Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Jeanne Indelicato
Nursing 1100, BSMCON
October 15, 2012

Nursing is providing care to those in need. What guides a nurse is both personal
conviction and professional training. Personal conviction includes values and beliefs
that culminate into a personal philosophy. It can also be a personal calling, a need to
be the greater good this world is searching for. Professional training is some of what
we get from the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing program. It includes the
procedures, the practice and the how to. This philosophy statement is something to
return to when in doubt for guidance or when enthusiastic for reaffirmation. It will also
serve to guide me in my need to be this greater good.
A philosophy of nursing is used as a foundation for thinking and acting as a
nurse. They are based on: beliefs about nursing and expressions of values. Nursing
philosophies consist of both the individuals philosophy and those created by the
educational institution, healthcare systems and professional organizations. (Module II:
Philosophy of Nursing, pp. slide 17) An individuals philosophy can come from their
understanding about people, environment, health and the nursing profession. (Module
II: Philosophy of Nursing, pp. slide 19) This philosophy should change as a nurse gains
experience and matures throughout their career. A philosophy can impact nursing care
in that it assists in guiding care that can be challenging for a nurse. For example,
everyone has the right to adequate healthcare regardless of past transgressions,
criminal history, etc. Working through ones values and beliefs systems can provide
critical thinking to support this statement.
Values may include freely chosen beliefs that an individual has that they use to
guide behavior (Chitty, p.100). Values are an abstract representation of what a person
considers to be right, worthwhile and desirable (Chitty, p. 293). More often than not, the

value is expressed in terms of right and wrong. This can be applied to how one should
or should not behave in society (Chitty, p.100). Values are very individualistic; what I
believe is right can be vastly different from another person. They can also be expressed
on a scale of somewhat right verses somewhat wrong or black and white. For
example, one individual more be ok with a white lie to justify the means to an end in a
situation where another individual has no tolerance for a lie regardless of its outcome,
there is no end to justify the means. Most people have some concept of values based
on their culture, how they grew up and their experiences. Undeveloped value systems
often result in a person that lacks direction, persistence and decision making skills in
life. The foundation of values account for the wide range of organized values or
systems we have in society. In order to succeed in attaining a value, one must: choose
the value, prize the value and act on the value (Chitty, p. 294). A nurse needs to be
aware of the differences in values in concept as well as be aware of their own values in
order to deliver equitable and non judgmental nursing care.
Beliefs differ from values in that they are the intellectual acceptance of a concept
as true or correct. Beliefs are based on experiences, cultures and influences, much like
values (Chitty, p. 292). Beliefs have been organized into three categories: descriptive or
what can be true or false; evaluative or judgment oriented; and prescriptive or
encouraged verses proscriptive or prohibited (Chitty, p. 293). It seems as though one
has to process your values and develop them into a system prior to being able to accept
them and in turn act upon them. Beliefs are the outward reflection of values.
Depending on how strong your value system is relates to how strong your beliefs will be

displayed. One could say, this is where the rubber meets the road because beliefs
are the outward display of our values.
The Professional Nursing Values expressed in Box 12-6 of Chitty and Black,
(page 295), encompass many of the values that I feel are innate to me as an individual
and aspiring nurse. I see the majority of these reaching outside the nursing profession
and functioning as one person to another within any profession. The following values
are ones that I can identify and apply to the profession of nursing: (values than belief)
Compassion caring about others; Continuous improvement of service life learner;
Empathy what is it to be in patients place; Health promotion example of healthy
choices; Holistic caring for the whole patient: mind, body and spirit; Nonjudgmental
Attitude equitable healthcare for everyone; Presence be truly there in mind, body,
spirit; Respect for each persons dignity and worth Golden Rule; Teamwork trust
others; Trust in self, others, and the institution commit to the profession and
workplace.
I believe that the core of nursing is empathy, education and empowerment. I
believe that the focus of nursing is a relationship of trust established between the nurse
and the patient. According to Carper the component of personal knowledge is critical to
achieving success with a patient but also very difficult to establish (Carper, Pg.18). One
must give of oneself in order to receive the same from another person. In order to find
this particular connection with someone who is a stranger and more often than not
terribly ill is a challenge. Through an established trust, I feel I can educate and
empower the patient to improve their quality of life. My vision for myself as a nurse is
that I will be empathetic, welcoming, nurturing and informative to those in my care. To

achieve this, I will remember that my patients are not there by choice but because they
are in pain and require patience and comfort of the mind, body and spirit. I will
remember that my patients families may be in much pain psychologically as their loved
one and they need reassurance and information about the circumstances they find
themselves in. I will trust my fellow health care professionals as members of my team
because I cannot do it all. And finally, I will strive for and maintain a balance between
my personal and professional responsibilities and take a holistic approach to my own
health, safety and well being. My personal philosophy will guide my nursing esthetic or
style. It will give me a framework to fill in and to explore further while pursuing my
degree.
In closing, my personal philosophy involves becoming a nurse because I can. It
is not unlike some of the reasons on a much simpler level that I now run - because I
can. There are so many people who cannot do things for both valid reasons and less
than valid reasons. My personal philosophy incorporates my sister, who is only 22
months older than me. I am motivated by her struggle with cancer, first at the age of 14
and now at the age of 43 with both breast and brain cancer. There is so much she
wants to do but cannot because of her disease. I get up and run for her and I will
become a nurse for her, because she cant do these things and probably never will be
able to. It is my personal belief that we should all do what we can, if we have the ability
to.

References
Carper, R.N., Ed.D, Barbara A., (1978) Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing,
Pages 13 23.
Chitty, K., & Black, B. (2011). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (6th ed.).
Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders.
Ferrer, Amy, 2012, October 15, Module II: Philosophy of Nursing, Nurse 1100
Foundations of Nursing, BSMCON.