Philosophy of Nursing

 

Running Head: AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW

An Introspective View of my Philosophy of Nursing Lyzette Terman Old Dominion University

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW An Introspective View of my Philosophy of Nursing I have always felt compelled to help others in need as well as those less fo fortunate. rtunate. This  paper afforded me the opportunity to streamline a glide path and fully explore my beliefs and

values as well as fuse the two together to create my personal philosophy of o f nursing. The purpose of this paper is to discuss my philosophy of nursing based on the aforementioned, personal values and beliefs. The key take away I gleaned during the production of this paper was to take an introspective review and thoroughly reflect on what my values and beliefs are and how they inherently play a role in my nursing style. st yle. How does the definition of philosophy play pla y a role in my value and beliefs as a nurse? Let us start with a common understanding of the term; te rm; What is philosophy? Per the Oxford Living Dictionary, philosophy is defined as a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for  behavior (Philosophy, Oxford Living Dictionary, 2017). Therefore, based on the definition one can surmise that an an individual’s unique individual’s unique philosophy directly influences the style of nursing  practice. My personal philosophy of nursing helps guide and identify my nursing career approach and path. It enables me to be acutely aware of my many limitations, strengths, and motivators. Additionally, I understand that everyone has their own set of values and beliefs that differ from my own. Throughout this paper, I will explore my paradigm of the wo world rld as I see it through my lens. Understanding that each person has individual individua l drivers and aptitude I would speculate that no two papers produced for this assignment will be similar beyond the general guidelines. Nursing Defined

Per the American Nursing Association (ANA), the definition of nursing is the “ protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human

 

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and  populations”” (A  populations  (American merican Nurses Association, “What is Nursing?”, 2017). 2017 ). This definition

identifies the role the nurse takes in providing care to individuals and not just their illness. When evaluating a person, consider their general gen eral health, environmental factors, and the ttype ype of person that they are. The list is substantially longer, although, for the sake of brevity I will will limit to these three points. Basically, look at the whole situation as opposed to merely evaluating the limited illness which brought them in. In my experience, ex perience, it is best to treat a patient as an individual and not by their disease. Furthermore, it is best for anyone, an yone, to include myself, to generally steer clear of judging the patient based on their beliefs and values. Being able to identify and set aside these differences permits me to separate out my own values v alues and focus on the care of the patient without judgement. In accordance with the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, a nurse “ practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, dignit y, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems” problems” (Blais & Hayes, 2016, p. 62). Simply stated, nursing is the compassionate care of individuals without judgement. The Purpose of Nursing

 Nursing is an ancient profession which to this day, affirms affirms the constant need for unrestricted care. I believe nursing has a purpose. The principled view of nursing has been carried through the ages and has evolved into what it is today thanks in part to technology and the constant array of medical advancements. At the core of the aargument rgument there is a necessity to remember that nursing is still fundamentally similar to what it has always been, care for others. Today the purpose of nursing is many things. It is being a leader, and educator, an advocator, a

 

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW  political advocate and a care provider. These characteristics are key components a nurse must encompass and take ownership of the values which are presented in this metaparadigm. The metaparadigm of nursing consists of four concepts: person or client, environment, health and nursing (Blais & Hayes, 2016, p. 101). The Nursing Code of Ethics serves as a guideline for nurses across the globe to treat people we encounter with dignity and respect regardless of race, financial status, social status, beliefs, or disability, again this goes back to the th e all-inclusive  purpose, to provide compassionate care without judgement. Nursing is an age-old endeavor and its role has continuously remained defined as caring for the ill and injured. My Values and Beliefs

To better understand my personal values and beliefs I conducted related exercises which facilitated in the identification of my nursing philosophy which guides my nursing practice. I learned more about myself with these exercises ex ercises and I also came to realize there is no right or wrong answer. We come from varied cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences which largely influence individual thinking, values, and belief structure which in turn sets in motion development of individual philosophy. Accepting that we are all different, there is an imperative to acknowledge that each o off our  patient’s belief system will vary, sometimes drastically. The bottom line is to ensure uniform care and necessitates humility to be able to identify and respect their individual beliefs. I value health, education, responsibility, basic human rights and integrity. I believe in integrity or doing the right thing when no one on e is looking. I consider it an honor to help others who are less fortunate. Everyone is entitled to food, clothing, a house over their head and medical care. I  believe nursing is selfless and helping the less fortunate is a privilege. privilege. Through promotion of

 

AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW

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health and education, providing a presence during times of grief, compassionate care, and advocacy I am helping others o thers while I am self-actualizing so it is a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Guiding Principles for my Nursing Practice

