Running Head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

Personal Philosophy of Nursing Practice

Nicole W. Costanzo
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
NUR 4142: Synthesis for Nursing Practice

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY
Defining Nursing
Nursing is a very unique profession in that it is incredibly fulfilling and
challenging at the same time. Throughout nursing it is critically important to know how
to achieve this role and the steps others have followed to be successful. Values, beliefs,
and knowledge in nursing establish decision-making and critical thinking during patient
care. The values and beliefs that one has are vital to determining how each nurse carries
out his or her daily activities within their philosophy. Every nurse has unique beliefs and
values but it is imperative to focus on providing the best care possible to their patients.
This can be difficult at times as certain patients may hold different beliefs and values but
it is our job to focus on the task at hand and complete it to the best of our abilities.
Nursing care should be nonjudgmental and culturally competent. While caring for
patients, nurses should consider the equality of treatment and care, advocating for the
patient, and offering compassion and support. As a nurse, the most recent evidencedbased practice should be used.
According to the tenets of Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing, nurses
collaborate with others to provide leadership and empowerment in health care. Lifelong
learning is important in order to utilize evidenced-based practice to deliver care to
patients. Nursing education promotes the application of classroom learning to clinical
experiences and decision-making. This cultivates patient safety and quality care. During
nursing care, caring is expressed through many ways, such as nursing knowledge,
critically thinking, and holistic care (Student Catalog and Handbook 2014 - 2015).
Personal Philosophy

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

A philosophy of nursing is the values and beliefs about nursing care and how it
should be delivered. My personal philosophy of nursing is that I believe in providing
compassionate care to all patients. Compassionate care encompasses communication,
patient advocacy, and education. I believe that patient care is individualized and should
remain without judgement. Each patient relationship should be unique. Nurses have a
commitment to their patients and a commitment to the community as well. The
commitment to the patients includes providing a healing environment and fostering
relationships with the patient and their family. Commitment to the community is
considered volunteer work, mission work, or serving as a Good Samaritan.
When serving diverse populations it is important to recognize the barriers to
health care in order to provide the patient with appropriate resources. Life-long learning
is necessary when providing care to patients. Being a nurse that recognizes each patient is
an individual and deserves individualized care is essential to nursing practice. Having a
positive outlook in most situations is an important trait for a nurse and offering support
when needed.
My personal philosophy will guide my nursing career in how I will translate what
has been learned throughout nursing school into my professional nursing career.
Everything I learn in nursing school I will be able to apply to my career. Clinical
experience has also been a valuable aspect of my philosophy of nursing. Clinical
experience has shown me teamwork, collaboration, and nursing care in action. With my
personal philosophy I will provide my patients with the best care that I can.
Application of my Personal Philosophy

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

A patient experience that demonstrates the application of my personal philosophy

of nursing is one that I had early in my education. I was on PTU at St. Marys Hospital
and was assigned to a patient that had tongue cancer. The patient recently had her tongue
removed and had a tracheostomy and PEG tube placed. At the beginning of the shift, the
patient and I had trouble communicating. She did not have a tongue and this was a
communication barrier. She could not say everything she wanted, but she could mouth
words. We had a delay in communication but as time went on I was able to understand
her and attend to her needs. I decided I wanted to give this patient a bath since she had
not had one since her surgery 3 days before. Some of my classmates assisted me with this
and we bathed this patient and washed her hair. She requested a mirror because she had
not seen herself since the surgery. I was able to give this to her. The patient thanked me so
much and was so happy that I could help her and spend some time with her. Although
these tasks seem simple, I will never forget how I made this patient feel and how it made
me feel in return. During this experience, I was able to use nonjudgmental nursing care
and attend to this patients basic needs.
Changes from NUR 1100
From my original Personal Philosophy of Nursing Paper in NUR 1100 my values
and beliefs have expanded. In addition to my previous thoughts, I have learned and
practiced that nursing should encompass the whole patient. Focusing on the physical,
emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the patient is important for nurses.
Also, throughout clinical experience, I have learned how important it is to work together
as a team on any given nursing unit. Teamwork also requires adequate communication. I

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have also learned that things do not always go as planned and that nurses must be
dynamic and flexible.
From Novice to Expert
According to Patricia Benners theory: From Novice to Expert, Stage 1: Novice, is
where beginners have no experience to perform in situations. For example, they are
taught about objective attributes that they will encounter as a nurse and are expected to be
able to identify measurable parameters of a patients condition. The best example for
novice is nursing students entering clinical rotations. Stage 2: Advanced Beginner, is
where beginners have some experience and can demonstrate acceptable performance.
Advanced beginners need assistance in the clinical setting with prioritizing patients and
their needs. This is because they are only beginning to perceive patterns in their clinical
practice. During this time, a new nurse would work with a seasoned nurse preceptor and
they would be available to point out aspects of the situations in which the advanced
beginner should identify prioritization. Stage 3, Competent, is a nurse who has had the
same nursing job or similar situations for two to three years. Competence develops when
the nurse is able to develop and implement a plan for the shift and follow that plan
without getting caught up in other areas of nursing care. The competent nurse is able to
feel as if theyve mastered their skills and is able to manage clinical nursing. Stage 4:
proficient, is a nurse that performs in situations rather than in details. The proficient nurse
has learned from experiences and is able to respond to events in a timely manner and is
able to identify when something is wrong. Stage 5: expert, is a nurse with a long
background of experience. This is where intuition begins and assists nurses in each

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situation. The expert is able to have an understanding for the entire situation, not just
small details or diagnosis (Benner, 2001).
Stage 2: Advanced Beginner
According to Patricia Benners theory: From Novice to Expert, the stage that most
accurately represents my current professional development is advanced beginner. Being
in nursing school clinicals for two years and working in the hospital setting for two years,
I feel that I have been introduced into the clinical environment. As a future nurse, I feel
that I can manage patient care, but still have questions about things. I work with a
preceptor to care for my patients and sometimes assistance is required for prioritization.
My nursing care knowledge is still developing and this will take time.
The next stage is the competent nurse. In order for me to be a competent nurse, I
must be in that particular practice for two to three years. In the meantime, I will attend
any unit specific trainings and plan for any specific certifications to help me to be more
knowledgeable. During my initial nursing career, I will be sure to have a mentor on the
unit, someone that I am able to ask questions. Also, I will learn from my mistakes and
those of others. I am very observant while at work and I will be certain to gain
information from others challenges.

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7
References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing
practice (commemorative ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Student Catalog and Handbook 2014 - 2015. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015.