Running head: PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY

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Personal Nursing Philosophy

Tara D. Johnston
Delaware Technical and Community College
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To construct a personal nursing philosophy, I believe that one must decide what nursing is

to oneself and what purpose does one fulfill as a nurse. Along with these ideations one must

establish nursing as an art of caring and continue to obtain and apply nursing knowledge of

science into their nursing practice throughout their career as a bedside nurse, nursing colleague

and a nurse in a leadership role. In reviewing nursing theories, the words stated in Ida Jean

Orlando Theory of Nursing Process Discipline, The role of the nurse is to find out and meet

the patients immediate need for help. The patients presenting behavior may be a plea for help,

however, the help needed may not be what it appears to be (Cardinal Stritch University, 2017,

para. 1), resonated with me. These words demonstrate the need for me as a nurse to use my

perception and nursing knowledge to explore the cause of distress and determine the help

needed. Through my nursing practice I implement the nursing process to assess, diagnosis, plan,

implement and evaluate to go beyond a patients chief complaint to address needs of a patient to

produce positive outcomes or patient improvement (Nursing Process Theory, 2016, para. 9).

As a competent nurse on the continuum to achieve expert the importance of lifelong learning

in an ever-changing evidence based practice is necessary to emulate altruism and compassionate

care as my foundation for nursing. The purpose I fulfill as a nurse is to provide a nursing

practice that encompasses respect, dignity and compassionate care for the betterment of my

patients. Jean Watsons Philosophy and Science of Caring, refers to the human being as "a

valued person in and of him or herself to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood and

assisted; in general, a philosophical view of a person as a fully functional integrated self. Human

is viewed as greater than and different from the sum of his or her parts (Jean Watson Nursing

Theory, 2016, para. 1). This theory validates the importance of the essence of nursing as an

art of caring as well as demonstrating the dynamic necessary to provide interactions between
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the nurse and the patient in such a way that establishes trust to address human dignity that is

greater than the individual nurse or the individual patient.

My personal nursing philosophy is continued commitment to attain and incorporate the

application of knowledge as the science of nursing in directive to provide the compassionate

care of nursing as an art. Ida Jean Orlando describes the nursing process as a discipline theory

that utilizes nurses to use their own perception, thought about perception or the feeling

engendered from their thoughts to explore the meaning of the patients behavior. This process

helps nurses to find out the nature of the patients distress and provide the help he or she needs

(Nursing Process Theory, 2016, para. 1).

As a nurse, I strive to be a lifelong learner of the ever-changing evidence based practice

to strengthen my nursing practice. This is the corner stone to address the immediate needs of

patients as well as the needs of the patients that are unable to cope with their needs on their own

(Nursing Process Theory, 2016, para. 8). My continued commitment to attain lifelong learning

can be demonstrated through my journey to obtain my BSN, to my reading of AORN journals as

a member, to my professional goals of developing my critical thinking skills to advance my

understanding of regulatory guidelines, to developing my communication skills through

responsible social networking as well as seeking learning opportunities from colleagues and

superiors to further advance my interpersonal skills. Seizing opportunities to take advantage of a

time of reflection after providing care for a patient will increase my commitment to altruism to

enhance my nursing care as an art.

To quote Ida Jean Orlando, Nursing offers mothering and nursing analogous to an adult

who mothers and nurtures a child (Nursing Process Theory, 2016, para. 8). There is no greater

demonstration of the art of caring than that of a mother to a child. Ida Jean Orlandos

comparison of care that a nurse offers to a patient to that of a mother to a child demonstrates the

impact that nurses have on patient improvement and positive outcomes. The nursing process
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allows nurses to deliver compassionate care that goes beyond the obvious immediate need for

help, to pleas not communicated, however discovered by an astute nurse. The recipient of this

compassionate care often goes beyond the patient to family, friends, colleagues and other

members of the healthcare team. The art of caring is demonstrated as the nurses concern for

meeting the needs of those unable to meet their own, whether it be a patient, a family member,

friends, colleagues or any other members of the healthcare team.

My journey to becoming a nurse began in my thirties. Prior to nursing my background

consisted of analytics and being a full-time mother. No matter where I was in my life or what

direction I was heading being my personal best was something I always strived for, it was and is

a way of life. For me being a great nurse means continuing to expand my knowledge base while

practicing compassionate care with integrity while demonstrating respect for all whom I have the

pleasure to care for, work with or lead. This means expanding upon my practical skills, loyalty,

supportive, enthusiastic, reliable, observant and hardworking personality traits. At the same

time, I must avoid overloading myself, taking things too personally, being slow to accept change

and allowing my humility be taken advantage of.

Nursing offers the opportunity to work people, their environment as well as have a

positive impact on the health and wellbeing of all around. I embrace the pleasure of having a

career that is altruistic in nature. My nursing career began with an associate degree program that

afforded me the opportunity to work in a level one trauma center emergency department. The

opportunities of nursing are vast and have continued to expand my practice as a Clinical Director

of an Ambulatory Surgical Center. My aspiration to achieve increased knowledge through my

journey of RN to BSN is just another example of me striving for my personal best. This in turn

will benefit the interactions I have with patients, to offering a therapeutic environment as well as

enhancing the impacts I can present to improve the healing process through my nursing care.
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My personal nursing philosophy goes beyond bedside care to my professional role as a

Clinical Director of Delaware Surgical Arts. Ida Jean Orlando states, patients are unique and

individual in how they respond and patients need help communicating their needs (Nursing

Process Theory, 2016, para. 8). As the Clinical Director I address each patient as well as each

member on my team as unique individuals with concern and kindness while observing the need

for help in communicating their needs. This approach is another demonstration of the art of

caring that encourages trust between the nurse and patient and the nurse leader and team

member.
My continued commitment to attain and incorporate the application of knowledge as the

science of nursing in directive to provide the compassionate care of nursing as an art goes

beyond the hours I spend working. I encompass this philosophy into my daily life. This

epitomizes my desire to be my personal best in all aspects of my life as well as my desire to be

the best nurse I can possibility be.

References
C. (2016). Ida jean Orlando - Theory of Nursing Process Discipline. Retrieved February 18,

2017, from http://www.stritch.edu/Library/Doing-Research/Research-by-Subject/Health-

Sciences-Nursing-Theorists/Ida-Jean-Orlando---Theory-of-Nursing-Process-Discipline/
Jean Watson Nursing Theory. (2016). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://nursing-

theory.org/theories-and-models/watson-philosophy-and-science-of-caring.php
N. (2017). Nursing Process Theory. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from http://nursing-

theory.org/theories-and-models/orlando-nursing-process-discipline-theory.php