Running head: MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
My personal philosophy of nursing
Kathleen Witte
Bon Secours College of Nursing
Transition to Baccalaureate Nursing
NUR 3240
Mrs. Gardner
June 21, 2015
Honor Code “I pledge...”
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MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
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My personal philosophy of nursing
This is my personal philosophy of nursing paper. I have been a nurse for about 20 years
and currently work at VCU in the orthopedic surgery department outpatient clinic. I was a late
bloomer starting my nursing career as I original got my Bachelor of Arts in Mass
Communications from VCU. I worked in graphic arts for a while, then switched to banking, and
woke up one day and said I don’t want to do this anymore. My job felt just like a task, with no
real meaning. I wanted to do something that helped other people and where I made a true
difference in people’s lives. So I went back to school and got my LPN license and never looked
back. I got my RN about 5 years ago and now I am moving on to by BSN. I made a good choice
becoming a nurse and find it very rewarding, fulfilling and challenging.
So what is nursing? The American Nurses Association states “Nursing is the diagnosis
and treatment of human responses to actual and potential health problems.”(Masters, 2014, p.
95). I feel nursing exists because people inherently get ill, physically or mentally, and they need
nurses to administer to them, educate them and help them on their road to recovery.
I have indeed been a nurse for a long time. I have definitely developed my own personal
philosophies about nursing through the years that have helped shape and guide me through my
nursing career. #1: Treat others as you would like to be treated. This is crucial. Kindness,
respect and empathy should be your nursing goal to treat the whole person physically,
emotionally and psychologically. #2: Do not prejudge. You never really know how or why a
patient presents the way they do. Until you “walk a mile in their shoes” you never really know
their life situation. Treat everyone with dignity and respect because everyone deserves it. #3:
Trust your gut. That 6th sense that is going off in your head is real!! Do not let it go until you
figure out what it is and what is wrong. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened and I
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trusted my gut and prevented potential catastrophic outcomes. #4: Don’t shoulder life alone. For
me, I shoulder things with God. There is an old saying “If God brings you to it, he will bring
you through it”. Sometimes life just throws too much at you and you have to “give it to God”
and trust and move forward. #5: Smile! Big and genuine with lots of enthusiasm. Engage your
patient. Look them in the eye and let them know you are glad to be with them. Sometime that
may be the only smile they get. A positive attitude is contagious. Spread it around. #6: There
is a time to fight hard and there is a time to gently and lovingly let go. This is a tough one that
takes years of being involved with death and dying issues to understand.
With all of that being said and the fact that I work in an outpatient surgical clinic, the
nursing theory that I gravitate to is that of Virginia Henderson. She states “The unique function
of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities
contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he
had the necessary strength, will or knowledge and to do this in such a way as to help him gain
independence as rapidly as possible.”.(Masters, 2014, p. 51). This theory fits perfectly in my
practice as I work for an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hip and knee replacements. Our
goal is to help optimize and educate the patient before, during and after surgery on their road to
recovery. “According to Henderson, the individual, mind and body are inseparable and
interrelated, and the individual considers the biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual
component.”("," 2013, p. 1) This too coincides with my nursing philosophy to treat the whole
person, not just the symptoms.
My personal nursing philosophy definitely incorporates the core values of the Bon
Secours Health System. Key values like respect, compassion, integrity and justice are deeply
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entwined into my nursing practice. Not to mention quality. That is my main nursing goal, an
optimal, positive and healthy outcome for all of my patients.
I think I really made the right choice to reconsider my career path and decide to become a
nurse. I continue to learn and grow daily and will continue to adjust my nursing philosophy as I
age, learn, and grow.
MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
References
Masters, K. (2014). Role Development in Professional Nursing Practice (3rd ed.). Burlington
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Nursing Theory. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nursing-theory.org/theories-andmodels/henderson-need-theory.php
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