Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Philosophy about nursing
Nursing philosophy theory
Nursing philosophy theory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Definition
Nursing philosophy outlines the thoughts on what the practitioners hold to be true regarding the state of their profession and gives a foundation of nursing activities (Masters, 2015). The philosophy goes ahead to recommend moral principles they hold as true to the ground of their beliefs in presumptions. In simple terms, it is a declaration of the nurses’ ethics, values, and beliefs regarding patients’ treatment and care. Organizations usually develop their own set of values, ethics, and beliefs (Nursing Philosophies) in accordance to the surrounding internal and external factors and how the philosophies will benefit the patients they take care of (Watson, 2012). This paper attempts to compare and contrast nursing philosophies of
…show more content…
They are committed in ensuring that the patients receive the best care. However, it is clear that the philosophy of UNM goes beyond values and beliefs unlike UHS whose philosophy only concentrates in values they hold dear. UNM’s philosophy integrates the issue of facility or the equipment’s and environment at which the patients receive the care. In addition, UHS’ philosophy makes the use of Erickson’s Nursing theory of Modelling and Role Modeling, this is unlike the philosophy of UNM which fails to outline the type of nursing theory it is affiliated with. Nonetheless, both of these philosophies are seen to have a profound respect to their patients’ distinctive view of self and their background such as ethnicity, nationality, creed, and religion. Also, the two philosophies believe in accountability of practitioners in delivering high quality care to patients as well as self-development. Nurses are responsible of making sure that they participate in constant learning to improve their expertise in this dynamic profession. Unlike UHS, UNM Hospitals’ philosophy has encompassed a monitoring and an evaluation program to see that the philosophy remains relevant and adhered
Nurses everywhere face problems and challenges in practice. Most of the challenges occur due to a struggle with the use of ethical principles in patient care. Ethical principles are “basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action,” (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, 2014). Ethical principles that are used in nursing practice include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. These challenges not only affect them, but the quality of care they provide as well. According to the article, some of the most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical issues were protecting patient rights, autonomy and informed consent to treatment, staffing problems, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision making (Ulrich et. al, 2013). The ethical issue of inadequate staffing conflicts with the principle of non-maleficence.
According to Chitty & Black (2014) the philosophy of nursing is defined as beliefs and values that are the bases for how we think and act in our nursing careers. Similar to a nursing philosophy, a personal philosophy includes a person’s specific beliefs and values. The purpose of this paper is to start evolving my own personal nursing philosophy that contains my own beliefs and values that I will take with me throughout my career as a registered nurse.
During week 4, we became familiar with the application of ethics in the nursing practice settings. We learned about ethical theories and principles, which are crucial when practicing in any clinical settings during ethical decision-making and while facing one or multiple ethical dilemmas. Also, we were introduced to the MORAL model used in ethical decision – making progress. The MORAL model is the easiest model to use in the everyday clinical practice, for instance at bedside nursing. This model can be applyed in any clinical settings and its acronyms assist
In 2005 Fawcett stated “the metaparadigm of professional nursing incorporates four concepts: human beings, environment, health, and nursing” (as sited in Kearney, 2012, p. 4). This paper discusses my philosophy of nursing by stating my own personal definitions, values, and assumptions regarding each of the above mentioned concepts. My paper concludes with an exemplar from my own nursing practice and how I integrated my nursing philosophy into that particular clinical situation.
Healthcare provider’s perception and judgment in the patient’s well being as well as taking into account the right of the patient in every action is one of the key elements in nursing practice. International Council of Nurses (ICN), (2006) states “The nurse at all times maintains standards of personal conduct which reflect well on the profession and enhance public confidence” (p. 3). Furthermore, nursing action guided by theory and principles of moral and legal rights complements excellent nursing care. Nurse’s awareness in moral and legal codes helps them control the complicated scenario encountered and direct the nurses in the best possible action answerable by law (Lachman, 2006).
Nursing is something that cannot be simplified to one word or phrase; it is more than treating the ill and more than just a profession, rather it is a standard of care and service to others, and it is constantly evolving. Nursing should revolve around commitment and a desire to help those in need. As I reflect on my nursing education, I have realized that I have inadvertently created a set of values and beliefs for myself, otherwise known as my personal nursing philosophy. A product of my knowledge obtained from classroom lectures, my interactions with an array of patients, family members, and healthcare professionals at my clinical sites and my job in a long-term care facility. I believe each patient should be treated as an individual and given the best quality of care, regardless of their gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religious preference, socioeconomic status, or choices they may have made. Every patient is worthy of respect, even when their views differ from my own. Each patient has the right to honesty, and to feel safe.
This paper is a first attempt at forming and articulating my own philosophy of nursing.
