Philosophy of Nursing 2014
Content
Philosophy of Nursing 2014
Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to help others. Helping other people get to a
better place helps me get to my better place. I wanted to enter nursing because I felt it was
something I could be really become passionate about. My passion and desire to help others is
something that moves me and makes me feel like I have a purpose. After I worked at a
supportive living home, as well as volunteered at a local hospital, I fell in love with the work that
nurses do. I learned to love the excitement, drama, and rush of the every day life of a nurse. I
loved the patients, the care, and the science behind it all. I felt for the patients as their health
declined, and I struggled to find ways to make their days a little bit better. Through my
experiences this past year, including my time spent in clinical, I have been reassured that
becoming a nurse is the right path for me.
Nursing Misconceptions
Before entering into nursing, I had a misconception that nurses just took care of patients;
got them their medications, took their vital signs, and reported back to the doctor. However, I
have learned in a short period of time that there is much more to being a nurse than what meets
the eye. Nurses are sharp; they are quick on their feet and hold storages of information. Nurses
must always be present in the moment, while also thinking ten steps ahead.
What is nursing?
Nursing is the practice of combining the science of medicine with the art of patientcentered care. To be a nurse is to be conscious of these two roles, while finding a balance
between them. Like patients, all nurses are individuals and find their own ways of achieving this
balance.
Nurse-Client Relationship
As far as the nurse-client relationship goes, a nurse should be guided by the patient’s
individuality. This is the idea of patient-centered care. A nurse has to recognize that all people
are different, and therefore have different needs. Finding ways to work with individual
preferences should ultimately promote health and lead to better success with the patient.
What is health?
Health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is “a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,”
(WHO, 1948). As a nurse, my role is to promote health, and coach patients towards maintaining
their health, as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The role of the client is to set goals for his
or herself, with the nurse, on where they would like to be or how they would like to see their
health in the future. Together, the nurse and the client make a plan on how the patient can
achieve these goals.
Environment plays a major role in influencing health, clients, nurses, and the nurse-client
relationship. Good environments have been important to the health care system for many years,
as seen through Florence Nightingale’s, Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is not. In her
novel, Nightingale discusses the five essential points in securing the health of the home (also
known as the environment). This included pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness,
and light (Nightingale, 24). These qualities of a good environment are still relevant today. With
all this being said, I still believe that regardless of the environment, nurses have the ability to
make the patient’s experience better.
Moral/Ethical Precepts
On my road to becoming a nurse, I will use the moral precepts of being present, reliable,
selfless, and passionate to guide me. In regards to being present, I would really like patients to
feel my presence while I am with them. I understand that a large portion of nursing will require
me to be constantly thinking ahead, but I would like to master the art of being able to act in the
present moment as well. As a nurse, I would also like to be reliable, as it instills trust in your
patients. Along with being reliable comes being honest and trustworthy, which are another two
crucial characteristics I would like to uphold as a nurse. Another quality I would like to use to
guide me as a nurse is selflessness, which comes from acting without expecting a personal
benefit in return. I would like to give my time to others that need more time than I do to achieve
a life of better quality. Lastly, I would like to use passionate care to guide me through nursing. I
believe this includes creating a therapeutic environment, the ability to be nurturing, and the act of
promoting health. I believe spending time with my patients, and making an effort to understand
them, will benefit not only myself, but also the patient’s experience of receiving care.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be said that nursing is a profession that is far from simple. It is comprised
of many different parts and considerations, as well as different types of people. I would like to be
a nurse because I want to make a difference. Most importantly, I want to always hold onto my
love for my job and for my patients. Nursing is a career that can last a lifetime. In fact, nursing is
more than a career; it is a way of life that I would be grateful and proud to be apart of.
References
Berwick, D.M., (2009). What ‘Patient-Centered’ Should Mean: Confessions Of An Extremist.
Retrieved from https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902781-dt-content-rid-6
6725153_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/berwick%20Health%20Aff-2009-Berwick-w
w555-65.pdf
Black, B.P., Chitty, K.K. (2007). Conceptual and Philosophical Bases of Nursing. Retrieved
from https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902766-dt-content-rid6702087_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/externalFiles_20140826102524/courses/nurs50001-201210/chap%2012%20philosophy.pdf
Denehy, J. (2001). Articulating Your Philosophy of Nursing. Retrieved from
https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902766-dt-content-rid-7
7058064_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/The%20Journal%20of%20School%20Nursing-2
2001-Denehy-1-2.pdf
Nightingale, F (1859). Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is not. New York: Dover
Publications, Inc.
