Personal Nursing Philosophy

My personal definition of nursing would be getting your patient to the highest level of health you can in your time with them while incorporating their family, environment, and beliefs/culture with a high level of critical thinking at all times. The American Nursing Association defines it as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2012). The quality of nursing care can be the difference in life and death. Nurses provide the backbone of care to the patients’ and serve as the main mediators for the whole health team to make sure everyone is on the same page in care while advocating for the patient. Nurses are key to primary education for the patient and families, which provides for continuity of care and keeping healthy. When developing a personal philosophy it is important to be aware of ones values, beliefs, strong characteristics, and also one’s weaknesses to be more apt to catch possible mistakes. No one theory will work for every setting or patient, nor will one perfectly apply to your personal values and beliefs. “Philosophy is an attitude towards life and reality that evolves from each nurse’s beliefs” (Edwards, 1997). Picturing a good nurse is envisioning someone who has mastered the art of caring with collaboration of scientific knowledge in consistency with evidence based practice and standards. Each person will adjust their caring with different situations, personalities, and settings in a unique way. Nursing approaches will change every time you walk into a room. Being able to adapt quickly to different situations is key in patient care. In applying philosophies the nursing metaparadigm is