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Philosophy of Nursing

Kaitlyn Cullen

University of Florida
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Nursing, to me, is a way of life. It’s not simply a job, but a lifestyle consisting of many

qualities and skills applied in different settings. I believe that a nurse is a caring and empathetic

individual who places value on holistic, patient-centered care.

In my daily life, I am constantly striving to embody and implement my philosophy of

nursing. I believe that a single, positive interaction with someone has the potential to change an

individual’s mindset, how they treat others and how they act in the future. In my relationships

and interactions with others, my goal is to let them know I care for them and the certain

situations and adversities they face. Whether its by smiling, actively listening or perceiving

something from their point of view, I am always trying to strengthen my skills, despite my own

beliefs and biases.

I intend to impact society primarily through practicing individualized care. In a recent,

study on undergraduate nursing students, students were asked upon completion of their

education, what they believed were the most important values of a nurse. Common responses

were that “learning not to be judgmental,” “understanding patients as people,” and implementing

“humanization,” “changed how [they] see life… how [they] see other people… [and] how [they

relate to people” (Rosser et al., 2019). Even though I am only a month into my nursing school

experience, I can agree with these students that recognizing differences and treating someone as

a person before a patient, has served as important values for me to instill while providing care in

the home, hospital and community setting. There is evidence that these values and skills are

proving to be beneficial too. For example, “respecting patients' perspectives” and “viewing a

patient as a whole person” is correlated with better patient participation and patient compliance

to safety” (Hwang, Kim, & Chin, 2019). If a patient can be safer, more comfortable and more
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compliant, simply because I recognize their individual perspective, needs, and differences, then I

believe I will have achieved my role as a good nurse and I will have made an impact in society.

Therefore, I believe the most important thing for a nurse to value is the patient as an

individual. By possessing traits of kindness, empathy, and compassion and acquiring the skill of

de-centering from one’s own beliefs and biases to adhere and care for the needs of others, a nurse

has the potential to not only impact a life, but help redefine the practice of nursing entirely.
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References

Hwang, J.-I., Kim, S. W., & Chin, H. J. (2019). Patient Participation in Patient Safety and Its

Relationships with Nurses' Patient-Centered Care Competency, Teamwork, and Safety Climate.

Asian Nursing Research, 13(2), 130-136. doi:10.1016/j.anr.2019.03.001

Rosser, E. A., Scammell, J., Heaslip, V., White, S., Phillips, J., Cooper, K., . . . Hemingway, A.

(2019). Caring values in undergraduate nurse students: A qualitative longitudinal study.

Nurse Education Today, 77, 65-70. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2019.03.011