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Madison Rash

Delaware Technical Community College, Department of Nursing

NUR 460: Nursing Capstone

Nursing Philosophy Reflection Journal

Dr. Wagamon

March 25, 2023

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Nursing Philosophy Reflection Journal

Throughout the BSN program I have been putting my nursing philosophy into my

practice. My nursing philosophy was;

I believe that my nursing philosophy is that we are all continuing to grow to become an

expert nurse, however, we gain experience and knowledge from helping and learning

from our other nursing coworkers. I believe that once we become a competent nurse,

who’s to say that you do not know something an expert level nurse does? Being a nurse is

almost like a continuum. The difference between a student nurse and an expert level

nurse is drastic, but the student nurse could teach an expert level nurse because medicine

is constantly changing.”

As I progressed through the program, I really have grown into a more confident nurse who

advocates for their patients and themselves in tough situations. I still utilize my nursing

philosophy every day, especially since I have begun precepting nurses who have recently been

hired on my floor. For example, I was orienting an experienced nurse who is just new to 4E and

Christiana Care. While orienting her, I was giving her any tips or tricks that I have learned while

working on 4E. I was open to learning from her as well which is something that can be extremely

valuable from someone who has worked in different healthcare systems and has done travel. It is

important to remain open to new learning opportunities as a nurse because healthcare is

constantly changing. To be successful, nursing professionals must stay informed and involved in

ongoing development opportunities. A commitment to lifelong learning improves the quality of

care and patient outcomes, enhancing career prospects. 

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My nursing theory is something that I have kept in the back of my mind during the past

year while working and during my studies. I would say that my nursing philosophy is something

that I have incorporated into my care as a nurse and as a preceptor. Looking at nursing on a

continuum you realize that you need to be flexible, and that healthcare is constantly changing

and continuing to challenge you. As a nurse, you must be ready for change and to expect the

unexpected. The nursing shortage has aided in my nursing philosophy by making me open my

eyes to other specialties of nursing when I get pulled to help staff other units. Being pulled to the

respiratory unit, I learn more about caring for the respiratory patient as a whole and then how I

can incorporate this into the care of my unit’s patient population which is cardiovascular. While

being pulled on these other units, I am not only learning from other nurses, but from other techs

and doctors!

As I have progressed in my career as a nurse, my nursing philosophy has helped change

my perceptions on experienced nurses. Most think that the older and more experienced nurses

are not always willing to help you learn, nor do they want to learn from someone new. This

shows that my philosophy can apply to any nurse at any point in their career. It is important for

us to remember that we were once a new nurse, and we are always learning. My attitude towards

new nurses has also changed because some of the newer nurses have taught me something. I am

always trying to be open to new learning opportunities while also offering others, especially

nurses that I orient. I truly do believe that new nurses and even experienced nurses need to set a

standard for themselves as a nurse in their career and stick to it. Being open to learning

opportunities throughout your career is extremely important to your standard in nursing. Ever

since I started nursing, I have stuck to my philosophy and have also integrated more into my

practice from learning from nurses in all phases in their career.

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When I began my nursing career, I always had an interest in education or working as a

clinical instructor at some point. Now that I have been working as a nurse for two years, I have

now had student nurses follow me and I have also had the opportunity to precept a new nurse on

my floor. It is important to me that I give myself experiences to learn and grow as a nurse and to

give myself the opportunity to learn. From my time of having student nurses, and precepting, I

have learned that I do enjoy educating newer nurses. When it became time for me to choose what

I wanted my capstone clinical experience to be, I knew that I wanted to follow someone in

education in some way. Being able to follow my unit’s educator has opened my eyes to a new

field of nursing that is still within the hospital system. This has shown me that in my nursing

philosophy, although I may be growing and moving forward, I will also be taking some steps

back because it is new for me. When beginning a new role as a nurse, you are learning how to

incorporate your previous knowledge as a nurse and apply it to a new role. I will begin training

as a charge nurse soon in my career and I will utilize my nursing philosophy knowing that I will

be learning in my new role while still using my current knowledge as a nurse. For example,

when I begin working as a charge nurse, I may not always have patients and during that

experience I will be helping other nurses on my floor and acting as a leader on the unit. This role

will help me identify what it’s like to be a leader on a busy floor and continuing my learning

experience. Beginning a new role is always nerve-racking, however, I feel confident that my

nursing philosophy will guide me to learn and grow in the new role while also using my previous

skills and knowledge to propel me forward.

When I think about my nursing philosophy of continuum of skill, I believe that you may

not be able to achieve “expert” level of nursing if you do not incorporate personal wellness. I

think what makes most nurses successful, is to be able to detach your work life from your
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everyday life. When I ask expert level nurses for any advice as a new nurse, the one answer I

always seem to get, is to take time for yourself. For me to become an expert level nurse, or even

just a competent nurse, I need to be happy and love what I do. If I did not do this, I do not feel I

would be mentally and emotionally okay to work as much as I do and become a better nurse.

There are going to be good days and bad days as a nurse whether you are novice or expert. Some

days I feel more like a competent nurse, and other days I feel like an advanced beginner. To keep

myself on track on becoming a competent or expert level nurse, I need to continue to take care of

myself on my days off. In this current state of the pandemic and staffing shortages, it is

important now more than ever, that we, as nurses, take care of ourselves so that we can be the

best nurse we strive to be.