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Professional Nursing Philosophy

Mariah Little

Delaware Technical Community College

NUR 300

Ms. Bowie

February 21, 2021

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Professional Nursing Philosophy

            Every single nurse has a different outlook on why they chose and began their

nursing career. They may have some similarities but not one person has the exact same

philosophy as another. For me, I joined nursing for the caring and compassionate aspect of

course, but I also joined for the evolving science and lifelong learning it brings. Nursing is the

compassionate care for other individuals with a healing mind. As a nurse, I am always trying to

see the good in a situation, how I can heal someone, or make something better. Nurses are the

center of care to their patients. They are healing, caring, kind, considerate, compassionate,

knowledgeable, and much more. I have seen firsthand by myself and coworkers the more passion

you put forth to your patients and what you do, the better care they receive. As Mother Theresa

said, “It is not how much you do but how much love you put in the doing.” I believe as a nurse I

aim to strive in the categories of teaching, empathy, communication, caring, critical thinking,

professionalism, compassion, ethical, and legal matters. Nurses are a wealth of knowledge to

their patients and themselves. They are to heal their patients not only by touch and medicine but

by teaching them how to better care for themselves also. Each nurse should carry empathy and

compassion in what they do, it is the core of being a nurse. As a nurse I think professionalism is

very important, if you want your patients to trust you and follow what you say, you need to be

professional. When taking care of patients, anything can change in a second, and you must

always be ready. That is why it is important to think critically and be able to think ahead about

what is to be done next. As nurses, we are held to our licensure and there are many duties outside

our scope of practice we cannot do. We must be aware ethically and legally of our boundaries to

deliver safe care.

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            In nursing you are always learning and always growing. Every time I work, I

learn something new. Whether that be about my patients’ condition, a medication, a procedure,

nursing obligations or much more. I knew the day I graduated from nursing school I would not

stop my education after achieving my diploma and passing my NCLEX. I believe that all the

patients I take care of deserve the finest version of me. By that I mean that they deserve a nurse

who is dedicated to what they do and strives to be the best version of a nurse they can be. They

deserve a nurse that is dedicated to their field and shows that through what they do. I have

recognized there are many things I can do to achieve this. First, I can have an open mind and

always be willing to take advice and constructive criticism from my coworkers. Second, I can

dedicate myself to learning more whether that be from obtaining certifications, enrolling in an

organization, or obtaining a higher degree. I am beginning this obligation to my patients by

beginning to acquire a higher degree, my bachelor’s. I feel as if I am going to be educating my

patients, I need to be educating myself also. I value that my patients obtain the sharpest level of

myself that I can be. Whether it be the foundations of general education courses or specific

nursing courses they are all vital. You cannot succeed if you do not understand the fundamentals.

You cannot understand how a disease effects a body system if you do not know how the system

normally works. You cannot draw up a specific amount of a medication that the doctor ordered if

you do not know how to do a math equation. Therefore, the general education classes are just

important as nursing specific classes.

            Virginia Henderson’s thoughts and nursing theory greatest align with my values

and beliefs in my nursing career and philosophy. Henderson believed that the nurse aids patients

in actions that contribute to health, recovery, or a peaceful death (Nurseslabs, 2014). I believe

this is the foundation of a nurse’s duties. Nurses either help a patient maintain the greatest level
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of health, recover from a sickness, or aid in their peaceful death. Henderson highlights that

nurses are to be empathetic and understanding (Masters, 2018). Henderson emphasized 14

components of basic care. They are essentials such as breathing normally, eating and drinking,

sleep and rest, maintaining a homeostatic environment, recreation, and more basic needs each

human being deserves. With being a labor and delivery nurse, I take care of patients and help to

maintain the greatest level of health, while I also take care of patients that what is supposed to be

their happiest time of their life, it is their most challenging. Unfortunately, there are also times

when I must help a patient obtain their peaceful death. With Henderson’s theory I feel as if it

exemplifies all parts of my job. I try my hardest to preserve my patients at the greatest level of

their health but when things unexpectedly change, I help patients achieve the highest level of

health no matter what stage they are in.

