Personal Nursing Philosophy
Personal nursing philosophy cats as a drive to every nurse in executing the nursing roles and duties that they are obliged to upon committing to provide care to patients. The philosophy allows putting into practice the knowledge and skills that were gained in the nursing school (Masters, 2015). My nursing philosophy entails being compassionate and empathetic while providing care in a way that meetings their overall needs. I have a firm belief that nursing encompasses the interaction and the relationship that develops between the nurse and the patient where the nurse identifies the needs of the patient and come in to assist in meeting them. This article dwell on my nursing autobiography, the nursing meta-paradigms, concepts and theory-based assumptions that are related to my nursing philosophy thus impacting my practices.
Nursing Autobiography
My background in nursing has enabled me to experience various working situations thus improving my knowledge and skills in handling patients and colleagues while providing care at multiple centers. With my ability to adapt quickly to various environments together with the urge to engage in different fields, I have turned to be part of very many programs in various cities. This engagement goes beyond the usual need to engage in career activities as well as in the seeking of diverse experience.
The nursing commitment began by engaging in long-term care in the inner city for one year at the Truman Medical Center ( Kansas City, MO). This facility was a level one safety-net hospital. Being a teaching facility, I took the opportunity to build on my skills as well as knowledge through in job training and studies beyond the usual care of patients. I spent the next one year doing home care nursing within Kansas City where I acted as a home health intravenous infusion nurse. I then worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, MO for six months. This was followed by four months of experience in Hopi Health Care Center (Polacca, AZ) working in the Accident and Emergency Department as a staff nurse. For the last one and a half years to date, I have been working with the Critical Access Hospital within the Indian Health Services/Federal. Within the agency, I take part in flying patients for higher levels of care in other facilities.
The above opportunities have made me be part of a team caring for the critically ill within the agencies that I have been through giving me the unique experience and challenge that has build whom I am today. Besides the above experience related to emergency and critical care, I am also a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner thus working also to be part of the forensic teams in handling gender-based violence as well as sexually abused victims. I can consider my engagements to be chronologically placed to lead to my currents nursing position.
Nursing Meta-paradigms
The nursing meta-paradigm provides the concepts that guide and forms the center of nursing practice. They describe nursing to be both an art as well as a science thus giving insight to individual nurses in using their knowledge and skills to take care of patients. According to Machuk 2014, the nursing meta-paradigms provide a framework which provides a broad perspective on the nursing profession. The meta-paradigms encompasses of nursing, health, person, and environment.
The environment consists of the internal and the external factors that affect various individuals. These factors may be physicals, psychological, cultural, social or economical. Throughout one’s lifetime, the factors change to impact the status of health. Being a nurse, I consider the surrounding key in both the development of ill health as well as solutions towards the patients’ health. In achieving my personal philosophy, the environment assists me in the assessment of the factors impacting the lives of individual clients, therefore, predict their needs and attend to them promptly to enhance a healthy population.
Besides, health exists to act as an inter-phase between ill health and wellbeing, and this is dependent on the perception and presentation of each person. The health status determines the operations of every individual in consideration of taking care of his or her needs. The health is also dependent on other factors which are usually on monitoring to ascertain the wellbeing even if there exist no disease. In using health in my practice, I am always a participant in not only participating in curative care but also in health promotion and prevention which is critical to ensure all the populations are well-informed health wise.
Nursing on the other hand refers to the establishment of a relationship with clients where their needs are determined and assisted to meet them. The needs come from the external and internal factors which lead to ill health (McEwen & Wills, 2017). As a nurse, I use the nursing expertise to develop a therapeutic relationship with clients and patients. In so doing, I can identify their deficits and come up with a plan that will be able to fit them gain their initial health status.
Person refers to the individual who requires care that is not centered only on disease occurrence but also related to their social, economic, cultural, psychological and even spiritual needs (McEwen & Wills, 2017). In consideration of this meta-paradigm, I consider each person to be unique and impacted by specific factors which differ from others. In so doing, I have been able to provide patient-centered care. Pother considerations that have guided my considerations for persons include their coping mechanisms, support systems, beliefs, values, gender, and habits.
Concepts specific to my profession
By working in the emergency departments where patient from all walks of life comes in to be attended to, I have been keen to employ cultural and linguistic competency skills. This concept has enabled me to ensure the patient receives care that is not only safe and of quality but one that is acceptable and fits their beliefs and values. By providing care that is culturally and linguistically sensitive, the recovery of patients as well as gaining eh support of patient and the significant others is enhanced. In employing this concept, I have always acted to be sensitive to the patient’s opinions and wishes as well as providing space for patient participation in their care where possible.
