Download the full paper here: Nursing Philosophy
“What made you want to be a nurse?” It’s a simple question that I have been asked repeatedly over the last couple of years. It took me longer than most to decide that this was what I wanted to do with my life, so it is a fair question. What did make me finally settle on nursing? The answer to this question has a lot to do with my values and beliefs. I want to do something meaningful, helpful, and physical. I want to be kept busy, but not be doing busywork. I want to know that I am making a difference. As I thought about what it means to me to be a nurse, I realized that it checked all these boxes for me. I feel that this is best described by looking at how I view nursing, health, person, and environment.
Nursing
Definitions
I believe that nursing is more than just a job. It is an occupation in which the nurse has a responsibility to take care of him/herself, as well as their patient. It is a career that constantly pushes the nurse to become better, and occasionally challenges them to make hard decisions, and balance the patient’s desires with what is in their best interests. I believe that nursing is both an art and a science. It is an art because no two interactions are the same, and it is important that the nurse be flexible and quick on their feet in order to be able to handle whatever is thrown at them. It is a science because the treatments and best practices are based on evidence.
Assumptions
I assume that nurses are ethical workers. I believe that ethical practice is one of the most important aspects of nursing as the decisions made by nurses can ultimately have life of death consequences for their patients. I also assume that nurses always want to do their best work and what is best for their patients. Nurses should be capable to do all duties that they are expected to do and do them in efficient and safe ways. They should be able to make decisions about the needs of their patients and competent to act on those decisions.
Values
I value the role of nurses, and those that I’ve interacted with before. I believe that nurses often make patient’s experience more comfortable and happier, and I value that I am going to have that opportunity. I think that it is important to be there for people during the hard times in their lives, and that often is the situation when a nurse interacts with a patient.
Scenario
I had to get stiches for the first time when I was young, probably about ten years old. Being taken to the hospital with a gashed up, bleeding knee, I was scared and unsure of what was going to happen. The nurse who was getting me ready for my stitches helped to calm me and see how cool the situation was since I wasn’t seriously injured. I credit that nurse with the beginning of my interest in blood and the internal workings of the human body. I value her for starting me down this journey, and I hope that one day I will be able to care for my patient’s with the same compassion and interest that she did for me.
Health
Definitions
I believe that health is the condition of being able to function at one’s baseline level of competence. It looks different from person to person, but everyone should be able to maintain their best level of health. I also believe that health is on a continuum, for example a person who has a cold might be considered healthier than a person diagnosed with cancer. Even people who have a chronic condition, such as arthritis or COPD, could still be healthy, they just have a different baseline than I do.
Assumptions
I assume that everyone wants to be healthy. I can’t imagine someone being sick or injured and deciding that’s how they want to be the rest of their life, or not doing even the simple things that could help them to get better. Similarly, I also assume that people don’t want to be in the hospital. Being in the hospital usually means something is wrong, possibly something serious, and to tie this in with my first assumption, I don’t think anyone wants to be sick or injured and therefore stuck in the hospital.
Values
I value my own health and the independence it gives me to do all the things that I do. It is important to me that I stay in the best health that I can. I want to do the things that are good for my body to keep it in good condition so that it will last in a healthy state as I age. I once took a cross-fit class and it was taught by a lady in her seventies who could do all the workouts she made the class do. She out preformed every one of us students. She had been working out her entire life and it showed because she was able to continue to train at the same level and she looked like she was in fantastic shape. I aspire to be like her when I grow up, so that I might also be that healthy and active in my seventies.
Scenario
Recently, while I was working my current job in the blood bank, I interacted with a man who has MS. He had to use crutches to walk and told me that he had had his condition for many years. Despite having a dead leg and needing extra time to sit down or stand up, I would still consider him to be healthy. His health may not look the same as my own, as I can stand up straight and walk with only my two feet, but for him that was his own version of healthy. He wasn’t ill and he had adjusted so that he could perform his normal ADLs on his own despite his MS.
Person
Definition
I believe that a person is an individual being with their own unique thoughts, opinions, and traits. Every person is handmade by God and loved by Him and should be treated as such. People vary so widely in physical appearance, mindsets, religions, and every other way possible. Each person is unique, and the problems they face are too. This means that nursing care also needs to be tailored to them as an individual so that they feel that they are being cared for in the best, most fulfilling way possible.
Assumptions
I assume that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are. I assume that everyone will treat me and others with the respect that I feel is deserved. I think that I also believe people will stand up for themselves if they aren’t receiving what they need, but I know that isn’t always true. It is going to be my job as a nurse to be aware of this and act as an advocate when necessary for others who either don’t or can’t speak up for themselves.
Values
I value people because they are made in the image of God and strive to look beyond any differences and see them for who they are. I also value people’s opinions. I often ask others for advice and their thoughts on things that I do. I think this habit will carry over into my nursing career, at least in the beginning, because I will value the thoughts of the other healthcare professionals if I am uncertain about what to do. I will also ask the patients themselves what they want or need so that I am able to provide the best care for them and make them as comfortable as possible while they are in my care.
Scenario
During one of my clinical days I interacted with a man who had very little mobility on his own. He also couldn’t communicate verbally. I assisted the CNA with getting him out of bed to his wheelchair and dressing him. During this experience I still interacted with him and treated him with respect. I knew that he is still a person and is still able to hear so I made sure to talk to him to let him know what I was going to be doing and why. Despite his physical decline I know that God still created this man and loves him, so it was important to me that I treated him in such a way that I would have wanted to be treated had I been in his position.
Environment
Definition
Environment refers to the area the patient is in, or an area where someone is working. It is made up of a combination of things such as physical space, mood, objects in the area, and so on. In a patient’s environment it should be kept safe and comfortable to promote patient comfort and healing. A person’s workspace is another example of environment and it should also be kept clean and safe. Personal space should always be identified and respected, no matter if this is for a patient, their family, or a coworker.
Assumptions
I assume that other people want to have personal space. I also assume that other want their space to be generally clean and clutter-free. Working under this assumption, I feel that people should be responsible for cleaning up after themselves, unless they are not capable of doing such tasks. I expect my fellow nurses to be tidy and keep a clean and safe workspace. I expect patients to do the same, but I know that in some cases they will be unable to do clean up tasks, due to injury or other limitations.
Values
I value my personal space. I like having a “bubble” so that I feel comfortable and can work without bumping into other people or things. I enjoy when things are properly put away and I feel that I’m constantly in a state of cleaning. If I have free time, often it is spent organizing and reorganizing things. As a nurse, I believe that this will help me to keep my environment ready for use.
Scenario
During my clinicals this quarter I noticed that many of the CNAs I worked with would take the time to clean up a resident’s room and make their bed. After taking the resident to the dining room and getting them settled in with their breakfast, the CNA would return to the room to take the time to tidy up. I felt like this was a good practice as it made the resident’s main environment safer and more comfortable for them when they returned. I hope that when I am a nurse, I am able to provide this little bit of extra care for my patients too.
Conclusion
Overall, I am excited about being a nurse. I am looking forward to incorporating my beliefs, values, and maybe working through my assumptions as I care for those who need help. I think that the experience I already have and the learning I will do over the next two years is going to continue to shape my philosophy on nursing and I look forward to seeing how I grow as a person through the experience.