PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
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Personal Philosophy of Nursing
In order to be able to form and articulate a personal nursing philosophy requires one to know what nursing means to them while analyzing and inventorying their own values and beliefs. Through this self-awareness one is able to reect on the guidelines that steer their practice, thus ultimately dening what a nurse is to them. It is this denition that lays the framework for the codes that will govern ones practice as health care providers. !nother important element that cannot be let out of this process is the how the "ode of #thics for $ursing plays a role in guiding the standard of care in nursing practice. !fter %& years of nursing practice, my values and beliefs have been established but are not set in stone, as they are often times challenged by e'periences met within the hospital. The cycle of e'perience, inner reection and growth is never ending in the role of the nurse and is imperative for maturity and growth within the person. The denition denition of nursing nursing has evolved evolved over a long period period of time from from (uda in the si'th century establishing a school to teach how to treat the sick, to most recently )oretta *ord establishing a nurse practitioner program to help the misfortunate in rural !merica. It was the predecessors that forged a path by laying the foundation for which nurses have grown into a noble profession. profession. They accomplished this through men entering into a female dominate role, to the nurses that set their safety aside to take risks in caring for the contagious and ill, and lastly to those that took social norms and changed them by addressing uneasy issues in relation to the
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
underprivileged patient, thus steering nursing down a altruistic road +lais ayes, p. /&-/01. 2ver time the denition of what a nurse is has varied, but the one component that has been constant is the element of care that is administered to the sick. This is the main reason I entered nursing, for my love of helping others. $ursing is most rewarding to me because of the di3erent facets of care I can provide, whether that is accomplished through physical care of administering medicines and treatments or emotional through listening and touch. The !merican !cademy of $ursing +!$!1 on their website www.nursingworld.org denes nursing as, 4$ursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and in5ury, alleviation of su3ering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations6 +!merican $urses !ssociation, 78%/1. The denition denition by the !$! !$! goes hand hand in hand with the purpose purpose of nursing. I divide the purpose of nursing into three areas prevention, prevention, treatment and support. $urses play a critical role in the prevention and spread of disease through education to their patients and the public promoting health. 9pon admission to the hospital, I have have a captive audience to teach to throughout my patient:s hospitalization up until their discharge. ;y unit provides a teaching packet that is loaded with information related to prevention of in5ury and disease in respect to the care of the patient. The forms range from immunization schedules, care seat safety, storage of
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PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
medication, to my favorite hand washing. The nurse plays a signicant part in the multi disciplinary team that a3ects the direct outcome of the patient through their skilled and competent care that they provide during a patients hospitalization. It is through through the direct contact at the bedside that a nurse is able to provide the treatment necessary to help heal or comfort their patients. This is where where I spend a great deal of my time, administering medications or providing treatments treatments ordered by the doctor. doctor. If healing is no longer possible, the nurse:s role slightly changes to now providing palliative care to their patient. I nd this role role challenging and rewarding rewarding to be able to provide the best possible care in keeping my patients comfortable while allowing them to die with dignity and in peace. It has taken many years to become more comfortable in this nal role due to having to face the fact that we are human and cannot heal everyone that comes into our care. It is key to be able to identify ones beliefs and values systems both personal and professional in order to be aware of what guides their practice of care. I believe integrity is a core core value in the public:s view of the nurse. This high moral moral standard standard our our profession profession is entrusted entrusted with, can be be potentially potentially tarnished or worse destroyed with actions that do not follow good work ethics. I believe it is through the value I place in honesty, accountability, and reliability that enables me to build upon in forming therapeutic nurse-patient relationships and simply being the best nurse I can be for those entrusted in my care. Trust is another important value that can be destroyed without integrity and I feel should be taken seriously. seriously. This standard can be fostered
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
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through honesty, maintaining condentiality and education. I believe it is through trust that the nurse is able to care for their patients holistically holistica lly.. I want my patients to be able to trust that I know what I am doing while they are in my care along with knowing that I will not share information shared with others outside of the medical team. The title of nurse does not stay within the connes of the hospital< therefore, living a life with integrity is a public display of the worth of the nurse even though ones actions and behavior may be on their personal time. I believe continuing education and staying current is one:s practice is essential in delivering the best care possible as one takes accountability for their own professional development thus potentially improving the outcome outcome for their patients. ! nurse that embraces their thirst for more knowledge, not only invests in themselves but in those they care care for as well. There is e'treme e'treme value in treating the whole patient, not 5ust their disease. In meeting all of their holistic needs, one may nd comfort and solace faster and without fear or 5udgment. 9ltimately, I nd value in my belief that we all answer to a high being and I believe e guides my hands and is with me as as I care for the sick. It is through this that I believe that I am fullled as a nurse while I carry out is work. ! code of ethics is necessary to set standards of care within this profession which could be di3erent than one:s personal belief and value system. 9nderstanding and being cognizant of ones values and beliefs is imperative in nursing due to the unique situations we encounter within our daily tasks +lais ayes, p. =0->01. The !$! does a wonderful 5ob of listing
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
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the $ursing "ode of #thics for $ursing on their website. Two areas that stood out to me, where the sections related to professional boundaries and integrity within this long document. In caring for children it is easy to cross boundaries due to the close physical contact we have with our patients. !t times we hold, swaddle, rock, feed, sing to, read books and tuck into bed, thus making it all the more important to dene boundaries to help the nurse not risk threatening threatening the sanctity of the therapeutic relationship. relationship.