            Personal wellness is a crucial aspect of being a nurse. If one cannot take care of

themselves how can they competently take care of others? While in such a professional role,

others will find trouble respecting and following what you say if you do not uphold an

appropriate wellness yourself. Individuals should work to live and not live to work. By personal

wellness I mean spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Henderson’s theory

encompasses and promotes the 14 basic needs of nursing care for a patient. While Henderson

does not directly state how a nurse should take care of him or herself, I would greatly assume it

aligns with the basic needs of a patient. As a nurse I should make sure I have my 14 needs

satisfied. This consists of adequate sleep, rest, eating, drinking, suitable dress, being well

groomed, avoiding injuries, participating in forms of recreation, worshiping, and communicating

with others (Masters, 2018). This also aligns with my nursing philosophy, that we must maintain

the highest level of ourselves we can be for the best interest of our patients. The healthier we are
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ourselves, the better care we can give others. As I am pursuing in a higher education, I also must

make sure I have time for myself, for other activities I enjoy doing. I have done several shifts in

a row before and picked up extra time in the interest of money but not too long after I realized it

was not beneficial of my personal wellness. Now I am aware that it is not healthy to overwork

myself as it does not allow my personal wellness to thrive.

            My nursing philosophy aligns with being the best version of myself I can be for

my patients and myself as a nurse. The conflict management that ties in best is between two of

them: accommodating and collaborating. I like to avoid any conflict arising, but I do not like to

avoid the conflict altogether. I am an individual that will accommodate and play down the

situation to make each party happy. While on the other hand if it is a topic or situation, I feel

strongly about my opinion, I will attempt to collaborate with others. While I do not want my

opinion ignored, I also want to try to avoid conflict worsening at all costs and hear other opinions

from my peers and coworkers. Do not confuse this with avoidance, as I do not avoid problems

altogether (Walden University, 2017). I feel strongly that something needs to be addressed to

avoid anything worsening. I also know that in the healthcare field, I am always seeking other

opinions and help. Therefore, collaboration is an important key in healthcare, and I feel is even

more important when conflict arises. Managing conflict is an important aspect of maintaining the

greatest care for my patients. As a professional nurse, how I handle situations and conflict

depicts how my coworkers perceive and trust me. Running away from issues is not an option

when there could be individuals lives on the line. If there is an issue that directly effects the

patient, collaborating is important because the solution is in the best interest of the patient and all

teams put their ideas in to have the best outcome.

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            In my philosophy of nursing safety is a key importance. It ties in with being a

compassionate caregiver. To compassionately care for my patient is to make sure they are

receiving the best, safest care. As a nurse that would be getting another nurses’ opinion if I am

unsure. That is making sure I have the right dose, right patient, right medication, right route and

more when giving my patient their medications. It would be selfish, inconsiderate, and unsafe if I

allowed my own behaviors to get in the way of patient care. For example, if I chose to not

collaborate with others in fear of looking foolish on something I was not sure of, in the end is

doing a disservice to my patients. QSEN competencies lead my nursing career as they are in the

interest of keeping my patient and myself safe. The competencies focus on patient centered care

as that is the groundwork of my nursing philosophy, everything revolves around being in the best

interest for the patient. Collaborating with my coworkers aids in elimination of errors as there are

more opportunities to catch an error or to improve on a topic. To safely provide the best care I

must be aware of my limitations, physically and legally. I must be admitting of errors I make and

contributing on how to prevent them from occurring again (QSEN Institute, n.d.).

            To be a strong leader you must strive to be the best version of yourself. I feel as if

a leader has great passion for what they do, and you can see that through their actions. You must

listen to other opinions and do not take them lightly. As a leader others look up to you and what

you do and to maintain the outlook you must respect their concerns and ideas. Leaders are held

to the principles of benevolence and nonmaleficence (Wolters Kluwer, 2018). I am still

beginning in my nursing career and learning from other people that I do not see myself in a

leader position yet. But when I analyze all I have done so far, I see leadership qualities emerging.

I am dedicated to my field and very passionate about what I do and always interested in learning

more. The comments others give me about my efforts and hard work confirms that what I do is
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seen by others. I am interested in policies in my facility to make sure that I am giving my

patients the safest care to my hospitals standards. I want to uplift others in my work environment

and make my workplace the best it can be. I value communication within my unit and

organization. The amount that can be accomplished when everyone is on the same page and

shares their ideas is surprising. If I continue to carry out my nursing career through my

philosophy, I feel as if I will be in a better position to be a leader when I have more experience.

As I still feel I have many areas to grow in before I feel as if I could take a leadership role.
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References

Masters, K. (2018). Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlington, MA: Jones &

Bartlett Learning.

Nurseslabs. (2014, August 6). Virginia henderson: Need theory study guide.

https://nurseslabs.com/virginia-hendersons-need-theory/

QSEN Institute. (n.d.). Qsen competencies. https://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/

Walden University. (2017, May 30). What’s your conflict management style.

https://www.waldenu.edu/news-and-events/walden-news/2017/0530-whats-your-conflict-

management-style

Wolters Kluwer. (2018, October 4). Best practices for ethical nursing leadership.

https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/best-practices-for-ethical-nursing-

leadership