Nursing Philosophy 1

Nursing philosophy

Joshua Rutledge

DTCC
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Abstract

Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families,

groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings (Mass, 2019). Nursing to me is much

more than just caring for a patient. In the new modern world with advances in technology,

pharmacology, and medical practice medicine is continuously changing and updating. It’s the job

of the nurse to stay current with these updates stay knowledgeable on the care they’re giving.

Nursing encompasses so much more than just medicine, the role of nurses ranges a broad range.

On top of managing care for physically ill patients Nurses must be capable to deal with patients

of mental illness, disabled patients, and patients with diverse cultures and beliefs. Nurse roles are

not only limited to that, great nurses facilitate health care teaching, participate as a team member

on a health care team, supervise and facilitate nurse training, and continue nursing research

through evidence based practice.

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Nursing philosophy

My nursing philosophy it to treat patients with the care you would like to receive, to

promote fairness in care and in the workplace and to keep a positive energy in the work place

even in times of high stress.

Values

The “6 C’s” of nursing is a concept set up by Jane Cummings it breaks down the core

values needed to be an effective quality nurse. “The 6Cs are care, compassion, courage,

communication, commitment and competence”(). Care is the most broad value being that the

nursing field mainly consists of caring for patients but caring is the ability to show concern or

kindness to a peer and facilitating the practice of caring for those who cannot care for

themselves, in order to be a caring nurse it takes a self-less person who places their patients well-

being as a priority on their list. Compassion and care get mistaken because they are similar,

compassion is built through relationships in which empathy, dignity, and dignity. Through this

we can deliver compassionate care which is a staple in the nurse patient therapeutic relationship.

Courage is important value for nurses to have, shyness is something I have seen in my own

personal career that can get patients either injured or killed. Doctors/medical providers are

humans and with this humanity is human error. If the nurse caring for a patient lacks the courage

to speak up and be a proper advocate for a patient then that nurse is doing that patient an

injustice and is not providing optimal care which is why its an important value for nurses to

have. Communication is a crucial value to have in the nursing field not only to aid in building

that nurse patient therapeutic relationship but to maintain optimal continuity of care with passing

on information to other members of the health care team. Commitment can prove an important

value to have in the nursing field. Take this scenario lets say it’s the end of your shift and you’ve
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got some unfinished paper work left to do. A nurse that shows commitment to their patients and

their healthcare team would ensure that paper work was finished to promote better care for the

patient and a better work environment for peers, even if it means having to stay late past their

shift. The last and by far the most important in my opinion is competence and the ability to

safely take care of patients through continued education. Due to the exponential growth of the

medical field in advances of technology medical research and practices nursing care is

continually changing and advancing. Promoting better care requires continued learning. Nurses

are going to have to pursue further education to learn new skills and practices. Life long learning

is important in nursing and doesn't necessarily have to be achieved though college, I have known

a lot of people that continually educate themselves by doing research in their field and

continuously teach me based off their research that aid in my own nursing.

Nursing Theory1

Callista Roy created the Adaption model of nursing in 1976 this was to theorize nursing

care by looking at a patient from a holistic perspective. I chose this theory because it most runs

in line with my current nursing goals and values. The adaptation model looks at each patient in

four modes or four aspects. adaptation model is based on four modes; physiological, self

concept, role function, and interdependence. Callista Roy’s adaptation theory centers around the

goal of promoting proper adaptation of a patient in all four modes as a whole. Each mode is

assessed for any presence of maladaptation, then the nurse must then assess for stimuli

influencing the patients maladaptation. nursing care plan is formed around these maladaptations

and by influencing factors such a environment or elements of the patient system the patient can
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learn new ways to properly adapt and integrate these proper adaptations into other aspects of

their lives.  

Personal wellness

As a nurse your patients life is in your hands and theres nothing on earth more valuable

and more precious than a human life which is why its imperative for an individual nurse to take

pride in their career and aim to give the most competent nursing care in their ability. One major

component to delivering great care to your patient is taking into account your own physical

wellness. Nursing is a stressful career field one major problem for nurses is developing proper

coping mechanisms to deal with the high level on stress. Positive coping mechanisms can

include exercise, maintaining a healthy diet to aid in overall health, or even having positive

outlets like rock climbing or playing basketball to decrease levels of stress. This can effect a

nurses overall mood on a day to day basis and affect your decision making skills. This proves a

major point that personal wellness can play a role in delivering nursing care.

Conflict management

My number one rule and major value I exhibit in my nursing care is I give I treat

everyone with fairness. When conflicts arise weather it be with a patient or family member

maybe even a coworker I try to look at every thing with a fair perspective. I use that approach to

all my decisions in my current day to day life. My conflict management style shared the most

commonalities of a collaborating style. I incorporate fairness and try to build resolutions to

problems that accommodate both parties involved best. I incorporate this with my co workers
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and it allows me to turn conflicts in the work place into a positive experience and improve the

healthcare team as a whole and improve overall patient care.

QSEN

5 competencies which are Patient centered care, Team work and collaboration, Evidence

based practice, Safety, and Informatics (Flavin 2019). Patient centered care is important care

should be adjusted and changed in accordance with patients responses to treatments. This is a

common practice used in the prison system to treat patients through our sick call process it allow

nurses to assess diagnose and treat patients to a certain level but allow for more urgent cases to

go to the next level which are our nurse practitioners which number a lot fewer than nurses.

Team work and collaboration are imperative in my current job I depend on my healthcare team

to facilitate healthcare to 2600 patients every single person on the team plays a role and has to

display proper team work and collaboration skills work efficiently. Evidence based practice is

the nursing fields eyes and ears by using statistical quantitative analysis to guide patient care

practices and improve the nursing field. Employing proper safe care techniques improve the

overall care of the patient and minimize care risks. Safety is a number one priority in patient care

and prioritize overall health of the patient this is done by self management of nursing and

supervision of nurses and care from the board of nursing. Informatics is used in my job

continuously to keep up with advances in technology and new patient treatments. This can be

both seen through continued education at my job and in on the job training from more

experienced members of the health care team.

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Leadership

Nursing leadership is going to be an imperative role to fill for every nurse one day.

Nurses could take on a role of leadership such as a charge nurse position or a preceptor position.

Proper leadership skills are essential to maintaining a cohesive but functional work environment.

Nursing leadership techniques include using measurable goals to motivate coworkers to improve

patient care and efficient care. Employing the use of designated roles for trusted coworkers that

can help spread the leadership responsibilities. Crucial key factors to aid in being an effective

leader is using proper communication skills and be able to effectively communicate to all levels

of the team, holding accountability for team members, and monitor for team member satisfaction

team wellness can play a role in care similar to personal wellness. Nursing leadership is no easy

task but using some of these techniques and concepts to guide goals in leadership positions can

improve healthcare.
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References

Flavin, B. (2018, April 24). What Are QSEN Competencies and Why Are They

Important for Nurses? Retrieved October 2, 2019, from

https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/what-are-qsen-competencies/.

Mass (2019, January 25). How A Personal Philosophy of Nursing Can Help Your Career.

Retrieved October 2, 2019, from https://www.masmedicalstaffing.com/2018/03/15/personal-

philosophy-of-nursing/.