Nursing Philosophy (A work in progress)

.Nursing Philosophy (A work in progress)

I believe that people truly want to be healthy. They will attempt to adhere to treatment suggestions as long as they feel in control of their healthcare decisions. Through our sphere of influence, we have many opportunities to enhance the health of our patients. This can be used for the good of our profession or for the detriment of it. Polls have placed nursing in one of the highest levels of trust. Our actions can help influence others to be healthy or can make them doubt our knowledge base. This includes physicians and others in our field that we come into contact with. We must act in a professional manner and conduct ourselves accordingly in order to maintain this high level of influence. We must not abuse these levels of trust. In order to do this, practitioners must gain the respect of their patients by treating them as individuals and not just a disease process. Nursing involves taking care of the whole person. A competent nurse understands that individuals are made up of several different components. These physical, spiritual, environmental, social and economic factors are what make the entire patient. Nurses cannot treat one part of the patient without affecting the rest of the balance. In order to be effective practitioners, we must be proficient in all domains of nursing.

According to Stanley (2005), in Benner’s theory there are seven domains of nursing practice that must be utilized between the novice to expert transition of nursing:

1. The helping role

2. The teaching-coaching function

3. The diagnostic and patient-monitoring function

4. The effective management of rapidly changing situations

5. The administration and monitoring of therapeutic interventions and

regimens

6. The monitoring and assuring of quality of health care practices

7. The implementation of organizational and work-role competencies

These core domains are critical in maintaining the health of our patients. Nurses must understand that these different functions are used in several ways throughout the patient/caregiver interaction. We need to use every opportunity to educate ourselves and stay up to date regarding practice techniques and modalities. By doing so, we monitor the quality of healthcare practices and can effect what works in our fields of practice. Through collaboration with others in the healthcare field, we can optimize patient outcomes. Nurses often must juggle the ability to mix the helping, caring and teaching components with the diagnostic and therapeutic interventions involved with medical practice effectively, while monitoring situations in an acute setting. Nurses must have an innate ability to multitask or they will not be effective in patient care.

Nurses must also treat each other with respect and dignity. We are often accused of “eating our young”. New nurses are very impressionable and will choose role models from the first few areas of practice that they are in. They practice what they see. Nurses must be aware of the appearance they project to others. If they are obviously in the profession for the money, patients and other nurses can tell. We must value each other’s knowledge and learn from each other. Nurses are also known to attempt to “block progression” of other nurses in response to their own feelings of jealousy, inadequacy and stagnation. If a nurse feels comfortable in whatever level he or she is in, that is fine. We should be able to continue to enlarge our knowledge base and continue forward if we choose. Nursing is a valued profession that should have high goals and expectations. We must encourage advanced education in order to maintain the legitimacy of the profession. My priority is to continue to enlarge my own knowledge base and continue my education toward becoming an advanced practice nurse. I will continue to be a good role model to other nurses and will present myself as a professional nurse.