Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Brandee M. King

Christine Turner, PhD, RN

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4142

October 17th, 2018

“I have neither given nor received aid, other than acknowledged, on this assignment or test, nor

have I seen anyone else do so.”

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Definition of Nursing

Nursing is defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA) is an art and a science.

At its core, the heart of nursing “lies a fundamental respect for human dignity and an intuition for

a patient’s needs” (American Nurses Association, 2018). This coupled with extensive core

content that fosters the mind, creates a synergistic effect and leaves a profound mark in the

healthcare market. Being a nurse in today’s market requires extensive knowledge in vast settings

ranging from medical surgical to acute care. The healthcare field is constantly evolving and

growing, creating thousands of opportunities for nurses to advance their career and to develop

their practice. Healthcare today is far more innovative and complex than it was 20 years ago. In

my experience, nursing was previously defined as a “caretaker” role. The ideal image of a nurse

used to be female, nurturing and motherly and someone who typically did not have a family at

home to care for. Over the years, I believe a new face of nursing has developed, abandoning the

earlier stereotype. Nursing today is not just for young females, in fact many nurses in healthcare

are a part of the baby boomer generation and are starting to age out of the field all together. I

believe the definition of a nurse today requires a dedication to providing compassionate and

nurturing care, a desire to advance in nursing practice with dedication to lifelong learning, and

the ability to remain fluid and move from one place to the next. Servant leadership is also a key

component to being a nurse because nursing is more than serving those in the hospital or acute

care setting. Providing care to the community and to those who do not have easy access to

healthcare is a major aspect of nursing and is unique to the nursing profession.

Personal Philosophy

My personal philosophy of nursing is reflected through my nursing practice based on

how I present myself to patients and how I choose to care for others. Each day that I care for a
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new patient I try to remember a few things. I try to remember that every patient is different and

every patient has a different situation at home. When my patient comes to the hospital I know

they are experiencing one of the worst days of their lives and I try to teach each patient with the

dignity and respect they deserve. I also make a conscious effort to do everything I can to

advocate for my patients. If I don’t agree with the way my patient is being treated by another

staff member I will address that issue. For example, I asked two nurses in the ICU to step out of

a patient’s room after they were speaking negatively about my ventilated patient. I feel that each

patient should be treated the way I would want to be treated if I were in the hospital, so I make

every effort to stay on top of my patients’ pain levels, basic needs such as food and water, and I

assure them that whatever they need I will make happen if their request can be accommodated.

Lastly my personal philosophy is reflected in my practice by appreciating each team member

caring for my patient. I feel that nursing is a team-oriented job, and I work hard to help each one

of my coworkers because I know that if I help them, in turn they will help me when needed. It is

important to maintain a positive attitude while helping my coworkers when needed because I

know I will encounter many situations throughout my nursing career in which I need additional

help and I will appreciate the assistance my coworkers provide. I feel that trust, respect and

honesty are the three main values I hope to see in my coworkers so by reciprocating those values

I know that I am being the best nurse that I can be.

Nurse Patient Encounter

Fortunately, throughout the entirety of my nursing school journey, I have had the ability

to see many examples of patient care that have molded my personal philosophy of nursing. One

particular interaction that I experienced happened this semester while in my clinical immersion

in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Being in the ICU, I see more intubated and sedated patients
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than I do conscious and awake patients that I can have an interaction with. Having a patient on a

ventilator can be perceived as an easy patient assignment, because these patients are unable to

speak and reciprocate interaction due to sedation. I had a particular patient who was ventilated, a

quadriplegic from a brainstem CVA, and required total care. This was not the first admission to

the unit for this particular patient and in fact, many nurses were dissatisfied to learn of this

patient’s admission to the unit. The day I had the opportunity to care for this patient alongside

my preceptor was the day that I saw what my definition of nursing was. Throughout the entire

shift my preceptor was so kind to this patient, making sure to hold her hand, talk to her about

what was being done, and she made sure that this patient was cleaned, and all of her basic human

needs were met. To most this is what every nurse is supposed to do but unfortunately, this is not

always the case. My preceptor advocated for our patient that day as well by keeping lines of

communication open with the family and seeing our patient as more than just a body.

Values and Beliefs

Since my sophomore year at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing my philosophy

of nursing has not changed significantly. My philosophy has evolved and expanded to include a

broader and more in depth understanding of what being a nurse entails. My values and beliefs

have stayed consistent throughout nursing school but having the experience to put them into

practice has significantly increased my understanding of why I have these values and beliefs.