What is the philosophy of nursing? Many of the nursing theorists have different answers to this question, but all of them share the main concept and idea of nursing: a philosophy, which focuses not on the treatment of a disease but on the wholeness of human being. Florence Nightingale concentrated on the surrounding environment of the patient and how it affected the patient’s health (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Her findings had incredible impact on the philosophy of nursing today. Along the environment factors Betty Neuman believed that nursing should be primarily concerned with appropriate actions in stress-related situations to help patients, their families, and society achieve and sustain wellness (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). The ideas of Jean Watson focused first on the commitment to self to be able to commit to others. A philosophy of nursing addresses four different meta-paradigm concepts known as client, health, nurse, and environment (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). In the movie Wit, Emma Thompson’s character Vivian Bearing was treated like a test subject with no sense of human dignity, respect and decency. The movie started with Dr. Kelekian telling Vivian that she had stage four-metastic ovarian cancer and that the treatment involved a vigorous course of therapy. There was no explanation to what that meant. He simply told her diagnosis in medical terms. The human factor was not present at all, and the rapid decline in her health was thanks to the lack of empathy, kindness, and humanity. The only character that was on the human side in the hospital, the one that had the understanding of basic human decency and cared for Vivian’s condition was the nurse Susie. She was caring, companionate, provided comf...
The classical term for the word ethics is, moral philosophies that rule an individual’s or group behavior or action. The American Nurses Association used ethics to write the Code of Ethics for Nurses with these values and visions in mind: “(1) As a statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every person who chooses to enter the profession of nursing. (2) To act as the nonnegotiable standard of ethics. (3) To serve as an expression of the understanding on nursing’s commitment to society.” (Nurses Code of Ethics, 2015). With our ever-changing society and healthcare, also comes changes to the American Nurses Association’s
Although nursing is universally practiced, not all nurses values and morals are the same. Nurses and nursing students are usually put in situations where they must operate within an ethical structure which is either unfamiliar to their cultural criterion or those of the patients for whom they are taking care of. The most prominent values and morals of nurses are based on human dignity and benevolence. Human dignity is the main component that branches off into other values under caring for health and well-being. Trust, integrity, autonomy, and privacy are one of the many sub-values that fall under human dignity. It is important for the nurses to respect and understand the culture and beliefs of the patient without being judgmental or confrontational. The wellbeing of the patient is priority and so the nurses must focus on gaining the patients trust first by tending to their needs and exhibiting
This paper explores the personal philosophy I have as a nursing student and what I intend to convey throughout my nursing career. A philosophy is “an analysis of the grounds and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs (Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, n.d.). Before entering into any profession it is important to evaluate your personal philosophy about the profession, as it pertains to values and principles in which believe in to guide your practice. The field of nursing is more than treating a physiological ailment, but it involves providing quality care for the individualized needs of each patient, hence being client centered. My philosophy of nursing integrates the importance of knowledge base practice of medicine, combined with addressing holistic needs of the patient and family, including the physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional, spiritual and social care (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, 2010). Additionally, a vital aspect of nursing is effective interpersonal relationships with other healthcare professionals to promote quality patient care. Moreover, my philosophy includes the importance the client-nurse relationship to aid in health promotion to prevent illness and increase the level of health of clients.
In order for nurses to practice ethically they must understand the meaning behind each professional value. The first value is human dignity. With each patient we encounter we must show them respect as individuals. It does not matter what the medical condition is, race, ethnicity, culture, religion or gender of the individual. The dignity of a person must be protected. As nurses we must respect the uniqueness of each individual we care for, as this is a fundamental right of all humans. A person with dignity feels a sense of self-worth and as nurses we must do our best to help our patients maintain that feeling of worthiness.
Nursing is considered one of the most trusted professions in the world. It is an essential part in the caregiving of sick, injured, and even healthy individuals. Developing a philosophy with any profession is the beginning basis of any practice. The nursing philosophy is usually incorporated from the science of nursing. That is because the field of health care is constantly changing, which causes the need of better competence in the health field of providing caring (Flagg, 2015). With nursing it starts by the science behind it. Then along with knowledge and experiences, that is when the nursing philosophy is developed. Researching differences between new ideas and cultural differences can then expand the viewpoint into a bigger picture.
To make good nursing decisions, nurses require an internal roadmap with knowledge of nursing theories. Nursing theories, models, and frameworks play a significant role in nursing, and they are created to focus on meeting the client’s needs for nursing care. According to McEwen and Wills (2014), conceptual models and theories could create mechanisms, guide nurses to communicate better, and provide a “systematic means of collecting data to describe, explain, and predict” about nursing and its practice (p. 25). Most of the theories have some common concepts; others may differ from one theory to other. This paper will evaluate two nursing theorists’ main theories include Sister Callista Roy’s
The American Nurses Association created guidelines for the profession including, a set clear rules to be followed by individuals within the profession, Code of Ethics for Nurses. Written in 1893, by Lystra Gretter, and adopted by the ANA in 1926, The Code of Ethics for Nurses details the role metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics have within the field (ANA, 2015). Moral obligation for an individual differs within professions than it does within an individual’s personal life, so the code of ethics was written to establish rules within the profession. The moral obligation to provide quality care include the fundamental principles of respect for persons, integrity, autonomy, advocacy, accountability, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The document itself contains nine provisions with subtext, all of which cannot be addressed within this paper however, core principals related to the ethical responsibilities nurses have will be