My Nursing Philosophy

Neela Minesinger

University of Arizona College of Nursing

NURS 478: Transition to the Professional Nursing Role

Professor Sarah Hoogasian & Mary O’Connell

November 15, 2022

 Introduction

Nursing is the most complex and exciting profession that I think people can pick. I

believe that nursing is the backbone of the health system and without it everything would fail.

We have so many roles and responsibility allowing us to have endless opportunities and impact

on the people of the community.

I define nursing as an opportunity to provide comfort and care at vulnerable moments.

When I first wanted to do nursing, I wanted to do it for the financial and scheduling benefits.

Over the past three and half years I have learned and immersed in what the true meaning of

nursing is. It is an extremely hard and challenging career that I am excited to be a part of. I want

to provide and make a difference in people’s most vulnerable moments. I think that when you

give your patient a smile or bring them a warm blanket that it does go a long way, they truly

believe they have someone on their side. I want all my patients to feel like they have someone on

their side even if they have never experienced that or have unlimited people on their side.

My mission in nursing is to make sure that all my patients have a positive experience and

are treated as a human. I have had many hospital experiences with my grandparents with them

not being treated with dignity and respect. I want to provide care to my patients respectfully,

with dignity and as much independence as they are physically able. I hope to make my patients

as less stressful and happy during a vulnerable time for them.

Defining your Nursing Practice

I believe that when you are given opportunities to make a positive impact that you should

take them. Many of us have been given this amazing opportunity to change people’s lives

mentally and physically. I believe that we must take and capitalize on these opportunities to

make health care equal in all aspects.

 Based on my personal life experiences I value many things. I value the opportunities and

experiences of life the most. I learned the most from when I say yes. Those experiences have

developed me as a person and what I would like to accomplish in my life. I have also learned the

importance of empathy and compassion which I value in all my relationships. I think these

attributes make you stand out and allow you to make a difference. I value the experiences that

taught me how to have compassion and empathy for people and hope to continue to have those

for my patients and staff members throughout my career.

I think my most useful skill in nursing is my compassion and understanding of culture. I

try to understand how my patients might be feeling and what they want in their vulnerable

moments. I know that I will not understand everyone’s thoughts and feelings, but I can attempt to

aid them in any way I can. I also respect and love to learn about different cultures. I think it is

fascinating how other cultures view certain issues, have different values and beliefs, and

celebrate different traditions. I love to learn about my patients and their background to provide

the most comfort and best care for them.

Integrative Nursing Principles

During my preceptorship I had a patient that came in due to chronic lymphedema and needed

to be on antibiotics for the next month. The patient was Spanish speaking only therefore there

was a speech barrier that we had to gap with an interpreter. Due to this barrier, I used my beliefs,

values, and skills to provide her with the most comfort and privacy during her stay. With using

her body language and few English words I was able to get things that she needed and made her

more comfortable in her bed. I felt a lot of empathy for her since her family couldn’t come visit

her often since the hospital was far from where they lived. It was great experience to overcome a

language barrier and learn more about a new culture through my patient.
 Having compassion, empathy, and respect all coincide with the Integrative Nursing

Principles (INP). Without these beliefs and values, it is hard to provide safe and comforting care

to patients. One of the INP is integrative nursing is person-centered and relationship based

(Kreitzer, 2015). This is an important because we want to look at our patient holistically to

prevent complications and readmissions. Another INP that correlates to my beliefs and values is

humans are whole systems inseparable from their environment (Kreitzer, 2015). Our

environment makes us who we are. When separated from it we can be lost or feel disengaged in

life. When providing care for our patients, not only do we focus on the patient’s phsycial status

but also their physical environment. Family, friends, and a clean room can go a long way. The

last INP that I focus on is human beings have the innate capacity for health and wellbeing

(Kreitzer, 2015). We also must look at our own mental health as well as our patients. This can

define our day or our whole month. If we do not maintain healthy habits and goals, we cannot

provide the care we need to for our patients or ourselves.

Your Impact on the Profession

I am grateful for the opportunities and education that I have received throughout my life. I

understand that they’re our many individuals out in the world that have not been given the same

gratitude and instead are stuck in a circle of a system against them. With nursing I hope to fix

that system in any way that I can. I know that I cannot and will not change the entire healthcare

system in my lifetime, however, I know that with having RN next to my name I can go a long

way. I want to provide as many opportunities as possible with education, and resources to

individuals that don’t have them. I believe since I have been given this life and was able to get

through nursing school that not only my skills should be utilized in the hospital but also out in

the world. I haven’t decided specifically what I want to accomplish at a bigger scale since there
so many ways I could go. In our community health rotation, I learned about how children are not

being fed proper food, don’t have transportation, aren’t vaccinated, and have not received sex

education. These are just a few of many issues out in the community that need nurses to help

solve. On top of having a hospital job I would like to do volunteering or be a part of an

organization in the community that strives to better on one of these issues.

I grew up in a multi-cultural household that has provided me with many different

perspectives on the world and its issues. My mother grew up in Malawi, Africa, with descent

from South India from my grandmother. My father was born in Ohio and eventually moved to

the New England area. Having both these cultures perspectives growing up has molded my

beliefs, values, and actions as a person. I think that it sets me apart from others since I can see

both arguments of the conversation when other people have only been exposed to one or don’t

try and see the other. I take great pride in my multi-cultural status as it has taught me many

lessons and opened many doors that others cannot and will never experience. I think most

importantly it will provide me the ability to find and build a relationship with all patients of

different cultures. Just during my preceptorship, the question that my patients asked me the most

was where I was from. I can see that many people would find this offensive, however, I try and

look at it from another point of view as my patient trying to understand me and build trust. It is

how they respond after you tell them your story that we can begin to determine if trust is built or

destroyed.

Conclusion

My goal with my nursing practice is to make a positive difference, no matter how little or big

it may be. I learned that positive impacts can be as small as giving your patient a smile or as big

as going out into the community opening a vaccine clinic at a local school. I went into a
healthcare career because I know I have been given opportunities to change our community and

world in positive way. My goal for future is to implement change somehow and, in some way, to

create more health care equity and social justice.

 References

Kreitzer M. J. (2015). Integrative nursing: application of principles across clinical settings.

Rambam Maimonides medical journal, 6(2), e0016.