an elderly patient with daily care. Observing the compassion and care between nurse and patient from fundamental tasks, she took away a valued lesson of how our support and caring methods affect an individual. My relation to this story allowed me to reflect on the effects my care and supporting actions had on our patient.
My personal definition of nursing is taking care of my patient as a whole; using my knowledge, being compassionate and caring, respectful and honest. Taking care of the; spiritual, physical and emotional aspect of the patient, and taking into consideration their family and environment. Learning about the different theorists I associate myself the most with Hildegard Peplau. Peplau believed that the relationship between the patient and the nurse was focus of attention, rather than the patient only as the unit of attention. (Chitty & Black p.314-315). Using Peplau’s theory my relationship begins with my patients as strangers and I try to
The art of human caring is one of the most essential parts of the nursing profession. Caring is not something that you learn to do, but something that is within you. In nursing, it is important to know what kind of nurse you want to be as well as the care you intend to provide to your patients. The patient is the center of nursing, and it is your responsibility to make sure they are receiving the best care that they can receive. One of the most important things is to be able to set aside personal beliefs and morals in order to provide patient centered care. The way that you approach and care for a patient is either going to make or break the effect of the care you will be implementing to the patient.
When people think about nurses, many ideas come to mind. They think of the hideous old starched, white uniforms, a doctor’s handmaiden, the sexy or naughty nurse, or a torturer. The media and society have manipulated the identity and role of nurses. None of these ideas truly portray nurses and what they do. Nurses are with the patients more than the doctors. People do not realize how little they will encounter the doctor in the hospital until they are actually in the hospital. People quickly realize how important nurses are. Because nurses interact with their patients constantly, nurses are the ones who know the patients best.
A nurse is given an opportunity to help patients, either if its by helping them through a very serious sickness or just helping a patient get to the bathroom on time, or a time when happiness is overfilling the room and a child is being born. Registered nurses provide a wide variety of patient care services (Mitchell, p.12). A Nurse must always know where to begin and where to stop, as any other career in the health field there is always something that cannot be done by everyone but only the certified person, a nurse must always remain inside her scope of practice to prevent any misunderstandings. A nurse must also follow a code of ethics , the code of ethics of the American Association of Medical Assistants states that a nurse should at all times render service with full respect and dignity of humanity, respect confidential information obtained by a patients file, uphold the honor and high principles the profession and accept its discipline, and last but not least always want to improve her services to better serve the health and well being of the community. (Mitchell, p.65).
Philosophia comes from the Greek to mean “the love or pursuit of wisdom”. Philosophy to Catalin Avramescu is “a little bit like what Augustine famously said about the concept of time. When nobody asks me about it, I know.
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.
My approaches to caring include compassion, grace, service, presence, love, empowerment, partnership, justice and advocacy. I believe that an effective nurse thinks critically, communicates effectively, feels deeply, interacts meaningfully, assumes responsibility, acts morally, approaches clients within a partnering framework, understands that people’s needs vary with developmental stage and cultural background, and views people holistically, recognizing that health encompasses both wellness and illness. I believe that I believe the nature of nursing is rooted in commitment to public service and the undeniable desire to help those in need. Nursing is more than treating an illness; rather it is focused on delivering quality patient care that is individualized to
The writer believes Jesus is her leader, and the patient is the primary center for attention. She believes it is her duty to handle each patient with dignity and render the appropriate care. Health is a universal term that is more than the absence of illness. As a future nurse practitioner, she believes that she the responsibility to her Lord, the creator and His people to provide the best available care with the supervision of a physician.
and sensitivity of self and others.” (Alligood, 2010, p. 37) A nurse needs to be aware of one’s self
Nursing as a discipline has set forward an explicit desire to serve the public and it is the service and commitment to the individual and overall wellbeing of our society that drives and directs the study and practice of nurses, educators and nurse scholars (Smith & Parker, 2010).
Philosophy is a subject that chases wisdom by trying to answer the questions we have regarding our life, what we know, and what we choose to do. One aspect of philosophy stands out too because it refers to the knowledge and what we do with the information we receive from our experience on a day to day basis and how we process this information. The nature of philosophy surrounds the techniques we use, how we react to new knowledge, the answers to questions we have all asked, and how we use this new knowledge to benefit ourselves or pass the wisdom to others. The nature of philosophy is all encompassing because it helps answer the questions we constantly ask ourselves, and how we relay that knowledge as wisdom and