Running Head: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Joelle Nixon

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4142, Synthesis of Nursing

Dr. Christine Turner, PhD, RN

21 March 2018

“I pledge”
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Nursing is not a field that can be simply defined. Nursing, to me, is defined in several

different terms to embody the roles in which a nurse plays for patients and the healthcare facility.

Nursing is comfort and care for the whole patient, collaborations with interprofessional teams,

research and evidenced-based practices, ethics and morals and an ever learning environment. As

far as comfort and care, nurses care for patients holistically, meaning physically, educationally,

emotionally, mentally and spiritually (BSMCON Philosophy Statement).

Nursing is a field prided on taking care of the whole person which in turn positively

effects their outcome. Nurses communication with one another as well as interprofessional teams

is what drives the patient’s care. We are patient advocates and we work closely with our patients

to relay information on them in order for them to have the best plan of care. Without our constant

interaction with the patient our communication with other providers would not be as beneficial

and would reflect in the plan of care of the patients. Nursing practices and concepts are ever-

changing and developing due to nursing research and evidenced-based practice which also

enhances the care we provide for our patients. This research helps drive the policies and

procedures of healthcare systems for nurses to provide care which is why nursing is a continued-

education career, it is ever changing and ever learning. Nurses are life long learners. Finally,

nursing is ethical and moral in regards to respect for patient’s decisions in their healthcare and

upholding integrity in always providing the same type of comfort and care for each patient.

My personal philosophy in regards to my nursing practice is themed by one word:

respect. Respect embodies all of the values of Bon Secours as well as the best care given to a

patient in my opinion. I treat each patient with respect and in the same way that I would like my

loved ones to be treated by their healthcare professionals. Prior to my shifts, I always take a

moment to myself to collect and prepare for the day, I receive report from another PCT if
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working or the nurses if for school. This embodies the respect in which my personal philosophy

of nursing because I center myself and prepare so that I am knowledgeable about the patients so

that I can provide them with the best care I can. I feel as though this enhances my nurse-patient

relationship because the patients can see that I have invested time into learning their needs and

responding to them. Throughout nursing school, I have learned how to take in reports and utilize

them to be a patient advocate.

For example, during immersion one shift, I had just started my initial interaction with a

patient got report on her from the EMS and gone over her medical history and allergies when the

physician came in to see her. The patient was elderly and periodically confused, and I could see

the doctor being agitated in not being able to get a full story. So I told the physician the report

the EMS had given me. The physician then verbally gave me the plan of care starting with some

medications that needed to be started however, one medicine the patient was allergic. So I spoke

up and let the physician know and avoided the process of having to wait for another medication.

Communication facilitated the correct needs of the patient. However, the respect I had to learn

about the patient in receiving report and giving it my full attention, I was able to advocate for my

patient. This also speaks towards interprofessional relationships as the physician thanked me for

saving us some steps and being on top of my patient’s care. Communication is key in healthcare

and respectfully so the doctor appreciated my communication and advocacy.

Subsequently, my personal philosophy which is guided by respect, had guided and

reflected in my nursing practice throughout the nursing program. I have learned and grown as a

nurse which has been tailored to the respect that I have for patients, nurses and other staff in

order to develop. This philosophy embodies understanding to check my personal bias and respect

patient’s beliefs, religions, values that may be different than mine. Another example is of a
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patient who decided to be DNR due to being tired of tests, medicines and probes. This patient

was middle-aged and personally, I wanted them to continue to fight. However, that was not the

patient’s wishes, so I provided comfort to the patient in any way that I could but still respecting

their wishes. This included incontinence care, pain management, bathing and simply being

present. This was a hard pill to swallow, however, in the end the patient expressed gratitude

which helped me to cope with knowing I still was able to maintain their dignity and keep them

happy. Respect will take us a long way and facilitates so many other concepts like advocacy,

stewardship and integrity which all allow nurses to provide great care to our patients and work in

a team setting.

