My Nursing Philosophy

I have always known that nursing is a caring discipline but never thought of nursing as also a science and an art discipline with theories that have been formulated by nurses. When I learned about the nursing theories, I had a fresh perspective of nursing as a profession. I learned about Dr. Madeleine Leininger’s theory of Transcultural Care and Jean Watson’s theory of Human Caring. Dr Leininger’s theory resonated with me as an immigrant to the United States, with regards to the importance of giving care that is specific and culturally congruent with that of the patient. Furthermore, the theory is more relevant than ever with the increasing diverse population in the health care system, nurses and other health care professionals need to have

some basic understanding of what culturally competent care entails.
My take on Dr. Watson’s theory of Human Caring is that patients should not be defined by their diagnoses, room numbers and hospital identification numbers as if they are objects but rather they should be defined as human being with spirit, soul and mind. Furthermore, nursing care should seek to restore patients to a higher level of health while preserving their dignity. As I continue with my nursing vocation, I will always remember that the core of nursing is caring not the procedures, technology, preoccupation with skills, even though they are indispensable. Dr Watson’s theory is very profound in the sense that she entreats the nurses to become more loving, caring and moral to nourish our humanity.
The reading Assignments from “Silence to voice: What nurses know and must communicate to the public had a great impact on my nursing perspective and I am not forgetting “the Sacred Covenant”, “Spirituality in nursing” and “Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing.” I may not have read all the chapters in the textbooks but what I have read has inspired me to strive to be a better nurse.

I intend to keep these books in my library and keep reading them. I have been since applied what I read from “silence to voice…” at work, I have a different approach to how I introduce myself to my patients and communicate with the Physicians. I am also being very intentional about explaining to the patients the rationale for each intervention. It is apparent that I am communicating better with my patients about my nursing role. I learned to accept the patients “thank you” by not replying, “oh it was nothing I was only doing my job” with “I am glad I was able to … and if you have any more questions I will be glad to answer.” I am seizing every opportunity to educate family, friends and neighbors about what I do as a nurse and why I love nursing. It appears as I have been silence about my nursing career but now I feel it is my duty to tell the society what nurses

do.
I am glad that I am doing my BSN program, each course had widened my understanding of nursing as a professional. I absolutely believe now that nurses with baccalaureate degree are better bedside nurse and leaders. Although, I still have challenges in research, paper writing and the APA format, but all the assignments are still relevant and I am working toward being a better writer. I look forward to incorporating the feedbacks/comments that I received in my research papers in this class in my subsequent courses.
Thank you