Another concept that is essential to my practice is the provision of holistic care. In most instance, the patient receiving care at the emergency units are bedridden thus the nurse is tasked with the need to issues various aspects of care that will promote recovery of the patient. In the provision of this comprehensive care, my care plans for the patient is usually comprehensive to involve the available personnel in providing a range of care elements. In so doing, the spiritual, nutritional, psychological and social care can be attained.
Philosophies and theories consistent with the concepts
Jean Watson’s philosophy and science of caring illustrate the significance of holistic care to patients. She believed that it is through holistic care that the patient can be nursed to achieve health promotion as well as treatment of various conditions. According to Watson, the genuine relationship between the nurse and the patients contributed to the recovery of the individual (Alligood, 2017). Besides, Madeleine Leininger’s Culture care theory recognizes the diversity expected in certain care settings hence advocates for cultural sensitivity while providing care to patients. In so doing, the nurse utilizes the core cultural care values related to healthcare concerns to meet the needs of the patient.
Concepts integrated into my philosophy and practice
My nursing practice has ever been influenced by trans-cultural nursing due to the growing multicultural population in various places that I have practiced. In response to the multiple cultures, the holistic and patient-centered care has been of help in being sensitive to the needs of the patient. The values and beliefs endowed by the patient are incorporated into the plan of care thus facilitating the implementation of the care strategies.
Also, in consideration of the health promotion model, I have always empowered my patients through health education and various promotive activities. This empowerment is based on the belief that through knowledge, individuals can change their behaviors especially when they perceive the outcome to be excellent from such acts. With the occurrences within my area of practice, other concepts such as skill acquisition downed on me thus lead to my training as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. This move followed an act of gender-based violence that required related skills both in handling the victim as well as the perpetrators to ensure safety and justice to all the parties.
List of assumption statements connecting to the concepts
- Complex healthcare problems require specialized care.
- Patients have multiple needs.
- Individuals are players in maintaining their health.
- Patients are from diverse cultures and have different values and beliefs.
- Nurses assist patients to enhance their care.
Research activities supporting the theories and concepts
According to a study by Pajnkihar, Štiglic & Vrbnjak, (2017), nursing is based on the care both others and oneself. The nurse, therefore, ought to develop an interpersonal relationship with the patient and have a communication approach that will enhance the provision of the needs the patient has. The study also echoes the Leininger’s Culture care theory as it alludes that through the recognition of the culture as well as other patient-related factors, the nurse can establish the caring partnership that will promote recovery.
After using Pender’s Health Promotion Model-based training, Khodaveisi et al., 2017, determined that the model is useful in modifying and improving the behavior of individuals to attain health. This aspect is vital in the intervention directed towards promotive health. Also, in support of skill acquisition, Lyon (2014) determined that one becomes an expert and functions efficiently through such process. It is through the professional development that quality and safe care can then be offered to patients.
Integrating role and change theory into my professional practice
With the continuously diversifying healthcare system, it is critical to embrace the various changes in healthcare provision. In effecting the changes, recognition of the need for change through sensitivity to my working environment will be of help. I can then acquaint myself with the new program or desired change. The process can then end with the strengthening of the newly developed practice. The above aspects use the Lewin’s theory of change that constitutes unfreezing, change and refreezing (Burke, 2017). For Critical Access Hospital within the Indian Health Services unit to employ these theories, there is a need for a developmental group that would be responsible for spearheading the changes within the organization. Through the group, education and training can be done to ensure all the staffs are up-to-date as well as planning for the desired changes. In so doing, the various personal philosophies of its workers can be promoted.
Conclusion
Indeed, personal nursing philosophy forms the center of the manner various healthcare providers go about their practice. Through the four nursing meta-paradigms, the components affecting acre are presented to act as a guide while undertaking my nursing roles and duties. The recognition and observation of various concepts including, holistic care and cultural sensitivity have enabled me to have the smooth handling of the patient related issues. It is therefore essential for both individual nurses as well as the organization that they work for to embrace nursing theories, concepts, and philosophies which not only improves care but also adds to develop their staffs concerning modifying and strengthening their personal nursing philosophy.
References
Alligood, M. R. (2017). Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Burke, W. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.
Khodaveisi, M., Omidi, A., Farokhi, S., & Soltanian, A. R. (2017). The Effect of Pender’s Health
Promotion Model in Improving the Nutritional Behavior of Overweight and Obese
Women. International journal of community based nursing and midwifery, 5(2), 165.
Lyon, L. J. (2014). Development of teaching expertise viewed through the Dreyfus model of skill
acquisition. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(1), 88-105.
Marchuk, A. (2014). A personal nursing philosophy in practice. Journal of Neonatal
Nursing, 20(6), 266-273.
Masters, K. (2015). Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett
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McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2017). Theoretical basis for nursing. Lippincott Williams &
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Pajnkihar, M., Štiglic, G., & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). The concept of Watson’s carative factors in
nursing and their (dis) harmony with patient satisfaction. PeerJ, 5, e2940.
