1

Suzanna Goode

Personal Nursing Philosophy

NUR 4142 Synthesis

Dr. Turner

3.19.18

“I pledge”
 2

Suzanna Goode

Dr. Turner, PhD, MS, RN, CNE

NUR 4142

3/19/18

Personal Nursing Philosophy

Definition of Nursing

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing promotes five tenets in their posted

philosophy: nursing, nursing education, caring, health, and service. Every nurse, consciously

or unconsciously, has formed their own individual nursing philosophy as the framework for

their practice. This philosophy is created and developed by personal and clinical experiences

and becomes greatly influential to the care and quality of care given to patients. I too have

formed my own philosophy of nursing and it has evolved throughout nursing school. I

believe nursing is a verb—an act of the heart, the heart of a servant leader. Nursing is the

most “trusted” profession. With this comes much responsibility. As nurses, we should

conduct our practice with morality and integrity, which is mentioned under the “nursing”

tenet. “Nurses are accountable and are ethically, legally, and morally grounded.”

Bon Secours also stands by the concept of nursing as an art and a science. It takes

more than just knowledge and technical skills. Although these things are obvious pieces

necessary to the puzzle, I believe being a nurse is truly an art form. The “caring” tenant

discusses nursing’s roots in holistic care. We are trusted to care. Oftentimes in a “lay”

person’s mind, “caring” may simply mean showing general compassion, concern, and

providing comfort in a time of need. A holistic approach is what produces quality care— the

physical, emotional, and mental health of your patients. Keeping these core tenets in mind, I
 3

believe that a nurse is defined as an individual who provides morally upstanding and holistic

care to patients across the lifespan; not only through knowledge, but through his/her personal

way of delivering care.

Application to Practice

My personal philosophy of nursing revolves around the concepts of integrity, holistic

care, and nursing as an art form. I practice integrity by choosing to do the right thing,

regardless of who is watching or what may be easier in the moment. I actively make the

decision to avoid “short cuts” because I know these detours in patient care can ultimately

lead to mistakes and possibly bad outcomes. I want to hold myself and my nursing practice

to the highest standards, not only for myself, but for those I care for. This principle is

especially dear to my heart as I transition to become a new graduate nurse practicing in the

NICU because one small shortcut or oversight could easily lead to the harm or even death of

a sweet child and devastation to a family.

A nurse who truly personalizes her care and takes ownership of her practice is a nurse

who is taking the profession beyond her Bachelor’s of Science degree and transforming it

into art as well. I attempt to personalize my care with every patient. Each is unique and

should be treated as such. Nursing becomes an art form when you take your patient

interactions beyond the task oriented duties of the job.

A patient is more than just their body and their diagnosis on a computer screen with a

list of medications to administer. They have feelings, emotions, struggles, and interests that

accompany them, just as I do. I attempt to take my care beyond the physical body and also

speak to a patient’s spiritual and emotional needs. This is where the real meaning of holistic
 4

nursing care comes into play. Holistic nursing is an art form in and of itself, taking into

consideration the complex needs of each individual.

Nurse-Patient Encounter

The time I felt I best exemplified my personal nursing philosophy was the day I took

care of a patient that I could not even communicate with. My patient was middle-aged man

who was facing the consequences of stroke. He was unable to communicate in any way

verbally and gave no indication that he could understand his surroundings. Throughout the

day, the interprofessional team, myself included, performed all the tasks necessary in taking

care of this man, however, I felt that there was one box left unchecked—meaningful

communication.

