Holistic Compassionate Patient Centered Care

Nursing Philosophy Statement

My nursing philosophy is based on the values instilled in me growing up and then working as a professional. I have been involved in healthcare for more than a decade. Everything I have learned as a nurse and everything taught to me from the time since I was a child has informed my philosophy. At its center is the belief that all people deserve respect and deserve to be treated as they see themselves (Franco et al., ). That is why I feel strongly about person-centered care: I think it is the nurse’s duty to get to know the patient really well so that the nurse can care for the patient in the way the patient wants to be cared for. On top of this, I believe the nurse, as a professional, should strive to give holistic care—care for the whole person—and thus should study the science as well as the art of nursing (Morton & Thurman, 2023). 

My career in nursing began in a local hospital, where I learned about compassionate care first hand. I saw the impact of genuine care on patients and their families from mentors in the field whom I was able to follow and shadow. Their examples helped to form in me the belief that nursing is not like others jobs where you come in, clock in, work a bit, and clock out. It is something different because it really impacts people’s lives and you can see that directly, first hand. It therefore demands dedication, empathy, compassion, and responsibility. I learned that every patient is unique, and it is our duty as nurses to understand their individual needs and give them quality, holistic person-centered care that is respectful of and responsive to those needs.

Nursing has definitely influenced my career by teaching me the importance of empathy, but also the importance of resilience—of being able to bounce back after tough days; the importance of grit and resolve (Cho & Kim, 2022). It has shown me that the most effective care comes from understanding the whole person, not just their illness, too. I see the holistic approach as vital in my practice, because patients have physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, and these should not be neglected aspects of health (Bussing, 2021). My interactions with patients have taught me the importance of being able to listen and hear them, to put myself in their shoes, to communicate clearly and effectively, and also to advocate for those in my care (Thornber, 2020).

I chose to pursue a degree in nursing as a natural part of my desire to help people. I think that nursing is a profession that does ask us to go out of our way to help others and we do that through the art and science of nursing. This degree represents verification of my knowledge of that art and that science. It is one thing to say you want to help others; it is another to be able to show you have earned a degree in the actual science. To that end, I am also interested in advanced practice and in nursing education.

I thus see this degree as a big step in taking my skills to the next level. I see my career as one that will open up many doors for me in whichever way I choose to go. The art and science of nursing is something that is in great demand, and this degree gives me a firm foundation in understanding evidence-based practice, quality improvement initiatives, compassionate care, and policy development. I understand healthcare systems and advanced clinical skills, and as such I am be better positioned to give quality care and advocate for patients.

I also intend to use this degree to advance patient care by taking part in research that explores innovative approaches to patient care, with a focus on telehealth. Second, I want to take on more leadership roles that allow me to influence healthcare policies so that they are more patient-centered and evidence-based. All in all, I aspire to one day be a mentor like the mentors I had starting out. I want to be able to help in the education and guidance of the next generation of nurses, by sharing the knowledge and skills I have acquired so that I can help them in turn show compassionate, patient-centered care.