My emerging philosophy of nursing practice and caring

Running head: PHILOSOPHY 1

PHILOSOPHY 5

Philosophy of Nursing Practice: My Emerging Philosophy of Nursing Name Academic Institution

Philosophy of Nursing Practice: My Emerging Philosophy of Nursing Nursing may be a practical and hands-on discipline, but it is still guided by theory. Every nurse has her own philosophy of what nursing means in her professional practice. She may not be consciously aware of this philosophy, but it is still a guiding presence in her life as she makes decisions about how to care for her patients. The core components of most modern nursing philosophies include the foundational elements of patient, environment, health, and nursing. Particularly for a registered nurse working in the emergency room such as myself who often has very little time to get to know her patients, having a core philosophy and vision about my nursing practice and relationship with the patient and the patient’s caregivers is vital. Caring in Nursing Like many nurses, if I were to define why I became a nurse first and foremost I would say it is because I care about my fellow human beings and want to help them on a daily basis. I do not wish to merely stare at a computer screen all day in an office but rather have a strong, clearly-defined sense of having made a difference in the lives of others. The idea of caring being a critical component of nursing, of course, is not something which is unique to my perceptions of nursing practice. Theorist Jean Watson’s philosophy of nursing is that caring and nursing cannot be separated. According to Wagner (2010), Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is based upon the concept that nursing is founded upon “relational caring” both for the self and for others and takes place through a series of exchanges known as “caring moments” (p.1). This resonates with my philosophy given the need to create a bond with an emergency room patient relatively swiftly. I must understand the patient’s complaint so I know how to prioritize it and I must understand the person’s psychological and physical state so I can relate to the patient in an effective manner. A good example is when English is not someone’s first language. Understanding their level of literacy and finding ways to communicate with them is not necessarily directly related to health but it is a critical component in providing care. Watson also stresses that a sense of love and dignity must be bestowed upon the patient as part of the nursing process (Wagner 2010). Watson does not give the same attention to environment as some other nursing theorists, or subjective definitions of health explicitly but she does state that respect and love for the individual means “honoring his/her needs, wishes, routines, and rituals” as much has possible (Wagner, 2010, p.1). A good example of this is a patient that might want the entirety of his or her family in the consulting room, based upon his or her cultural traditions and a more collective view of how health-related issues are discussed. Also, during end-of-life decision-making, a patient may reference spiritual values. Making a patient comfortable as much as feasibly possible can promote healing and open up communication between provider and patient in a productive fashion. From my own perspective, I always try to ask patients to open up about how they feel and why they have come to the emergency room on this particular occasion, not just for their physical reasons, but also for emotional and social reasons as well. For example, someone without adequate treatment for their asthma may be relying upon the emergency room to manage their symptoms and connecting them with a primary care provider who can offer consistent assistance in this regard is just as important as treating immediate symptoms. Caring nursing requires taking into consideration the patient’s long-term health perspective and goals and environmental pressures causing the problem. Caring is thus, both in Watson’s theory and my own philosophy, based upon evidence-based knowledge about the patient’s illness and social and contextual factors which may have generated the illness, but is also based in deeper caring on a spiritual level. Why Society Needs Nursing Another component of my personal philosophy of nursing is that nursing is a distinct and unique profession within healthcare. Nursing is fundamentally patient-centric. It does not simply look at the patient’s disease or physical condition but the patient’s individual goals. Individual aspects of the patient’s life and health may vary, based upon their culture, demographic characteristics, and psychological outlook. Different patients may have widely varying concepts of what constitutes a high-quality life.