Sample Nursing Philosophy

Sample Nursing Philosophy

One questions I frequently get asked is why do I want to become a nurse. This is easy to answer when I think of the rewards received from being a nurse. Many nurses describes the benefits of being a nurse and how they have a desire to care for people and see them get healthy again. While this is true for me, my main reason has to do with my own experience with nurses. At a young age my mother passed away, and it is because of her nurses that I want to become a nurse. Watching them care for my mom and seeing all that they do for patients made me realize how complex the job really is. Not only did these nurses always make sure my mom was comfortable, they also made sure the rest of my family was coping. They made the whole experience of being in the hospital a little less scary and always explained everything in a way that we all could understand. As I got older and it became time to think of a career choice, nursing is the only thing that I wanted to do.

After seeing what nurses do and having my own clinical experiences, I have a better understanding of the four concepts of the nursing metaparadigm. The first concept, person, is an easy one to understand. With nursing you are caring for a person. What makes this complex is that it’s not just the physical aspect that a nurse is caring for, but also includes caring for the body, mind, and soul of the individual. Most would think that nursing is just fixing the physical things that can be seen with the patients. Nurses often have to help the patients understand their illness and also make sure they are mentally prepared to care for themselves out of the hospital. Also the “person” doesn’t always have to refer to the patient; it can also be the patient’s family. This was certainly the case when my mother was sick. Comment by Joann Erb:

The second concept of the metaparadigm is environment. The environment is important because without a healthy environment that patient can’t heal properly. The environment can refer to the room they are in and the people that are around them. After the patient leaves the hospital, will they be in a location that is safe, near resources they need? Will the patient be in a home that is safe, are there things that could cause them to get injured? Are there adequate resources at home? The environment can also refer to the emotional health of the patient. Is the patient going to have people around them that truly care and support them?

Another element in the nursing metaparadigm is health. Health refers to the person’s well-being, both physical and mental. It is important to understand the person’s own idea of health, someone society may see as healthy, may not view themselves that way if they can’t do all the things he/she did in the past. For a person to heal, they must be mentally healthy and emotionally willing to get healthy. Health is different for each individual and nurse must understand what health means to each patient and work with them to achieve it.

The final element is nursing. Nursing is not simply distributing medicines and administering treatment, it involves assessments, critical thinking, essential communication between patient and family members, collaboration with involved health care workers, and evaluation of interventions. It does not only involve teaching, but assesses the patient’s willingness and ability to learn. A nurse cannot merely instruct the patient on how to perform a skill but must watch the patient demonstrate the ability to perform that skill. Nursing is identifying incongruent verbal language and body language. Nursing is knowing when to confront, when to show empathy, when to be silent, and when to give a hug. Nursing is the science and art of caring.

In my own clinical experience, I was able to see how all these element for the metaparadigm come together. One of my patients was suicidal, and after caring for her it was clear how all these concepts work. First, it was getting her mentally healthy. She needed to be in an environment that she had someone with her at all times, she needed to have people around her that cared for her and wanted her to see just how much she is loved. As the nurse, I was able to support her and help establish a positive environment with her family and friends.

My clinical experiences have made it even more clear to me that nursing is exactly what I want to do with my life. To be able to see someone improve and thank you for caring for them is rewarding. Whether it is just being able to sit with a patient and listen to their concerns or hold their hand in this scary time for them is something I will continue to do. It is because of my mother’s nurses that I want to work in pediatrics, in hope to make a scary difficult time a little less scary, just like someone once did for me.