Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Introduction

I am a student of _____. I practice nursing at ____. I decided to become a nurse because I want to help people. When being in a hospital, a patient needs warmth and understanding. A nurse spends more time with patients than a doctor does and has more opportunities to comfort an ill person. However, to become a good nurse, it is necessary to establish personal philosophy of nursing. The paper describes my personal philosophy of nursing and my understanding of this profession.

Definition of Nursing

The understanding of nursing has been under changes many times within the process of the existence of the occupation together with the changes in requirements of the society and conditions of life. Nowadays, there are many definitions of this notion. Each of them originates from the influence of a chain of different factors such as a social and economic level of development, the geographical position of a country, the number of nurses, the duties that they perform, the need for medical aid, and a personal position of each. In my opinion, nursing is the provision of medical care that includes activities on health improvement, disease prevention, and the overall patient care. Nursing appeared as the response to the need of a patient for medical care. It exists because the ill people need to be in the environment, where they can restore physical and mental power. I practice nursing, because I want to help people to overcome their diseases and to enjoy the life.

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Assumptions or Underlying Beliefs

The article “Ethical Principles” (n.d.) states that the primary ethical background of a nurse is the respect towards life, dignity, and rights of a patient. The moral duties of a nurse in the process of cooperation with a patient comprise a chain of responsibilities. A patient is a person that needs medical care and has to receive it. Patients may be of different sex, age, nationality, profession, social status, and health condition. A nurse must perceive every patient as an individual who has the right for respect, attention, and understanding.

The cooperation with a patient means the standard work on the solution of a problem and the maintenance of health. Establishing partnership relations between a nurse and a patient is necessary. In the contemporary health care system, this partnership has a crucial influence on the success of treatment. Nurses not only participate in the process of therapy but also contribute to the general results. As the result of such cooperation, there appears a team – the union of professionals connected by a common work or activity. A nurse should maintain personal and collective reputation of the team and the medical establishment as a health care provider.

In the work with communities, a nurse should pay attention to the most vulnerable groups. Due to the insecure environment, people may be prone to the harmful influence of the surroundings. To discover the health-damaging conditions, a nurse should participate in the work with the risk categories of the population. In this case, it is possible to expose the negative factors and to reduce their influence.

Definitions and Examples of the Major Domains of Nursing

One of the main domains of nursing is the notion of person. A nurse should be able to deal with every individual. It is one of the most outstanding professional qualities. The environment and self-education help to form the views of a person. In the process of personal qualities formation, an individual may create an own understanding of health, disease, and the factors that may cause it. It is necessary for a nurse to create the strategy that allows dealing with all types of patients not depending on their views.

A nurse should consider health to be the basis for the satisfaction of a patient. It is necessary to create the environment that would allow an individual to restore the physical and mental power. Health is the dynamic harmony of a person achieved by the means of adaptation.

The environment is the combination of natural, social, psychological, and spiritual factors that influence the life of a person. The environment divides into physical that includes the geographic position, climate, the quality of air, water, etc. Together with the natural surroundings, it is necessary to consider the technogenic ones. A nurse forms the relations with the patient depending on the environment in childhood or the period of life and work. It is necessary to remember that the environment has a direct influence on human body and character, and, as a result, on health and diseases.

Summary

The domains mentioned above have interconnections. A nurse should take into consideration that the successful treatment requires the combination of all three areas. The negligence of at least one of them may cause the process of health restoration to be longer or impossible. It is necessary to understand that the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors cannot exist autonomously. One of the domains always has its influence on the other ones.

My Vision of Nursing for the Future

The rapid spread of modern technologies in the society has caused significant changes in the methods of education and work of a nurse. The correct implementation of technological achievements allows minimizing the risk connected with the appointment of medicine from the risk category such as chemotherapy means. However, some people may consider that the technical progress may cause the possibility of depersonalization and the disappearance of cooperation of a nurse and a patient. In this case, it is necessary to trace the correct implementation of modern instruments that increase the safety of the personnel and the patients, save the time of nurses and opens the new opportunities of basic and advanced education of a nurse. This method allows solving the question of the lack of qualified personnel. The new technologies improve the cooperation among the medical staff, ease the database management, and minimize the expenses.

The globalization does not have an influence on the migration of people from different continents but also stimulates the exchange of ideas, technologies, and the development of culture. As a result, people begin to consider health to be the most critical value. Due to this fact, the requirements of the health care system have significantly increased. This situation should stimulate the improvement of the provision of medical service. It creates the basis for the development and expansion of investigation skills and the education of nurses for the increase in security of treatment.

The Challenges That I may Face as a Nurse

The work of a nurse interconnects with many difficulties. According to Der Bedrosian (2015), one of the challenges that may face a nurse in the professional activity is the dissatisfaction of patients. It is not permissible to make a mistake. However, there may be a situation when a doctor appoints medicine that a nurse considers inappropriate. Ward (2012) states that, in this case, a nurse should be courageous enough as he/she is responsible for any medication and the procedures. One more reason for stress is the death of patients. Very often, nurses have to deal with terminally ill patients that may cause psychological exhaustion. Another challenge at work is physical exhaustion that may appear as the result of strenuous work conditions. That is the reason a nurse should always be in good physical shape.

My Goals for Professional Development

For my future profession, I need to develop such features as responsibility and a high level of knowledge. I consider that a nurse should never stop learning. In the modern world, there appear new methods of treatment, so the educational process should last during the entire life. I also need to improve my attentiveness. Even the slightest symptom may have a crucial influence on the patient`s health and the overall process of treatment. It is also necessary to be able not only to concentrate on one task but also to shift from one task to another within a short period. I also have to develop my lexical and analytical abilities and interest in the work with information. It is also necessary to be in good physical shape, to have a good memory, and to have the ability of constant self-control. The profession also requires stress resistance and organizational skills.

Conclusion

A nurse does not perform an independent treatment of a patient and depends on the recommendations of a physician. However, the role of the representatives of this profession is difficult to overestimate. When taking care of a patient, a nurse may notice all the changes that happen, may comfort the ill person, and relieve his/her sufferings. The work of a nurse requires a high level of responsibility; the representative of this profession should possess sufficient level of knowledge in the medical sphere. A nurse should not only know the rules of health care but also understand the mechanism of medication or procedure influence on the patient`s organism. The proper attitude towards patients allows establishing the feeling of respect towards the workers or healthcare sphere. Cooperation has a crucial influence on the process of treatment.