Running head: Philosophy of Nursing 1

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Jennifer Salmon

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Dr. Christine Turner

NUR 4142

March 21, 2018

I pledge…
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Personal Philosophy of Nursing

When asked to define a personal philosophy of nursing, each nurse will have their own

thoughts and definition. There are many things in nursing that will run consistent through each

definition and the end result is ultimately the same; how each individual nurse gets there is

always a little different. This paper will explore my personal thoughts on nursing while

incorporating aspects of the Bon Secours Program and theories discussed in the book “From

Novice to Expert.”

Definition of Nursing

Nursing is a career that took the long route for me. There has always been a part me that

wanted to serve others, a rather large part in fact. Nursing has been the career path that has

finally filled the part of me that I was unsure of how to fill. My personal philosophy of nursing

and that of Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing (BSMCON) is very similar.

The program’s philosophy includes aspects of nursing, education, caring, health and

service. These are many things I hold true in my own philosophy. A value that has always been

in the forefront of life for me is accountability. I believe that we are responsible for own actions

and reactions in our personal and professional lives. This is a value that BSMCON holds as well.

Not only do we need to be accountable to our patients and those we serve but we must also be

accountable to ourselves. For the patient, this is displayed in our action; doing what we say we

are going to do and providing the best care possible. For the nurse, it means knowing yourself

and your values and holding yourself to a standard and sticking to that.

Another aspect of the BSMCON philosophy is education. This is something I feel like

I’ve spent my whole life doing. I try to educate myself in all aspects of things I do. I believe that

an educated decision is the best decision we can make. This holds true for our patients as well. I
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believe as a nurse I don’t need to, nor can I, know everything about every disease process. It

simply isn’t possible to know it all. I do, however, believe that educating myself as much as

possible on many different disease processes and nursing approaches has been instrumental in

building my nursing practice and helping me care for my patients. That being said, I strive to

learn more. When I encounter something I’m unfamiliar with, I research it. This isn’t always an

in-depth research but being familiar with a diagnosis or disease my patient has helps me provide

better care than if I knew nothing at all.

Education is important to our patients as well and is an integral part of what we do as

nurses. This education can be as simple as informing them about the plan for the day and to

expect to educating them on a new disease and the options they have. Being informed is one of

the most important things we do as nurses and arming ourselves and our patients with

information is something that is at the core of my nursing practice.

Caring is another component of the BSMCON nursing philosophy that is important in my

nursing care. It is our job to care those who cannot care for themselves. Caring for patients is the

definition of nursing. For me, caring goes deeper than just the tasks of being a nurse. We see

patients on possibly the worst day of their life. It is important to remember that and not just go

through the motions of the tasks of caring for the patient but to stop and listen. There is so much

we can do as nurses to care for our patients that doesn’t include medical tasks. I want to know

my patients and their concerns. I ask questions about their life and what concerns are on their

heart. Not all patients are responsive to this but to those that are, caring about their whole being

instead of just their medical issues goes a long way.

If there’s anything nursing school has taught me, it is how important self-care is to caring

for our patients. I have never been good at worrying about and taking care of myself before
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others. My philosophy has always been that as long as everyone else is ok, I’m ok. This simply

doesn’t work in nursing. I have learned how to take a step back and care for myself and have

seen how this impacts the care I give. I find that when I take time for myself to relax or do

something I enjoy; my mood is better, and I am ultimately more present and beneficial to my

patients than if I hadn’t. It’s a hard thing to do sometimes with the pressures of nursing school

and work and life but finding the time to care for myself has allowed me to be more present with

my patients and provide the best care possible.

My Philosophy

A philosophy is defined as “A theory or attitude held by a person or organization that acts

as a guiding principle for behavior.” (Oxford Dictionary) Nursing philosophies help guide our

care. The things that are important to each of us and thing we hold to be true, influence the way

we interact and care for our patients. Nursing philosophies are related to our values and beliefs

and give us a place to start from, something to guide our care of others and something help us

stay true to what we believe in.

