PHILOSOPHY CONCEPTS

As nurses we are responsible for observing and assessing patient responses, in order to do

this effectively we must consider every aspect of the individual when providing care and not

view them as just merely a disease or injury because each patient is unique and has different

needs. In my philosophy, the person is a biopsychosocial being and the recipient of nursing care

because when nurses provide care all biological, psychological (which entails thoughts,

emotions, and behaviors), and social (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural)

factors are important. While the environment is all external conditions and influences that affect

the individual and the health concept is physical, mental, and social well-being.

PIECE OF ART:
Furthermore, my art work is a drawing of an individual person that has no defining

features because I believe as nurses when providing care gender, race/ethnicity, or

socioeconomic status should not be a weighting factor of how a patient gets treated. All patients

should be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Also, the person consists of pieces to a

puzzle that creates a human figure. Each puzzle piece portrays an important aspect of the patient

that should be taken into consideration when providing care, because these are the factors that

helps nurses individualize the care for each patient. Some pieces are blank because if only factors

that affect the body are taken into consideration and not psychological, social, or spiritual factors

then the patients care is lacking or flawed.

For example, Once I, as a nurse get past my personal cultural barriers I can be culturally

sensitive to my patient. So if I am caring for a Muslim patient I know that during Ramadan,

which is a holy month of fasting, the followers of Islam do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset

with the exception of pregnant women, children, elderly, and the very ill. Therefore, by
respecting their culture I would respect the patients wishes and I would be taking into

consideration the social factors of this particular patient.

FUTURE GOALS:
My goal for my own nursing practice are to value both health and wellness as it is done

within the holistic framework. As health meaning a dynamic state in which the person constantly

adapts to changes in the internal and external environments (Craven, 2013). This concept of

health must allow for individual variability and this holistic framework allows for this view. For

example, different people view healthy in different ways. Someone who has a temporary

disability might view themselves as not healthy, while another with a permanent disability may

consider the condition as a normal state. Wellness is another valued goal from this concept

because it can be thought of as a dynamic balance between the physical, psychosocial, social,

and spiritual aspects of a persons life. Wellness behaviors promote healthy functioning and help

prevent illness. Such behaviors include stress management, nutritional awareness, and physical

fitness.

The key is not necessarily about how long you spent interacting with a patient, but how

you used the time you had with them. Nurses should strive to always make the most of the short

time they have with each patient and remember that we should not define our patient just as a

stroke patient, cancer patient, etc but remember that they are real people and we must figure

out the puzzle pieces that make each person who they are individually. As nurses we need to

promote a patients psychological and emotional wellbeing in order to facilitate physical healing.

When we do this our relationship with the patient changes and grows into something more

positive than before. So when we take into consideration their culture, values, beliefs, etc this

leads to better patient outcomes and can increase the happiness and purpose in your work as a

nurse.