Personal Philosophy of Nursing: Critically evaluate
your belief system; express your views on nursing;
and begin to develop your personal philosophy.
Address the definitions (paradigms) of human beings,
environment, health, and nursing. Consider
statements that are thought to be proven facts about
nursing and characteristics of professional nurses.
Participate in an online or class discussion to explain
and support views, and identify commonalities with
peers/associates.
Describe how theory is used in your practice setting.
Post at least 2 reply postings by the second posting
deadline. Do you have questions you would like to ask about
their philosophy? Can you identify nurses you work with who
also follow this philosophy? What are the similarities and
differences between your philosophy and their philosophy?
Select a conceptual model or nursing theory to guide your
professional practice. Post your answer and a brief
description of why you made that choice.
Six steps are used to select a conceptual model or nursing
theory to guide professional nursing practice:
(1) state your philosophy of nursing, in the form of
beliefs and values about the nursing participant, the
environment, health, and nursing goals;
(2) identify the particular patient population with which
you wish to practice;
(3) determine which conceptual models or nursing
theories are appropriate for use with the patient
population you are interested in; and
(4) select the conceptual model or nursing theory that
most closely matches your philosophy of nursing and
the patient population of interest.
Michelle A. Wronski
NURS 324
June 26, 2012
My Philosophy of nursing
I decided long ago I wanted to be a part of something more, something that gave me a
chance to help people in way they may or may not know they need. I am a hospice nurse
so I do not take on a health promotion view but a view of comfort and preparation for
coming events. My patients range from ages 18-106 and I visit them where ever they call
home. My patients are in the end stages of their disease process that can range from
Dementia to cancer and anything in between. My nursing philosophy will be very
different from a nurse that is in a hospital working on treatments with a patient. My
position is all about symptom management not treatment.
When I think of nursing I see a person that is willing to give of themselves from the heart
and mind. When I say heart I mean to help or care for someone the way you want to be
cared for or the way you would care for your own family member. When I say give from
the mind I mean give in a way you have been trained and licensed to do. That is a very
broad statement however nursing for one person is not the same for the next. Each nurse
has a different background and experiences to pull from. Nursing is much more that just
an act of giving medicine or carrying out doctors orders. Let me narrow this down,
Nursing is anticipating the needs of others before they know they need it. Ensuring that
the patients needs are met in a way that includes a holistic approach and includes any
person that the patient deems is part of their family unit. Nurses are not to judge a
persons past or ask why or how the patient got to the point they need a nurses but, to
make sure the patient and family unit is prepared for what ever is to come in their future
in regards to the current illness/situation. In order for a nurse to care for a dyeing patient
and give support that is needed to the family unit they need a trusting relationship. The
patient and family need to be able to openly discuss their fears as well as the wonderful
memories they shared together during their lives. This I believe gives hope to the patient
and family. When I talk about hope I place a different meaning to hope that was shared
with me by a dear college of mine, Dr. Robert Zalenski. His definition of hope is:
memories and moments that bring joy to a person that will with stand the test of time.
That has stayed with me for years and I have incorporated that in what I do every day. I
offer hope to families in times they have none and reframe what hope is.
I feel my philosophy is closets in line with Jean Watson. In our book page 309 it
specifically states: Nurses are encouraged to share their genuine selves with patients. This
leads to the development of a trusting, accepting relationship. (Chitty & Black 6th edition)
Reference
Chitty, K.K., & Black, B.P. (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (6th
ed.) Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders