What Nursing Means to Me

Health is not limited to a physical illness that can be cured or alleviated but must encompass the entire individual. It includes spiritual, emotional, social, mental and physical aspects of the individual. All of these areas must be assessed and evaluated when caring or a patient and their families (Chitty, 2007, p. 303).

With that in mind, my personal definition of nursing, although quite impossible to define, would be the science and art of providing holistic care to a client; physically, mentally, physiologically, spiritually and emotionally. I firmly believe that nursing care is not solely confined to an individual as nursing care tend to extend beyond the patient to family members and friends who care about their loved one. There are very few definitions out there that would capture the essence of my role in nursing, and I would entrust myself to repeat my

Nursing is primarily assisting the individual (sick or well) in the performance of those activities contributing to health or his recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge. (as cited in Cox, Cline, & Reed, 2007, p. 93)

My definition of nursing is that of someone who genuinely cares about the well-being of others and helps heal those who are ill. Nursing is both an art and a science because in order to understand a patients diagnosis you must know the pathophysiology and basic lab values. The science part of nursing allows us to make judgments on medication orders doctors prescribe, procedures, and practices. Art is also apart of nursing because as nurses we must have intuition, compassion, and warmth towards our patients. It is what allows us to therapeutically communicate with our patients. A person can have the science part, but not master the art and therefore, that person may be uncompassionate towards a patient. I have see nurses in clinical settings

In order to decide on an accurate and well-described definition of what nursing is I sought multiple sources and decided upon two that I feel are representative of nursing. The American Nurses Association (ANA, 2015) declares, “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.” As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2015)

a few ideas of what the term nursing means to me, along with some supporting ideas from

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 philosophy of nursing is something that I will stand by throughout my nursing career. My philosophy is based upon providing proficient, compassionate, and holistic care to my patients. Growing up in Liberia, I have always known that I was meant to be a nurse. As a child, I loved helping people in need, and being there for others. Nursing is a career where I can utilize both, and I am passionate about this field of work. My mission as a nurse is to provide help to those in need regardless of their gender, religion, race, ethnicity, or financial status.

The two theories that have helped to form my personal perspective on nursing are Erickson; and Rogers. Helen Erickson’s model is based on caring for an individual patient based on their own unique needs and perspective (Nursing Theories and Models, 2017). Erickson’s model took concepts from several other theorists such as Maslow, Padget, Seyle, and Lazarus and combined them to create a nursing model that takes care of each individual patient based on their needs ( Reed, 2017). This theory helps me to be more cognizant of the individual needs of my patient, not all patients regardless of disease process are the same. Each patient may have different underlying factors or circumstances that affect their health and current situation. Rogers’ theory is broader, viewing nursing as both an art and science, promoting health and wellbeing to patients regardless of where they are (Nursing Theories and Models, 2017). The science of nursing involves the knowledge and research of nursing, and the art is applying that science for the betterment of the patient. This theory views an individual as part

I agree with Eric Dishman and his ideas that were created from his personal experiences. When Eric discussed how he was diagnosed with a terminal illness that gave him a few years to live, it swept him off guard. He was ready to accept his fate and die from this illness since he believed in what his doctors told him. Fortunately, he had a friend he had made while enduring all his tests to lead up to his illness. She helped him research his illness and what cause and effects take place. Without her help he wouldn't have fought through his illness and came out to where he is today. His ideas that patient cared should be centered around the patient and accessible at home too. This idea allows that patient to be more in control of their health.

My personal philosophy of nursing is based on my understanding and knowledge of medicine combined with practical, compassionate patient based care that culturally respects each patient while at the same time fulfilling their healthcare needs. My philosophy focuses just not on delivering patient based

Each individual has a personal view of the world that has been influenced by things such as: upbringing, education, religion, life experiences and relationships. In the modern worldview, there is little thought given to the mind or soul as this is something invisible and so is not measureable. The postmodern view sees people as energy that can be manipulated to restore balance. The Christian worldview believes that we have been created by God in his image (Shelly & Miller, 2006). Spirituality, religion and personal beliefs surrounding worldview questions, can all impact healthcare today. This paper will

Having a holistic perspective means to visualize the mind and body as parts that are separate but come together and work as a whole. Holism emphasizes the importance of the whole body.Whether it is physical, chemical, or mental, every part of our body is connected and is related to one another. Our book “Practical Philosophy of Sport and Physical Activity” (Kretchmar R., Scott 2005) states that holism is ideally promised to revolutionize the way we think about people, how we educate them, treat them medically, promote their spiritual growth, and help them move(pg102). However, a holistic approach on medicine has both its advantages and disadvantages. An article called “Pros and Cons of Holistic Medicine” lists some strengths of an holistic perspective that includes the personal connection you can make with your patient by giving them all your attention, treating the patient as a whole, and the stress reduction of the patient. This approach of treating patients as a whole allows patients to consider their wellness overall and encourages them to live a

Mercedez, in your case one post, I completely agree! It is extremely important for patients to have a healthy mind-body relationship, in order to ensure reduced stress, which can greatly benefit their health as a whole. Also, for your case two post, you made some very good points! Immunizations are very important in order to stop the spread of diseases, and without them it can be very detrimental to a population.

My brother and sister are both in the medical field so I knew that I wanted to do something in the medical field. I have always been intrigued by how the body functions and taking care of someone in need. My choice wasn’t evidently clear to me until I became a CNA and at that point I knew that I wanted to become a nurse indefinitely. Working alongside many fellow nurses has shown me that there was nothing else in the world that I wanted to do than be a nurse and further my education. I see nursing as respecting the patients’ needs and wants, making patient safety a number one priority, acting in the patients’ best interest, being ethical, and working well with other health care professionals to name a few.