A nurse’s personal philosophy on nursing is a combination of their beliefs, values and principles in relation to practice (Kristoffersen, 2019). In order to describe my personal nursing philosophy, I will use guiding questions such as what nursing means to me, what is the nursing environment and who my clients are. I will discuss key aspects of the nursing practice and apply personal and professional philosophy in my practice.

My personal nursing philosophy involves empathetic, holistic and culturally-aware care to all patients and their close ones. In order to promote healthy patient outcomes, it is the duty of nurses to deliver high quality nursing care (Kieft et al., 2014). Therefore, it is necessary for me to assume different roles such as patient advocate, teacher, provider, friend, leader and manager in order to achieve this goal. Nursing to me should be about compassionate care and trying to understand people on all levels. It is my responsibility as a professional nurse to commit to continual learning through hands-on experience and formal education in order to better myself and advance the nursing practice. My personal beliefs and core values are honesty, compassion, family, life-long learning, security and a commitment to being better. These are some of the values I use to guide both my personal and professional life. Since the core of nursing is based on caring, integrity and knowledge (Al-Banna, 2017), I am confident that my personal and professional philosophies are in alignment with the nursing practice. My personal philosophy on nursing involves the nursing concepts of environment, client, nursing and health. I believe that nursing should be people-based. Care is a holistic approach involving all aspects of the patient’s life including the care environment the patient lives in. This is crucial since the patients we interact with are members of a larger community with characteristics that influence our patients. With this in mind, I believe that the patient-nurse relationship is vital in the health outcome of the patient. This requires meaningful engagement as nurses in order to be actively involved.

Nursing practice is a holistic, patient-based care approach involving patients and their families (Jasemi et al., 2015). Each patient has unique needs and therefore requires different care plans. The nursing process helps in developing a plan that caters for the needs of the patient. Patients are not simply people with medical conditions that need to be treated but rather individuals require compassionate and individualized care and attention. This calls for nurses to use clinical judgement and evidence-based practice to meet patient demands. My professional philosophy entails the belief that nurses should maintain their patients’ privacy and confidentiality except when lawfully mandated otherwise. Our duty as nurses to promote healthcare includes the responsibility to educate patients and their loved ones on illnesses, treatment options and healthy behaviors meant to improve their health outcomes and overall lives. I often endeavor to a model of positive behavior in my personal life and uphold professional and personal standards in my practice. Despite this, it is only human to have conflicting ideologies and beliefs to the many patients we interact with. In such cases, we should strive to find amicable solutions that satisfy the patient’s needs without compromising our personal philosophies.

The nursing profession requires compassionate caring for both the patient and their loved ones. I always try and remind myself that I am not only responsible for my patient’s physical wellbeing but also their emotional and mental needs. In my line of work, I have dealt with patients suffering from chronic conditions involving complex emotional issues that require recognition and addressing. I have found that the best way to engage is to develop an honest rapport which helps build trust between myself and the patient. Emotional support is often understated with medical needs taking the forefront. This are some of the events and interactions that have influenced my personal philosophy. Seeing a patient come back to thank the clinicians and specifically mention how their empathy and compassion helped them cope and recover is a feeling I will never get tired of. Furthermore, prevention is also an important part of healthcare. We need to closely investigate our society to identify the main health care issues in our communities. This will help gain insights into the conditions patients present with, which are mainly lifestyle related. This will require a shift from the treatment-oriented approach to a more population-based wellness approach.

As the nursing practice advances, evidence suggests that the survival of this discipline relies on increased nursing engagement in developing and utilizing nursing knowledge (Skår, 2010). It is therefore vital in developing a personal philosophy in nursing that puts emphasis on distinct nursing areas, enabling reflection on the link between personal nursing philosophy and current health and medical issues in the nursing profession. As discussed in this paper, my personal nursing philosophy involves traditional nursing and social justice concepts. I believe that nursing involves the aspects of environment, client, nursing and health but should be based on compassionate and patient-centered care. Using personal examples, I have shown how my philosophy has enabled me to improve my patients’ health outcomes and contribute positively to develop the knowledge of nursing.

References

Al-Banna, D. (2017). Core Professional and Personal Values of Nurses about Nursing in Erbil City Hospitals: A Profession, Not Just Career. Nursing & Care Open Access Journal, 2(6). https://doi.org/10.15406/ncoaj.2017.02.00056

Jasemi, M., Zamanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., Keogh, B., & Taleghani, F. (2015). Effective factors in providing holistic care: A qualitative study. Indian Journal Of Palliative Care, 21(2), 214. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.156506

Kieft, R., de Brouwer, B., Francke, A., & Delnoij, D. (2014). How nurses and their work environment affect patient experiences of the quality of care: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-249

Kristoffersen, M. (2019). Thoughts of creation and the discipline of nursing. Nursing Open, 6(2), 566-573. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.239

Skår, R. (2010). Knowledge use in nursing practice: The importance of practical understanding and personal involvement. Nurse Education Today, 30(2), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2009.06.012