Florence Nightingale, Nursing, And The Philosophy Of Nursing

Philosophy of Nursing
When one thinks of the evolution of nursing, several noteworthy women come to mind, yet one stands out, Florence Nightingale. In Notes on Nursing, Nightingale says “…put the patient in the best conditions for nature to act upon him.” (1859, p.75) She established standards that reformed the industry. For example; her practices of sanitation and aseptic methods led to a decrease in hospital mortality rates. By keeping records of care given, techniques used and the outcomes; by utilizing these records, she implemented documentation and evidence-based practice. She started the ball rolling on the transition of nursing from a belittled trade to the profession it is now proclaimed to be. Nightingale, in conjunction with other
Even though science is an apparent element of nursing still, one might argue that the artistic element is just as important. “…the concepts of care and compassion are difficult to define and measure, but they are driving forces in nursing” (Palos, 2014, p.247) Many claim that, the science and art components are intertwined, you cannot have one without the other. “The most competent nurses are those who can appreciate the value of achieving a balance between the science and art of nursing.” (Palos, 2014, p.248) While knowledge and skills are essential to nursing, In my opinion, caring and compassion are equally as important if not more so. When asked, why nursing? my reply is “I have the heart for it, as well as the intellect to be successful.” Although, this is true, there is so much more to it, we will discuss that further
Yes, she provided care for patients, but did not establish a trusting relationship with them. I mentioned previously in this text that “I have the heart for nursing” what that means is it takes an abundance of compassion. Even though skills along with knowledge are key components of nursing, in my opinion, compassion is crucial to the practice. Nursing is a public service and commitment that takes an irrefutable desire to help people in need, When I enter the field, even as a student, my standpoint will always be to treat my patients how I would want an individual to treat my family. Henderson’s concept of holistic care fits together with my beliefs of what nursing embodies. In practice, my goals are to always view each patient as an individual, center my care on the patient and their varying needs be it personal, emotional, or physical, and to encourage patients to be active in their care in hopes of improving outcomes. I also will strive to bring colleagues together and collaborate with them to provide the best care for our patients. One last attribute of a first-rate nurse is integrity and accountability, they kind of go hand in hand with each other. Integrity is doing the right thing and accountability is ownership of your actions. So even if it is hard to do and I am terrified, my integrity will push me to acknowledge it and face the consequences. When using nursing judgment to make a in the moment decision that