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My Nursing Philosophy Paper

Mary Esson, SN UWM

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

October 2, 2011
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My Nursing Philosophy

Philosophies are developed mainly from people’s experience and beliefs. Philosophies

give individuals different meanings to life, since we all have our own individual beliefs. Nurses

have their own philosophy, which is shaped by the nurse’s subjected viewpoint and so does each

and everyone have their own philosophy in life. Philosophy integrates individual values and

belief and the subjective aspect of it might differ from person to person in their definition of

human beings, rights of humans, people, environment, nursing, and the role of the nurse.

Human Beings

Human beings in my subjective viewpoint are Homo sapiens which are similar to apes in

their anatomy, but bear a culture, language, have highly developed brain, emotions, values, and

practice religion, have rights and serve as the master control of the earth. Even though humans

possess similar characteristics, the biological make up of one human to the other is very different

in terms of their genetic predisposition. The complex developed brain of human beings makes

them capable of love, thinking obscurely, coming up with new technology as well as intervention,

and makes them individualized in their thinking.

Rights of Humans

My definition of Human right is the freedom given to each and every individual either

through the law/ legal rights or through personal rights to be able to make informed decision.

Each Human is entitled to human rights regardless of their age, gender, socio economic status,

culture, religion, nationality and language. Human rights might differ slightly from country to

country but the universal principle of the Human rights in my perspective is no matter what

country you are in, Human rights should be shared equally among its citizens. Having
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individualized rights helps us maintain a sense of order and it serves as a source of boundary in

the country or nation, so as to protect both the citizen and the government.

Role of Nursing

The role of a nurse differs from our everyday roles in such that nurses put others before

themselves but in our daily lives, we put ourselves first. As a nurse, you have to be able to

negotiate with your own feelings and biases with your client’s. It is the role of the nurse to be

able to provide the correct assessment for clients and to make sure the clients rights, dignity and

pride is respected. The most important nursing role is listening to the patients. The only person

who knows what's going on in their body is the patient or client; the nurse can just try to interpret

how the client feels by observing the client, but effective communication with client and

listening to them will be a step towards finding the etiology of the problem.

People

People come in different forms, shapes, ethnicity, gender and background. It is the duty

of every nurse to be able to put your biases aside, when dealing with a group of people that you

are not familiar with. People seek help from nurses for various reasons, and as a nurse, we have

to be able to accommodate each person. People might not always be in their best mood, once

entering into a health facility, and it is the nurse’s duty to make sure that all the patient or people

are safe and it is the nurse’s duty to always respect the privacy of a person.

Health

I believe Health to be the equilibrium between illness and wellness and the ability to

perform daily or normal routines without the interruption of an illness or disease. The health of

an individual incorporates the individuals mind, body and spirit. I believe health to be subjective

and at the same time objective depending on who is looking at it. The duty of a nurse in terms of
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health is to be able to find out your clients defines health, and work with client to develop or

implement a plan that is going to benefit your clients with their health needs.

Environment

Environment as we all know is a key determinant of health. An individual’s living

environment can sometimes be used to describe the kind of personality, behavior and some of the

illness that might be present at that specific environment. The environment is very important part

of our life, because it is where we get most of our basic need, example water, food, shelter and

much more. Our environment shapes our identity, and it is the nurse’s duty to view each and

everyone as an individual, and not part of the environment. It is also the nurse’s role to promote a

healing and welcoming environment for their patients.

Nursing

There are so many words that can describe nursing, but in my perspective, Nursing is the

selfless act of sacrificing one’s time educating people about health literacy, advocating for clients,

protecting and preventing illnesses by emphasizing early intervention and screening as well as

protecting people from potential threats to their health and also promoting better lifestyle.

Nurses are able to perform the entire above task through the nursing process. The nursing

process is a guide for the nurses to adequately take good care of each individual as they present

with their diverse health issues.

Conclusion

As a nurse, it is very important to understand your own philosophy as well as being able

to recognize your own biases before you work with clients in promoting health. Since the career

of nursing is based on providing care for other human beings it is important for the nurse to

evaluate their own philosophy as well as the patient or client’s culture, beliefs. When evaluating
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our nursing philosophy, we should take into account of our own personal values, believe, our

definition of the career nursing and how we define people.

Mary well thought out concepts related to your nursing philosophy! You even brought in

the nursing process. Well done. Grade S. You thoughts were communicated well, there are

places where the verb tense may be changed for more fluent flow and effective communication. I

am betting if you proof read aloud once you will catch it. Thoughtful work. JSK