This paper presents a personal nursing philosophy built around holistic patient care, patient rights advocacy, and ethical decision-making. Drawing on nursing literature, the author argues that sound nursing models remain relevant to practice and that nurses must address patients from a multi-dimensional perspective encompassing nutrition, activity, and stress management. The paper explores the origins of personal morality—rooted in experience, family, and society—and applies two major ethical frameworks, deontological ethics and utilitarianism, to concrete nursing scenarios such as patient advocacy, truthful communication, and triage. Together, these elements form an integrated philosophy that guides professional nursing conduct.
"For over forty years, the nursing profession has debated the relevance of nursing models to nursing practice, and it is clear that most nurses, particularly practicing nurses, continue to judge them to be not relevant" (Meehan, 2012, p. 2906). I disagree and believe firmly in the implementation of sound nursing models in nursing practice. My philosophy of nursing centers around holistic care and the use of knowledge to drive practice. This means that in order to heal and assist patients and clients, one must be willing to approach a situation from a multi-level perspective. Nutrition, activity level, supplementation, and stress management are just some of the dimensions a nurse should discuss and monitor in patients.
"Traditionally, nurses have sought to care for the whole person, and as formal nursing knowledge was developed, this intention was conceptualized as holistic nursing" (Meehan, 2012, p. 992). Furthermore, keeping up to date with research and innovative practices will keep nurses informed not only about what to expect from patient illnesses, but also about how best to help.
When it comes to certain situations, I believe that failing to advocate for a patient is always wrong, in any and every circumstance. Nurses should always stand up for a patient's rights and act as an advocate. This can be understood in two ways. First, by upholding a patient's rights, a nurse also avoids potential legal ramifications arising from accidents or misunderstandings.
Second, when patients are well informed of their rights and feel comfortable, they are more willing to share information that can assist with diagnosis and management. They are also more likely to follow instructions and pursue goals that lead to better health. As noted in the literature, "community nurses may end up playing a big part in deciding where patients might be cared for and eventually die, hence the importance of forging strong therapeutic relationships with relatives" (Nyatanga, 2010, p. 413). Connection is built on trust and communication. Without proper advocacy for patient rights, the connection between patient and medical staff is lost, which can create serious problems for both parties in the future.
"Family, society, and innate sources of morality"
Parents play a huge role in developing character and guiding children in the right direction. Society also plays a significant role in many ways, from rules and regulations to the observation of how people react to behaviors both in person and in the media. As Rudge (2011) notes, "disaster and its causes coincide with our moral reactions since acts of God are reduced in their impact as being 'natural' disasters — and yet disaster that could be read as human in its origin is read through the same lens — nature and culture are the same" (p. 173). Society generally does not accept people who violate shared expectations. Because people typically want acceptance rather than exclusion, observing how others react to certain behaviors taught me what is acceptable and what is not. This does not mean I never deviate from social norms, but I am well aware of them.
I believe right and wrong originate from the idea that people want to be accepted and that people innately recognize what will harm or help them. This means the source of morality comes, in part, from within oneself. If, for example, it is said that touching fire is bad, one asks why, then touches fire, discovers it burns, and concludes that touching fire is harmful. With regard to social acceptance, if one were to spit on someone in public, one would be perceived as unstable and rejected. The experience then reinforces the sense that such behavior is wrong.
I also believe that right and wrong emerged from a combination of both internal and external sources, and that originally the sense of morality came from something deeper within the universe itself — something so deeply engrained in all living creatures that it resides within one's very being. Every experience becomes a means of revealing knowledge about morality. Because morality is complex, much like anything in life and in nature, it must be examined in several dimensions and in several ways, much like my philosophy of nursing and care.
The ethical theories I favor are Utilitarianism, as developed by Jeremy Bentham and refined by John Stuart Mill, and Deontology — more specifically, Kantian ethics, as articulated by Immanuel Kant. I favor deontology over utilitarianism but find value in both frameworks. My preference for deontology stems from its practical application in nursing.
Deontology is a group of ethical theories based on the rationalist view that the rightness or wrongness of an act depends upon the nature of the act itself, rather than the consequences that follow from it. It demands strict adherence to duty. One application of deontology in a nursing setting involves rights-based theories, which hold that an action is ethically right if it sufficiently respects the human rights of all persons in society. These theories suggest that people should be lawfully free to do as they wish, provided their actions do not infringe upon the rights of others. As noted earlier, this ideology applies directly to patient rights advocacy.
"Outcome-based reasoning in treatment and triage"
There are many things to consider when applying one's philosophy to nursing. I feel strongly that nurses should approach the treatment of patients in a holistic manner that, in some ways, was seen in the origins of nursing and should still be adhered to today. This means gathering information on a continual basis in order to develop sound and effective nursing practices. Morality plays a central role in how this is achieved, and it is based on many things — chief among them experience, society, and self. Certain ethical theories help in making moral choices: deontology enforces strict adherence and a strong moral code, while utilitarianism weighs costs against benefits. Together, these frameworks and values form the foundation of a coherent and compassionate nursing philosophy.
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