This is key
to the patient:s well being along with the survival of the nurse in not partaking in behaviors that could potentially risk their license and risk burn out. This is not an easy boundary to keep keep because there are a lot of gray lines, but through being cognizant and mindful of ones actions, it is not only possible it is essential. The "ode of #thics recommends seeking help from superiors if the boundaries are being 5eopardized +"ode of #thics p.?1. @rovision > in the "ode of #thics speaks to the integrity of the nurse by seeking out their own educational needs in order to remain competent and knowledgeable in their eld of work +"ode of #thic p 0-%81. Aith nursing changing through our new evidence based care, it is of most importance to say current within your eld of work. !fter many years of my employer suggesting a group of us become certied in our eld of work +@ediatric ematologyB2ncology1,, I took the e'am and passed. The feeling of ematologyB2ncology1 accomplishment was almost as e'hilarating as passing the $")#C e'am. It is with great pride that I am able to add initials behind my ($, to which I get to e'plain frequently to those patients or parents that inquire as to what
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
"@2$ stands for on my badge. This knowledge I am able to pull from daily as I teach my patients or new nurses. Ahen there is the situation of I am unfamiliar with, The "hildren:s ospital of The Ding:s Eaughters +"DE1, has done a phenomenal 5ob of writing detailed policies and procedures that are available to all sta3 on the Internet. This increases the integrity of the care provided, due to it being the most current practices in our hospital. The greatest greatest challenge challenge that I have have encountered encountered in my nursing nursing practice is in relation to ethical issues such as a family not telling their child that they have cancer or more devastating to me was the family that refused to tell their child that he was going to die within that hospitalization. These situations go against my internal code of beliefs and values regarding honesty, integrity, and trusts for the need and want to prepare the child or parents on what to e'pect through through this process is pressing. pressing. I am proud proud to report though, my team at "DE does an amazing 5ob of helping to navigate the parents through this diFcult e'perience to enable them to come to grips with the inevitable and share with their child the news that ultimately must be shared. In closing, after %& years of e'perience although I had not ever been consciously aware of my nursing philosophy, I had formed one. 2ver the years, I have questioned others motives of becoming a nurse because their value, beliefs and work ethic did not uphold my denition of what a nurse is to me. I am proud proud to report report that these nurses I questioned their career career choice did not work on my unit. Ahat is most interesting to me though, as I
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reected was the realization that my philosophy changed from the time I was new graduate to now, an e'pert e'pert in my eld of practice. Ahile my core values and beliefs of integrity, honesty, reliability, accountability, trustworthiness and caring have not changed, my view on education has been revised. I have been stagnant in my formal education for many years and refused to see the worth of a achelors Eegree in Gcience +G$1 over my Eiploma of $ursing, but through this nationwide push for all nurses to have their G$, my eyes have been opened to an entire other world. *or advancement in my career, a degree is required, thus I must surge forward in this decision to earn my G$. The challenge of writing papers is e'cruciating to me as I loathe being a novice, but when this e'perience is a memory, I will be the e'pert helping the novice nurses coming behind me in this 5ourney.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
&or's (i)e* A+eri,an Nurses Asso,ia)ion- .n-*-/- American .n-*-/- American Nurses Association Association-- Re)rie0e* No0e+er 1 231 fro+ h))p455666-nursing6orl*-org h))p455666-nursing6orl*-org55 7lais 8- 9 Hayes :- S- .2311/- Professi .2311/- Professional onal nursing practice: Concepts and perspectivesperspectives7os)on4 Pearson(o*e of E)hi,s for Nurses- .2313 No0e+er 1"/- Code of Ethics for NursesNurses- Re)rie0e* No0e+er 1 231 fro+ h))p455666-nursing6orl*-org5,o*eofe)hi,s h))p455666-nursing6orl*-org5,o*eofe)hi,s
2nline search httpHBBwww.nursingworld.org httpHBBwww.nursingworld.orgBcodeofethics httpHBBwww.nursingworld.orgB;obileB"ode-of-#thics httpHBBwww.nursingworld.orgB#specially*orouBAhat-is-$ursing httpHBBwww.aacn.nche.eduBpublicationsBwhite-papersBhallmarks-practiceenvironment httpsHBBwww.ncsbn.orgB@rofessionaloundariesJ"omplete.pdf
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onor "odeH I pledge to support the onor Gystem of 2ld Eominion 9niversity. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the onor "ode. I will report to a hearing if summoned
Signature: Pamela A Johnston RN CPHON CPHON