I believe in treating the whole patient, not just the illness, regardless of race, creed or

color. As I stated above, I feel strongly that it is our responsibility to help those who cannot help

themselves with the upmost dignity and respect. As a nurse, it is my job to medically care for a

patient. However, my philosophy is more than just medically caring for a patient. Each patient

presents a unique circumstance that can come with complex health issues as well as personal

desires and relationships that factor in to the care we provide for them. It is my belief that those

personal concerns and relationships are just as important to address and manage as the medical

issue at hand.
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In my practice, I approach each patient from a non-judgmental, individual perspective. So

often in nursing you will find that the previous nurse has an opinion or experience with the

patient that could cloud the view of another nurse and negatively affect the perception of that

patient. Although I appreciate the experience a nurse had with a certain patient and understand

that information around health management and family dynamics can be useful, I prefer to

approach each patient without bias and form my opinion and relationship.

In my personal practice, I try to get to know my patients. I want to understand what their

goals are for treatment and recovery and how I can help get them there. I see nursing as a team

sport, so to speak, where the patient and I are working together towards a common goal. I don’t

see my patients as a diagnosis but rather as a person who is unable to care for themselves and it

is an honor to care for them during this time.

My Philosophy in Practice

Recently in my nursing practice, I had a young patient who was on a ventilator in the

ICU. It was my first night having him as a patient and, at that point, he had been in the hospital

just one day. He was brought by EMS after an episode at home where he experienced shortness

of breath. Due to breathing complications, he had been intubated in route to the hospital and had

been stable since arriving.

My preceptor and I headed in to the room to get report from the off-going nurse and

introduce ourselves to the family. The patient’s fiancé was present at bedside and was very

attentive. Having never been in that position, I can only imagine what that must feel like and the

feelings of fear and helplessness she must have felt. We talked about the patient’s condition and

she told her story of how he got there. Although we had gotten his background in report, if

family is present, I like to get there account of what happened and has been happening since
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admission. Their perception and take on things is important to providing complete care for both

the patient and the family and helps everyone feel included.

A short time later, she left and we continued our care of the patient. He was on light

sedation and restrained but would awake when spoken to. Throughout my care of him that night,

I made sure to tell him everything I was doing before I did it. There is controversial thought as to

whether or not patients who are sedated can hear what’s happening around them. I talk to my

patients whether they are awake or sedated. He was able to answer yes and no questions by

shaking his head and I incorporated him in my care of him as much as possible given his

condition.

The night went smoothly, and, in the morning, we turned down his sedation for the

scheduled sedation vacation and breathing trial. As the sedation wore off he became more

agitated and frustrated with the situation and the fact that he was intubated. Since our other

patient was stable with no upcoming meds or needs, I asked my preceptor if I could stay with

him. We made of plan for how we would manage the care of both patients and I stayed him.

I reminded him often that I knew he was uncomfortable but he is could try and relax and

take slow deep breaths, we would be able to extubate him when the doctors made rounds. He

grew increasing agitated that he was in restraints even though he understood they were there for

his safety. I talked with my preceptor and asked if we could remove them since I was at bedside.

I thought that being less restrained would allow him to relax and decrease his breathing effort.

This proved to be a big relief for him. I removed the restrains, he stretched his arms and hands,

and then folded them across his abdomen.

A short while later he was mouthing as if trying to say something. I heard the voice of

one of my instructors from a previous semester saying how important communication is, not
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only us to our patients but from them to us. I asked him if he wanted to write and he nodded yes.

I provided him with a pen and paper and he started feverously writing. He wanted to know what

happened, how he got there. I explained what we had been told by his family and the EMS. His

version of events was different, and he was able to communicate that through writing. He asked

about where his fiancé was, and I assured him she would be back after extubation.

I fully believe that taking the time to be with him providing compassion and a route of

communication changed his outlook on his situation. I think it’s easy in nursing to forget that our

patients are people too. We are consumed with care and charting and making sure we balance the

needs of all of our patients that we can forget to stop and take moment to just be present. Those

few moments of presence can change a patient’s outlook and can allow us to learn things that

may ultimately enhance the care we provide.

