What is nursing, what does nursing mean to me? After much thought I have put together a few ideas of what the term nursing means to me, along with some supporting ideas from references I have read. Jacksonville University School of Nursing Philosophy One of the primary foundations of the philosophy of Jacksonville University’s School of Nursing is based on caring in nursing. Compassion and concern for protecting and enhancing the dignity of the patient are essential components of caring.
Caring in nursing is there to meet the needs of the patient, their family and their environment. The faculty of Jacksonville University believes that caring can be fostered by education and then students put it to use in their professional life. (Jacksonville University 2011) Key Concepts/Guiding Principles My personal philosophy of nursing consists of several key concepts and principles that guide my actions as a nurse.
As a nurse you must possess knowledge, you must be honest with yourself and your patient, you must communicate well, you must be a voice for your patient when they cannot, you must listen well, you must be able create a trusting relationship with your atient and their family, and you must create a safe, clean environment to encourage the wellbeing of your patient. Nursing begins with a set of mechanical and critical thinking skills learned in school and developed in clinical practice over a period of time and are used to aid in the recovery of the patient.
It is important to gain and utilize knowledge about disease processes and comorbidities and how to care for that patient. Personal Philosophy of Nursing I believe, as nurses we do need to maintain a level of professionalism with our patients to espect their dignity and give them a sense of trust that we know how to care for them and that we are there to protect their safety and promote their wellness. Trust and honesty in nursing are vital. Patients are in a vulnerable position in a hospital.
They have little or no independence, and little voice about what we, the medical staff, are doing to them. I try to show my patient that I empathize and appreciate their vulnerability and I work at not being mechanical in my nursing tasks. I try to connect with them and talk about a ommon interest, a show they are watching on television, or a book they are reading. I try to foster a trusting relationship by following through with requests. I find the patients are more at ease if they know what to expect as a postop patient in the ICU.
I explain about the normal length of hospital stay after surgery, when to expect mediastinal tubes to be taken out, the importance of ambulating in the hallways, and communicating their level of pain so they can perform all of their tasks comfortably. Nursing theorist Jean Watson says “caring is being vulnerable. If we are not able to be vulnerable with ourselves and others, we become robotic, mechanical, detached and de-personal in our lives and work and relationships” (Cara, C. 2003).
Nursing is also the act of caring about the individual; my concern about the circumstances which led to their hospitalization and during their stay I provide them with the tools or education to hopefully prevent or decrease further hospitalizations. When you are caring for someone, it is not just about the patient in front of you, it is about their family and friends. Talking to my atient about these important people in their lives gives them a little distraction from their current situation. Patients will light up when talking about their children or their pets.
Personal Philosophy of Nursing Overall when my patient talks about, receives visits from or has photos in their room of these important people, they are encouraged, less depressed, and more compliant with treatment in an effort to get home sooner. I try to keep open communication with my patients and their families; I try to include the family when I am educating my patient. I urge everyone to ask questions. I offer encourage- ment and praise the efforts of my post-op patients when they want to sit up longer in a chair or take an extra walk around the unit.
I also caution them about overdoing and exhausting themselves. I feel a sense of fulfillment when the family members coach the patient on some of the education I have offered earlier. Listening is a key component to nursing. It means that at times I need to be a mediator between the physicians and my patients, helping to make sure the physician understands my patient’s concerns and helping my patient understand what the physician is telling them about heir illness. It is important that they feel they are not alone while they are in the hospital.
Theorist View of Nursing I have read and utilized some of the following theories from some classic nursing theorists when caring for my patients. I feel I closely identify with many of Jean Watson’s concepts. Her theory is about caring as a science. I have put to use many of the carative factors listed below (Watson, J. 2010): * Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship. * Being present to, and supportive of the expression of positive and negative feeling Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to wholeness and meaning, attempting to stay within other’s frame of reference.
Personal Philosophy of Nursing * Creating healing environment at all levels, whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated. * Assisting with basic needs, with an intentional caring consciousness, administering “human care essentials,” which potentiate alignment of the mind-body-spirit, wholeness in all aspects of care. In another viewpoint of Watson’s theory by Chantal Cara, she states that nurses should use a eflective/meditative approach with their patients (Cara, C. 003), we should try to understand the patient/client/family as a person: ask them about them, their feelings, goals and expectations, culture, etc. , so “I may honor them and their healing pathway. ”
We should try to understand the patient/client’s health needs: “Tell me about your health? What is your situation? What are your health priorities? What is the meaning of healing for you? ” Watson also states that “Caring is inclusive, circular, and expansive: Caring for self, caring for each other, caring for atients/clients/families, caring for the environment/nature and the universe. (Watson, J. 2010).
Virginia Henderson, another nursing theorist, had some important views on nursing that I feel strongly about. She wrote, “The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge, and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible. ” (Blais and Hayes, 011) Imogene King, nurse theorist, writes of a goal attainment theory.
This struck me as an important theory because when one has goals, they have a plan to work with and work toward. She wrote seven hypotheses to attain certain goals in nursing. A few of them are listed below (Blais and Hayes 2011): Personal Philosophy of Nursing * Communication increases mutual goal setting between nurses and clients and leads to satisfaction. * Goal attainment decreases stress and anxiety in nursing situations. * Goal attainment increases client learning and coping ability in nursing situations.
So for my personal philosophy on nursing, I caring is my central theme. I found that I have already been using many components of the theories mentioned by Jean Watson, Virginia Henderson, and Imogene King in my nursing practice. Reading and examining these theories have opened my mind up to many other ideas that I can put into use in the future. There are many qualities, for me, that fall under the definition of caring: dignity, trust, communication, skills, knowledge, vulnerability, and listening. So for me nursing is about caring and caring is about nursing.