Running Head: NURSING PHILOSOPHY PAPER 1

Nursing Philosophy Paper

Brittnay Lengle

Delaware Technical Community College Terry Campus

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Introduction

As nurses we are our patients biggest advocates. We must always put them first and

remember to care for them as a whole. Caring for our patients holistically means that we not only

care for our patient medically but we care for them spiritually, emotionally, physically and we

care for their families. Every patient is unique and has their own personally background. We

must remember that we cannot treat all patients the same. As nurses we must not forget to take

care of ourselves. Personal wellness in the medical field is something that can be forgotten

frequently. As nurses we are also leaders and we must know how to become exceptional leaders

and role models for our patients. Lifelong learning is continuous learning that will continue

through a medical professionals careers.

Lifelong learning

The medical field is a field that consist of constant education. Medicine is always

changing so medical professions must adapt to the changes to provide the best care possible for

the public. As a registered nurse I believe that continuous education is essential to the medical

field. Continuous education on certain subjects is essential as well. Every time we are introduced

to a new subject we will not remember everything about that subject. It is extremely important to

continue to go over information so that way we will remember the information and be able to

apply it to our career. Certain specialties should go over education pertinent to that specialty. For

example, cardiac units should go over cardiac procedures and disease processes that affect the

heart. It I extremely important that medical staff in specialties be experts in their field of study so

patients can receive the best possible care they deserve. Certain education does need to be taught

to all medical staff regardless of the specialty they have chosen to work in. previtive measure

such as CAUTI and CLABSI should be taught to every nurse. Hospital policies should be
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education for every staff member regardless of what position is held and what facility they

choose to work in.

Nursing theory

The philosophy of science and caring was created by Jean Watson. This philosophy addresses

how nurses express care to their patients. She believes that a holistic approach is essential for a

patients recovery. This philosophy consists of ten carative factors, these carative factors include;

forming humanistic-altruistic value systems, instilling faith-hope, cultivating a sensitivity to self

and others, developing a helping-trust relationship, promoting an expression of feelings, using

problem-solving for decision-making, promoting teaching-learning, promoting a supportive

environment, assisting with gratification of human needs, and allowing for existential-

phenomenological forces. Caring has always been a part of nursing but it is also important to

create a caring environment for the patient and their families. "The patient is the focus of practice

rather than the technology. However, the "looseness" of Watson's framework can also be a

drawback in instances when something more structured is needed for the care of a patient"

(Nursing Theory. 2016).

My personal nursing philosophy believes that being caring and creating a caring environment is

extremely important for a patients recovery. I do believe that medicine and a patients

compliance is more essential for a patients recovery. I do believe how you treat the patient has a

lot to do with the patients willingness to get better and follow through with their treatment

outpatient. I feel as though a lot of patients need a lot of encouragement by their health care

providers. Many patients also need a lengthy education when it comes to their health conditions.

Providing holistic care is essential not only for the patient but also the family. As nurses we are

caring for more than just the patient, we are also caring for their loved ones as well. It is
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important that when we are creating and developing the patients plan of care we are including

their loved ones. When the patient leaves the hospital, we will not be there everyday as a

resource so we must educate and keep in mind that their family is their support system.

Personal Wellness

Personal wellness is making sure as medical professionals we are caring for ourselves.

Many people in the medical field tend to forget to care for themselves because we are so

concerned about caring for others. As medical professionals if we do not take care of ourselves

then we will not be able to provide adequate care for our patients. It can be hard maintain or

handle stress that medical professionals can get from such a stressful career. The medical field is

a very stressful care ethical, physically and mentally. It is important as medical professionals that

we know how to not take the stress of the job home with us. It is important to channel stressful

energy into something positive like exercise, school, ect. It is also important that medical

professionals do not let stressful situations into their personal lives. As medical professionals we

care for our patients holistically but we must also take care of ourselves in a holistic fashion.

Conflict management

The medial field can be stressful not only when it comes to patients and their families but

with other coworkers. It is important to handle situations with that involve conflict in a

professional manner. It can be extremely difficult depending on the situation but it is always

important to stay professional. If a situation becomes out of hand and starts to become

unprofessional it is important to go up the chain of command and to speak with the nurse

manager or charge nurse. It is always important to treat people how you want to be treated. As a

nurse I have experienced conflict with CNAs and doctors. I have experienced conflict with
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doctors because they are upset that I am calling them in the middle of the night. When I call

doctors and they get upset I just let them be upset and tell them that if I did not have to call them

I wouldnt. I only call them because my patient is my number one priority. Currently on my floor

we are having issues with the CNAs on my floor. The CNAs on my floor disappear for hours at

a time, they give the nurses attitudes when they are asked to do their job and they absolutely

refuse to help the nurses. On my floor there is tension between the CNAs and the nurses because

the nurses must consistently remind the CNAS to do their job. Some nurses handle this situation

in a professional way and others do not. It is important to always handle situations like these in a

professional manner.

Patient Safety

Providing holistic care also means providing safety for the patient as well. There are

multiple ways to provide safety for patients in the medical field. