Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

My Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Chelsea Woodmore

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR4142 Synthesis for Nursing Practice

October 13, 2017

Dr. Turner

I pledge.
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Definition of Nursing

I define nursing as professions dedicated to helping others heal from a state of disease and

sickness, to one of health and wellness. Not only does nursing practice seek to heal people, it also seeks to

empower them with the knowledge to remain in good health. The Bon Secours College of Nursing

believes that by providing holistic care, this essentially helps to restore health, promote wellness, and

prevent disease (BSMCON Faculty Handbook, 2017). There seems to be a general consensus that

providing holistic care is one of the best ways to promote good health and wellness, and I believe that as

well. As health care providers, often we tend to focus on the physical aspect of a sick person, and forget

to treat their mental and spiritual aspects. I believe that addressing all aspects of a person is important as a

nurse, because all of these play an important role in ensuring health and wellness. Humans are complex

beings. Through all of my clinical experience, I have realized that being sick not only wears on your

physical body, but it can be mentally draining and exhausting. It is important that nurses are equipped to

heal a persons mind and spirit as well.

One of the most rewarding facets of nursing is the continual room for education and growth of

not only nurses, but also the profession as a whole. When I first started my nursing school journey, I did

not know how well the college of nursing prepared their students for a nursing career. The dedicated

teachers, small class sizes, and abundance of hands-on clinical experience, assures students that they will

be well prepared by the time they take their NCLEX and start their nursing practice. One thing that the

college offered that was really beneficial to my learning was clinical simulation. Simulations provided an

opportunity to apply critical thinking skills to clinical situations that are bound to come up during nursing

practice. Even though I found the simulations to be extremely awkward, reflecting back, Im so glad I got

a chance to participate in them because they allowed me a chance to encounter a situation, process the

problem, and come up with a solution.

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Nursing is not confined to a hospital setting or doctors office. Nursing involves going out into

the community to advocate and fight for the well-being of everyone, especially the vulnerable. I believe

as healthcare professionals, it is imperative that nurses advocate for change in the community to ensure

that everyone has access to healthcare and once available, can afford to practice healthy living.

Throughout nursing school, I have been privileged enough to visit many different hospitals and health

care facilities. I have been exposed to various vulnerable populations, including the elderly, minorities,

and those with mental illnesses. Having a chance to interact with different populations, allowed me to see

some of the things that they go through and what types of resources they need.

Reflect on Philosophy

One of the biggest components of my personal philosophy of nursing is establishing a good

rapport with my patients. It is important that my first interaction with my patient is one of kindness. No

matter what I may have heard about a patient, for example, when I am getting shift report from the off-

coming nurse, I still want the first impression the patient has of me to be one of respect and trust. I believe

attitude can make or break a nurse-patient relationship. I have witnessed first-hand how a nurse will

approach a difficult patient with attitude, and in turn, create a relationship of distrust and turmoil.

Approaching a patient with kindness and respect sets a tone for everything else that follows.

I also believe that nurses should listen to their patients and involve them in their own healthcare.

Even though I am considered a healthcare provider, at the end of the day, I know that the one person, who

knows their patient best, is the patient. Patients have the right to be involved in their own care, and it is

important that as a nurse, I respect their choices and listen to their input. There are times when caregivers

become so consumed with titles; they feel as if they are the sole experts on what decisions are best for

their patient. However, patients know what works and what doesnt work for them. They know their

strengths and weaknesses. They know their limitations. As a nurse, it is my job to work with that patient

and ensure that they best possible resources are offered to them.
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Patient-Nurse Encounter

During one of my ANS I practicum, the patient I was assigned to apparently was rude to the

night-shift nurse. The nurse and the patient had both exchanged words with one another and in shift report

she reiterated how exhausting this particular patient was. The nurse and I exchanged a worried look, but

then proceeded into the patients room. I told myself that whatever I had heard about this patient, I was

not going to let that deter me from expressing compassion and kindness for him. A situation like this is

why it is so important to lead with kindness. Because I did not let a negative experience from the nurse

clout my judgment about the patient, I was able to establish that trusting relationship with him, and my

time with him was great. Being sick and having to stay in a hospital can be a difficult and trying time for

any individual. Whenever I feel myself getting frustrated or angry with a patient or situation, I try to take

a moment and remind myself that my patient is probably going through a way more stressful time than

me. I sometimes put myself in their shoes and imagine how hard it must be for them to be sick and not at

their normal baseline. The mental and physical strain that comes from being sick can be hard even for

some of the strongest-willed person.

Values and Beliefs

The funny thing about beliefs and values is that often times you do not really think about them

until a situation arises where you are forced to make a decision based on what you believe and what you

value. I believe in compassion, and I truly believe that being a nurse that lacks it, is not going to work.

One of the most rewarding moments in nursing practice is seeing the look of gratitude on a patients face

when they realize that there is someone who cares about their well-being. I also value the quality of my

care that I give my patients. When I go to practicum, immersion, or even work as a patient care tech, Im

not just there to collect a paycheck. My purpose in that moment is to take care of my patients. When I

leave my patient, I want to walk away knowing I gave the best care I could possibly give them. In the

time that my patients are in the hospital, essentially, they trust me to care for them. No matter how
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frustrated or tired I may get, when I step onto the floor, I am making a promise to provide great care to the

best of my ability. With such a bleak setting like a hospital, compassionate care gives patient a sense of

optimism and hopefulness.

I also value growth and education. One of the great things about nursing is how there is so much

opportunity to further educate myself and grow from a new nurse fresh out of graduation to a more

skilled, knowledgeable nurse. I want to be able to expand my knowledge of nursing whether that is by

gaining certifications, licenses, or on the job experiences.

Benners Theory

Patricia Benner developed a theory which proposes that expert nurses develop skill and

understanding of patient care over time through proper education and a multitude of experience (Benner,

2001). The foundation of Benners theory is that of the Dreyfus model, described by the Dreyfus brothers.

They believed that people learn from experience and different situations (Benner, 2001). According to

Benners theory, there are 5 stages to clinical competence. Stage 1 is the novice. A novice is a nursing

student in their first year of clinical practice. The student nurses knowledge is limited and they lack the

ability to predict what may happen in a particular patient situation (Benner, 2001). Stage 2 is the

advanced beginner. The advanced beginner is a newly graduated nursing student in their first job as a

nurse. These nurses have enough clinical experience to recognize certain components of a situation, but

do not have enough in-depth experience (Benner, 2001). Stage 3 is the competent nurse. These nurses

have some mastery level but lack the speed and efficiency of the more expert nurses (Benner, 2001).

Competent nurses can recognize certain situations and react more quickly than advanced beginner nurses.

Stage 4 is the proficient nurse. Nurses in this stage start to see the entire situation and not just parts of it.

Proficient nurses can take learned experience to plan and modify care in response to different situations

(Benner, 2001). The fifth stage is the expert nurse. Expert nurses can recognize demands in a situation
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and know what needs to be done. They no longer need to follow protocol to guide their actions, but have a

grasp of the situation based on their knowledge and experience (Benner, 2001).

My Skill Acquisition

Currently, I am in the novice stage of my nursing career. As a student nurse, I am still learning

the basic foundation of nursing and trying to assess different situations based on what I have learned so

far. I believe my knowledge of any patient situation is based off concrete data. I look at a patients

physical appearance, their labs, and their vital signs to try and ascertain what could be going on with

them. I try to critically think about a situation and try to think ahead, but I find it hard to do because I

have nothing to reference. Because my clinical experience is so limited, it is hard for me to understand the

magnitude of any situation and what to do if something unexpected were to occur. However, I know that

as long as I am willing to learn and take advantage of every opportunity I can, one day I will become an

expert nurse.

Moving On Up

One way I believe that I can move to the next stage in Benners theory of clinical competence is

by gaining more experience in the clinical setting. The overall meaning behind Benners theory is that

competency is gained through experience. Even as a student nurse, I can see the level of knowledge I

have attained from when I first started nursing school until now, when I am just about finished. When I

started competencies of nursing, I was learning how to give bed baths to patient. Now that I am in my last

semester, in Immersion, I am learning to take care of patients in an intensive care unit. I am caring for

more complicated patients, including those who may have six or seven different IV lines or who are

hooked up to ventilators.

My experience in Immersion has provided me with much more confidence in my ability to take

care of a patient. I am more knowledgeable about medications and treatment. I have more assurance in

myself when I page the doctors. I feel more comfortable in code situations because I now have first-hand
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experience on how and what happens during them. I find it easier to start IVs and draw labs on patients.

I believe as my confidence continues to soar, so does my ability to handle different situations as they

arise.

The last thing I need to work on to advance in my nursing career is to continue to improve my

assessment skills. Assessments will always be a huge part of nursing practice, and the more I improve

those skills, the more readily I am to judge a clinical situation and develop and plan of care to help that

particular patient. My future in nursing is bright. I have found a career that satisfies my need to help

people, but is also grounded in science, a topic that has always peaked my interest. As the field of nursing

continues to grow, I expect to see so much more advancement in how we approach care for our patients

and the outcomes of those treatments. My ultimate goal is to be a nurse that leaves a great, lasting

impression on each patient I encounter.

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References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.