From Then to Now

At the beginning of our time in nursing school, we were asked to write about our

philosophy of nursing and our beliefs and values around nursing. The values I held then, still

hold true now. My understanding of nursing and how my values play a role in the care I give to

patients has grown since I first started nursing school. My belief that we have a duty to care for

those who cannot care for themselves has not change, in fact, it has grown. I feel I have finally

found the path I’m supposed to be on and have already gained so much from the patients I have

served and have become firmer in the belief that it is imperative for me to positively influence

the patients I care for and have a positive impact in the community I serve.

From Novice to Expert

Patricia Benner’s theory: From Novice to Expert states that nurses, who are considered to

be experts, attain this level through educational background and on hand experience gained
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during their time in the clinical setting. This theory is not a “how to” when it comes to nursing

but is a guideline of how to attain the knowledge and advance from the novice nurse to an expert.

She bases her theory on the “know how” and “know that” classifications of acquiring

knowledge. The “know how” is the knowledge and tactical skills of nursing, while the “know

that” is the theory behind it.

Benner breaks nurses in to 5 stages; Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient,

and Expert. The Novice nurse is a nursing student in the first stages of clinical experience. These

nurses are focused in the moment and have a hard time seeing in to the future and critically

thinking about outcomes. The Advanced Beginner are those student nurses that have now

graduated and are in their first job. They have had more experience in the clinical setting and

possess the “know-how” but lack experience. Competent nurses have the skills of more advanced

planning and time management/organization but still lack the knowledge that comes with

experience. The Proficient nurse can see the whole picture, not just the pieces individually. They

are continuing to build on their experiences and learn from clinical situations. The nurse who is

an expert is able to adapt to changing situations and draws on experiences to influence clinical

decisions. They are flexible in their practice and can change focus as necessary.

At this stage of my nursing practice, I would say I’m in the Advanced Beginner stage.

My overall life experiences that I bring with me to nursing as a second career allows me to see

situations from a different perspective than some nurses with less experience. I am able to

connect quickly with my patients and build a sense of trust and rapport all the while still needing

assistance with the critical thinking, big pictures aspects of nursing.

I am able to manage multiple patients but still feel overwhelmed with the tasks that need

to be completed and struggle sometimes with prioritization. If I am unsure about what to do, I am
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quick to seek out the help from an experienced nurse to help direct my actions. I know that I

have a lot to learn but feel I am where I should be at this stage of my education and clinical

experience.

Progressing in Practice

Advancing from Advanced Beginner to Competent will be a gradual process. The first

step in advancing is realizing that I don’t know everything. This career is like nothing I have ever

done before, and I won’t know everything, I can’t. I plan to be a sponge during my orientation

time on the unit where my first job will be. I will ask questions and learn as much as I can about

the diseases we see and the interventions we provide. I will rely on my preceptor and other

experienced nurses on the unit to gain knowledge to better care for my patients.

I will also continue to seek out educational opportunities during my nursing career. This

education can come in many forms from conferences, to certifications to advanced practice

degrees. The field of nursing is ever changing, and it is imperative that I continue to learn and

grow with those changes. It is this continued desire to learn and grow that will help me provide

the best care to my patients.

Lastly, I will continue to reflect on my experiences and learn from them. I believe that

evaluation of things that went right and acknowledgement of things that could have been done

better can only make us better. This is hard for me at times because I tend to be pretty hard on

myself and not celebrate the things I do right. However, I know that it is important to

acknowledge when things could have been done better but to also celebrate when good things

happen. It is this balance that will help me stay focused on why I want to be in this profession

and grow from my mistakes.

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Although my philosophy of nursing hasn’t changed a lot from when I first started nursing

school, I do think I have grown in my perspective of nursing and what I have to offer to the field.

I never would have thought I was capable of caring for critical patients and now find myself on a

Critical Care Unit for immersion managing 2 patients with minimal help from my preceptor. I

still believe that the care we provide for patients can make or break their day and that it is an

honor to be the one to help patients recover or manage what could be the worst situation of their

lives. I am excited to see how my practice grows and look back a few years from now and see

the growth in my nursing practice.

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References

Benner, P. (1982). From Novice to Expert. The American Journal of Nursing, 82(3), 402.

doi:10.2307/3462928