I have been working as a nurse for seven months. My family believed in ensuring we treated each other with respect and cared c ared for our elders during times of illness. My family taught me to always show respect and to offer help to those whom are less fortunate. I carry these values with me as I carry out my profession. In my nursing practice, I have three principles that I work by. These principles are as follows: 1.  Treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless re gardless of their status. 2.  Continuous education in nephrology nursing and hemodialysis I treat my patients with dignity and respect without regard to their background, social status, financial status or disease. They come to the hospital during their weakest and perhaps most frightening time in their life. I take each patient p atient assignment without even thinking twice. I learn about my patient and take the time to ensure they have eaten, are comfortable and even have a warm blanket. These basic needs fall in line with the tenants of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It is the basic needs that sometimes makes a difference d ifference in someone’s day. day. Another  Another principle that I live by is continuous education. As a dialysis nurse, I am constantly interacting with patients who have been on hemodialysis for countless years and interact with patients who are new to hemodialysis. It is my duty to increase my knowledge knowled ge in not only hemodialysis but in nephrology nursing as it benefits benefits my patients and the care I provide to them. To support an increase in knowledge, I enlist in continuing education courses specific to dialysis found on the  National Kidney Foundation website as well as read textbooks in nephrology nursing.  nursing. 

 

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW Conclusion

In conclusion, writing this paper gave me the opportunity to personally reflect on my values and beliefs which, briefly, briefly, are health, integrity, education, and basic human rights. I defined nursing as a profession that continuously provides compassionate compa ssionate care regardless of the individual’s background. The background. The purpose of nursing was defined as containing many roles to include; leader, advocator and care provider, to name a few. I successfully identified my own  philosophy of nursing and how those principles that make up my philosophy and guide my nursing practice. My principles consist of treating everyone with res respect pect and continuing education specific to dialysis dialysis and nephrology nursing. Nursing is truly a calling and in line with my moral compass affording me an opportunity oppo rtunity to give back to society, ad add d value to my organization, and help those during their time of need. A Personal Reflection

Writing this paper gave me the opportunity to reflect on my culture and how it plays a role in the values and beliefs that I carry with with me. I learned a lot about myself through this  journey of self-discovery. As a new nurse, I thoroughly appreciated the focus of this paper as it effects my practice and serves as a reminder that we are all human bein beings gs and we are not defined de fined  by how we live or the diseases and illnesses that can afflict us.

 

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW References American Nurses Association. Association. What is Nursing? (n.d.). (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2017, from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing Blais, K., & Hayes, J. S. (2016). Professional (2016).  Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. perspectives. Boston, MA: Pearson Philosophy. (n.d.). Oxford Living Dictionaries. Retrieved March 14, 2017, from from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/philosophy

 

AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW Honor Code: I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community communit y it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned  summoned  

Signature ________Lyzette Terman_____________________________________

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW Personal Philosophy of Nursing Revision Summary Table

APA or grammar error

Correction made, include APA page number

Example: incorrect font

Font changed to Times New Roman, p. 228

Title not capitalized and abbreviated, incorrect font, and the words Running Head are not included Title on second page in bold print, comment T1

The words Running Head included, title abbreviated and capitalized, and font changed to Times New Roman font size 12, p. 229 Boldface removed from title on second page,  p. 23, 28, 42

Online dictionary resource cited incorrectly on page two, comment T2

In parenthesis, the word being defined,  philosophy, is added along with the name of the online dictionary and year, p. 170-172

In text citation of direct quote cited incorrectly on page, comment T3

Author name, year and heading added in  parenthesis immediately after the close ended quotation marks, p. 171 & 172 Comma added after word care which is  between elements, p. 88

Punctuation error involving a comma, comment T4 Third statement too specific and only two  principles are needed for the paper, comment T5

Third statement deleted, two required for  paper

Specific examples not included regarding education, comment T6

Examples were added to inform the reader how I am increasing knowledge in dialysis and Nephrology Nursing

Last twobased sentences of the principles comment paragraph deleted on recommendation, T7 The sentence regarding financial gain weakened the conclusion, comment T8

Deleted last based two sentences of principles  paragraph on recommendation

On references page, the letter C in concept was not capitalized after the colon, comment T9 Book title not italicized in reference list, comment T9

The sentences regarding financial gain in nursing deleted. Instead summarized values values and principles were added accordingly in the  paragraph Capitalized C in concept, p. 101

Book title italicized, p. 104

 

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AN INTROSPECTIVE VIEW State missing in citation on reference list, comment T10

State added to citation, p.187

Citation missing name of the author, comment T11

Added American Nurses Association to  beginning of citation, p. 183, 184