World Health Organization (2014). WHO Publications. Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to help others. Helping other people get to a
better place helps me get to my better place. I wanted to enter nursing because I felt it was
something I could be really become passionate about. My passion and desire to help others is
something that moves me and makes me feel like I have a purpose. After I worked at a
supportive living home, as well as volunteered at a local hospital, I fell in love with the work that
nurses do. I learned to love the excitement, drama, and rush of the every day life of a nurse. I
loved the patients, the care, and the science behind it all. I felt for the patients as their health
declined, and I struggled to find ways to make their days a little bit better. Through my
experiences this past year, including my time spent in clinical, I have been reassured that
becoming a nurse is the right path for me.
Nursing Misconceptions
Before entering into nursing, I had a misconception that nurses just took care of patients;
got them their medications, took their vital signs, and reported back to the doctor. However, I
have learned in a short period of time that there is much more to being a nurse than what meets
the eye. Nurses are sharp; they are quick on their feet and hold storages of information. Nurses
must always be present in the moment, while also thinking ten steps ahead.
What is nursing?
Nursing is the practice of combining the science of medicine with the art of patientcentered care. To be a nurse is to be conscious of these two roles, while finding a balance
between them. Like patients, all nurses are individuals and find their own ways of achieving this
balance.
Nurse-Client Relationship
As far as the nurse-client relationship goes, a nurse should be guided by the patient’s
individuality. This is the idea of patient-centered care. A nurse has to recognize that all people
are different, and therefore have different needs. Finding ways to work with individual
preferences should ultimately promote health and lead to better success with the patient.
What is health?
Health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is “a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,”
(WHO, 1948). As a nurse, my role is to promote health, and coach patients towards maintaining
their health, as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The role of the client is to set goals for his
or herself, with the nurse, on where they would like to be or how they would like to see their
health in the future. Together, the nurse and the client make a plan on how the patient can
achieve these goals.
Environment plays a major role in influencing health, clients, nurses, and the nurse-client
relationship. Good environments have been important to the health care system for many years,
as seen through Florence Nightingale’s, Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is not. In her
novel, Nightingale discusses the five essential points in securing the health of the home (also
known as the environment). This included pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness,
and light (Nightingale, 24). These qualities of a good environment are still relevant today. With
all this being said, I still believe that regardless of the environment, nurses have the ability to
make the patient’s experience better.
Moral/Ethical Precepts
On my road to becoming a nurse, I will use the moral precepts of being present, reliable,
selfless, and passionate to guide me. In regards to being present, I would really like patients to
feel my presence while I am with them. I understand that a large portion of nursing will require
me to be constantly thinking ahead, but I would like to master the art of being able to act in the
present moment as well. As a nurse, I would also like to be reliable, as it instills trust in your
patients. Along with being reliable comes being honest and trustworthy, which are another two
crucial characteristics I would like to uphold as a nurse. Another quality I would like to use to
guide me as a nurse is selflessness, which comes from acting without expecting a personal
benefit in return. I would like to give my time to others that need more time than I do to achieve
a life of better quality. Lastly, I would like to use passionate care to guide me through nursing. I
believe this includes creating a therapeutic environment, the ability to be nurturing, and the act of
promoting health. I believe spending time with my patients, and making an effort to understand
them, will benefit not only myself, but also the patient’s experience of receiving care.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be said that nursing is a profession that is far from simple. It is comprised
of many different parts and considerations, as well as different types of people. I would like to be
a nurse because I want to make a difference. Most importantly, I want to always hold onto my
love for my job and for my patients. Nursing is a career that can last a lifetime. In fact, nursing is
more than a career; it is a way of life that I would be grateful and proud to be apart of.
References
Berwick, D.M., (2009). What ‘Patient-Centered’ Should Mean: Confessions Of An Extremist.
Retrieved from https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902781-dt-content-rid-6
6725153_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/berwick%20Health%20Aff-2009-Berwick-w
w555-65.pdf
Black, B.P., Chitty, K.K. (2007). Conceptual and Philosophical Bases of Nursing. Retrieved
from https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902766-dt-content-rid6702087_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/externalFiles_20140826102524/courses/nurs50001-201210/chap%2012%20philosophy.pdf
Denehy, J. (2001). Articulating Your Philosophy of Nursing. Retrieved from
https://blackboard.unh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4902766-dt-content-rid-7
7058064_2/courses/nurs500-01-201410/The%20Journal%20of%20School%20Nursing-2
2001-Denehy-1-2.pdf
Nightingale, F (1859). Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is not. New York: Dover
Publications, Inc.
World Health Organization (2014). WHO Publications. Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.