When I first started nursing school and wrote my first philosophy of nursing paper I was an

eager, excited nursing student. I perceived being a nurse as being kind, saving lives and making a

profound impact on my patients’ lives. These previous conceptions are still true today, but I have

grown more in my nursing practice and have a better understanding of all aspects of nursing.

Being a nurse still means providing compassionate, non-judgmental care to all patients.
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However, being a nurse also means having incredible time management skills, knowing how to

work with minimal resources, being a mediator between patients and other members of the

interdisciplinary team, and staying true to yourself when your values and beliefs are being

challenged while caring for others. When I first started nursing school I had the utmost respect

for all healthcare employees and I knew exactly how I wanted others to see me as a nurse. Since

going through the program at Bon Secours and having the opportunity to meet such incredible

people and nurses has gifted me the ability of being able to impact others’ lives. My philosophy

of nursing will always be rooted in the foundation of Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing,

and for that I am forever grateful.

Benner’s Theory

From Novice to Expert, a theory described by Patricia Benner includes different levels of

clinical competence nurses obtain through their education and variety of experiences (Benner,

2001). The first level described in Benner’s theory is Novice. This would describe us as nursing

students in our first semester of nursing school. We had limited knowledge to properly assess

and evaluate our patients. We also were too new and unexperienced to have intuition about a

change in condition with our patients. The second level is advanced beginner. We are about to

enter this level as new graduate nurses where we have the knowledge to best care for our

patients, but we still have limited experience as being a nurse. Stage three is the competent stage

where these nurses are advanced in time management skills and are able to recognize complex

situations. However in this stage, nurses lack speed and flexibility in practice. Stage four is the

proficient level of nursing. These nurses are well equipped to handle complex situations, are

flexible and quick in making life or death decisions, and are able to deescalate problematic

situations from occurring by relying on previous experiences in their life. In this stage, nurses see
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the big picture rather than parts. Lastly, stage five is the expert stage. These nurses have a variety

of experiences and are profoundly knowledgeable. Nurses in this stage rely on intuition to guide

their practice while being able to confidently manage relevant information and filter out

irrelevant information.

Skill Acquisition

Currently being at the end of my education at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing,

I am about to enter the advanced beginner stage of nursing. Being a new graduate nurse, I am

just starting my nursing career. Whereas, I have received all the necessary knowledge and basic

skills throughout my bachelors education, I continue to lack the critical component of

experience. Each experience I have encountered throughout nursing school has provided me with

the necessary confidence I need to start on my unit as a nurse. I know that each day that I work

on my unit after graduation, will provide me with the tools I need to advance to the competent

nurse status. In the advanced beginner stage of nursing, I have not yet had the opportunity to rely

on intuition alone and this skill comes with experience. I know as a new graduate nurse my skills

and values are rigid because I rely heavily on what the textbook answer to a problem is. As I

continue to grow as a nurse I will encounter situations that may not show up in a nursing

textbook and being able to recognize a potential problem before it occurs is a skill that is not

always taught but rather learned. My goal for advancement toward the competent nurse level is

to continue to gain experience and knowledge and to be able to recognize warning signs and

change in patient conditions.

Action Plan for Moving Forward

With currently being in the advanced beginner stage of clinical competence, I have a

lifelong journey ahead of me in order to keep advancing up the model. I have many goals in
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mind that will further enable me to become a better nurse. One goal I have that will help me

move forward in my career is to participate in PNAP (Professional Nurse Advancement

Program). By climbing the clinical ladder this will provide me with additional education in

specialized content which will equip me to be a better nurse. Another goal I have is to remain a

full time nurse while pursuing an advanced degree. I hope to one day go back to school to

become a nurse practitioner, but I plan to remain a full time bedside nurse until I go back to

school. By remaining at the bedside I will gain more experience and will gather more intuition

which will not only allow me to move up in my competence level but it will also make me feel

confident in my nursing skills. Lastly, I plan to involve myself in community nursing and

outreach programs. Serving my community and being involved in outreach programs will

provide me with a broader understanding of the community I live in and give me perspective so

that I am better able to take care of my patients in the hospital.

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References:

American Nurses Association: What is Nursing? rsing(n.d.) Retrieved October 12, 2018, from

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/

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

(commemorative ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.