This patient presented a distinct challenge because of the uncertainty of what he was

able to understand. While some staff communicated with him as if he could understand

everything, others treated him as though he was not in the room at all. At the end of the day

before clinical was over, I made a point to have a moment with him alone to look him in the

eye, hold his hand, and try my best to communicate with him one last time. Doubting I

would receive any kind of response, I told him it was a pleasure caring for him and asked if it

would be okay if I prayed with him before I left. To my surprise, he nodded his head and his

eyes immediately widened, filled with light. I sat at the bedside, held his hands, and prayed

for peace and comfort in this difficult and highly frustrating time. As we looked up from his

prayer, I could see his eyes welled with tears and mine followed suit. I gave him a brief

goodbye and exited the room to meet my group. As I passed through the doorway, I heard a

release of emotion and sobs coming from behind me. That day, I knew I was the best nurse I

could be for that patient. It only takes a small moment to make a big impact.
 5

Reflection

I started out my nursing career thinking in this way: “I want to be a nurse who

believes in loving, compassionate, encouraging care, who values authenticity, honesty,

empathy, human life, and a nonjudgmental attitude. I aspire to be this kind of nurse, desiring

to serve people, ease pain, bring hope, and provide consistent holistic care. Ultimately, the

highest quality of health care cannot be achieved without nurses who are knowledgeable,

compassionate, respectful, and empathetic” (Goode, 2015). As I reach the end of my four-

year journey, not only do I still believe that this is what it means to be a nurse, but I now

have a deeper understanding of how essential it is to actually put these words into practice.

In comparing my original nursing philosophy to the definition listed above, I realize that

while compassion is a very important piece to the puzzle, integrity and respect play an

overwhelming role. One can have compassion for another and still lack true integrity and

respect. Respect is at the core. Integrity is the act of respect and compassion is the

associated feeling—both are indispensable. Florence Nightingale said, “I think one’s

feelings waste themselves in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions

which bring results” (“Florence Nightingale Quotes”, 2018).

From Novice to Expert

Patricia Benner’s theory proposes five levels of nursing proficiency: novice, advanced

beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. This theory suggests that an experienced, expert

nurse is developed through a solid educational foundation and much clinical experience.

Benner believes that with this strategy, the nurse can become expert in “knowing how”

before “knowing that”—meaning one can learn what to do in specific clinical scenarios,

without necessarily knowing the complexities behind the “why” (Benner, 2001).
 6

Advanced Beginner

I began this journey as a novice nurse, however, I feel that through my clinical

experiences and education I have graduated to an advanced beginner (Benner, 2001). My

decision making in the clinical setting is still primarily based upon the “to-do’s” and “to-

don’t’s” with the basic background knowledge of a new graduate. I also understand that

decision-making “depends” on the situation and is almost never simply black or white.

Nursing is a lot of grey area, and I have made peace with that, as it was a struggle at the

beginning. Two patients with the same diagnoses may not be treated the same way because

of individual needs. I feel this is an appropriate stage to find myself in at the end of nursing

school and the very beginning of my career.

Moving Forward

Many lessons in nursing can only be learned through experience, and experience

comes with time. The complex understanding of rationale will reveal itself to me as I

continue to practice and learn from my more competent and expert peers. The next stage of

skill acquisition is competence (Benner, 2001). I will be working towards this stage when I

enter into my first job in the NICU. This unit requires highly specified care to a unique

patient population. I will be intentional in taking part in activities, classes, and other learning

opportunities that will help me develop more knowledge and skill. I will never be afraid to

ask questions in the workplace when I am unsure because patient safety is more important.

There is no better way to learn than from those that have had more clinical experiences. To

fully utilize my resources and deepen my comprehension of other team member’s skillsets, I

will commit to gain awareness of each discipline’s scope of practice. Knowing which
 7

questions to ask which person will help me become more efficient and proactive in delivery

of patient care.

In the future, as I move through the levels of skill acquisition, I hope to eventually

become expert and share my knowledge and skill to novice nurses as they begin their

journey, just as was done for me.

Through all the ways I have defined my personal philosophy of nursing, I want to

always remember how meaningful it is to imagine myself in another’s shoes; whether it be

my patient, their loved one, my co-worker, or my manager. I believe embracing this concept

will help me relate to those around me and will ultimately help improve the quality of care I

give my patients. As I move forward into my first registered nurse position, I never want to

stop striving to learn, grow, and become a better nurse, whatever that may look like for me.
 8

References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Florence Nightingale Quotes. (2018). Goodreads.com. Retrieved 19 March 2018, from

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/63031.Florence_Nightingale

Goode, S. (2015). Personal Nursing Philosophy. NUR 1100.