My beliefs and values have not necessarily changed but have been enhanced through the

various learning experiences that I have had. My values have served as a compass for my nursing

education and growth into a nurse and my beliefs have supported me in provided the best care

that I can for patients. Originally, I stated that my beliefs and values in approaching nursing were

based ethically, holistically and through embracement. I have continued to strive to use these

approaches as my GPS for learning and developing my nursing care and skills. First by

embracing learning I have been able to develop my own way of nursing which include

holistically and ethically. I have embraced persons of various backgrounds, beliefs as well as

learning from other healthcare professions. So when it comes to moving the patient that is assist

times 2 people, I have now embraced and kept in mind what I have learned from PT and try to

utilize that knowledge. This helps consolidate the process and well as provide more

demonstration to the patient so that they can learn as well. I won’t have to wait for PT to get to

the patient in order to move them, I have learned myself. By keeping this open-minded

mentality, I have continued to grow as nurse and in the care I will provide to patients in a few
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short months. This facilitates the flexibility and adaptability necessary in nursing and I strive to

continue to learn in this fashion.

Patricia Benner’s theory “From Novice to Expert”, is basically the steps I have facilitated

through my time at the College in order to grow and develop into the nurse I want to be after

graduation. This theory coins on the fact that expert nurses learn to be just that through

development of skills, understanding of patient care and education and clinical experiences

(Benner, 1982). The theory can also drive the basis for clinical development and career

progression in nursing. Benner utilized the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition as a foundation

for her research to help understand the differences in novice and experienced nurses (Benner,

1982). The stages of proficiency are novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and

expert.

In relation to Benner’s theory, I would consider myself in the advanced beginner stage. I

believe I have moved past the novice stage which to me would be nursing students in our first

year or clinical rotations when everything was new and “scary” and we just received our first

patients on our own. We we learning to develop our skills, prioritization and predictability in

signs and symptoms like changes in LOC. Now as we are about to be graduating, have

experienced practicums and are in immersion where we have much more independence and

confidence in skills and nursing care, I believe I am an advanced beginner. I still have many

situations in which I have questions however, I am able to recognize meaningful components of

situations and patients in order to provide appropriate care. The knowledge and skill set is there

however more in-depth experience and confidence is still needed. I am comfortable going into

my first nursing career at this stage because I know that the experiences and skills I will continue

to get will continue to foster my growth and development into an expert nurse one day.
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In order to continue to develop and grow into the next stage of Benner’s theory, Stage 3:

Competency, I have a plan set. First, I will utilize the rest of immersion and my experience as a

PCT to develop skills for advanced planning like prioritization as well we organization. I will

utilize my preceptor as an example to understand acuity and care levels of patients as well as

how to organize my care whether it is medication administration, admission reports or comfort

care. My next plan for growth into the next stage is repetition and finding my own navigation for

assessment, skills and care to provide to patients. I know that not every patient will not be the

same. However, I feel as though having a routine of where to start and how to prioritize will help

guide my confidence in being able to recognize the needs of my patient. Finally, and of great

importance, I will continue to ask questions. Asking questions helps facilitate learning catered to

your needs as a learner. I will ask questions as a PCT and as a new graduate nurse. This will not

only continue to grow my knowledge but also help me to see various things and gain

understanding of concepts. In the end, my nursing knowledge and skills will be enhanced.

In summary, I feel as though my personal philosophy will continue to guide the kind of

care that I want to ensure to each patient I come in contact. Although, being a new graduate

nurse seems nerve-wrecking, I know that if I continue with my plan to grow and eventually

develop into an expert nurse will guide me through the process. I will continue to ask questions

to seek clarity as well as observe other nurses at the expert level in order to facilitate learning. I

will keep an open mind for all patients and situations so that the care I give is unbiased and

patient-centered. I believe that my beliefs and values will carry me a long way especially as a

new nurse. I also believe it is conducive to my growth as a nurse that they haven’t changed but

been enhanced by my education and clinical experiences. Not only will I continue to grow but I

will continue to keep in mind the care that I want to provide and the kind of nurse that I want to
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be in my career. I will always remember that respect is key to it all and to treat the patients as I

would like my family to be treated. This basic concept will always be the foundation of my

nursing care.
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References

Benner, P. (1982). From Novice to Expert. The American Journal of Nursing, 82(3), 402-407.

BSMCON Philosophy Statement (2016-2017). Retrieved from

https://bsmcon.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-213998-dt-content-rid-

1361456_1/courses/201718SPRING-NUR4142-GA-

GB/Spring%202018/Assignments%20and%20Rubrics/CON%20Philosophy%20Stateme

nt.pdf