Nursing theory concepts and applications

Philosophy of Nursing

Personal nursing philosophy

Personal definition of nursing

Being a training nurse who has a vision for the less privileged families both locally and across the world, I have a perspective of nursing that is more focused on the poor society rather than an individual. I look forward to once in my lifetime work with the poor of the African countries or the very poor Asian countries and this urge is what shapes my nursing philosophy. My philosophy is that Nursing is a key to not only the physical health of the individual, but the social and to a greater extent the financial wellness of the patient at the long run. I believe that in order for a person to profess to have nursed an individual, it is not just about that headache going away, or the perpetual ulcers getting healed for that moment, or even the infectious skin disease disappearing upon administration of the give medicine, but the equipping the individual with the knowledge of how to avoid getting ulcers in the future and also the investment chances that they can exploit to help them get at least decent meals that will see them through the healing process. This to me is the real face of contemporary nursing in light of the increasing gap between the rich and the poor and the heightening of poverty in most parts of the globe.

2. Metaparadigm concepts

Definition of terms can be at different levels depending on the subject matter being discussed and the personal perspective of the same.

a. Human Beings -- the living individuals that we can interact with at the same basic intelligence levels such that there can be exchange of words, ideas, actions empathy and experience.

b. Health -- the state of being of a human being that can be measured in both the physical and the mental state. The health will enable the individual to be productive, creative, innovative, participatory and industrious within the society.

c. Nursing -- the care that a trained health professional extends to the individual who may be sick or predisposed to diseases. This care can be preventive or curative depending on the state of the patient. Nursing hence strives to help the individual in need or either medical attention or psychological attention or even social advise to overcome the challenge that is before them and be in a better state.

d. Environment -- this is the immediate surrounding that a human being operates in or lives in. It can be the hard and tangible material that is around the human being, the social state around the person or even the intangible nature like the air and noise surrounding the person. It is also worth noting here that the surrounding that the individual or the organism is in needs to be the natural surrounding they live in on a daily basis for it to be effectively considered as the environment.

3. Nursing theory

There are various nursing theories that are used across the nursing fraternity in order to guide the practice of nursing and satisfy the need of the patients. One of these well-known theories is by Hildegard Peplau referred to as Interpersonal Theory of nursing. This theory is based on psychodynamic nursing that utilizes the grasp of the individual's behavior to help the patient other identify his challenges or the difficulties. This theory is based on the principle of human relations and the fact that a patient normally has a felt need (Antipuesto, 2008). The reason why this theory is so close to my nursing belief and applicable for me is that it has several terms that relate to it; first the person who is described as an individual that tries to reduce the anxieties that are brought about by needs and lives in an unstable equilibrium. My work and responsibility as a nurse is to help the individual to identify their anxieties and challenges. The second term or v value in the theory is health which refers to the perpetual improvement of the total well being of an individual from all quarters. Third in line is the environment and in this nursing theory is called the existing forces that are outside the individual or the organism in the cultural context. The idea concept is nursing which is here referred to as an interpersonal process that is significant and therapeutic which functions cooperatively with other people in order to solve problems as well as make health a possibility.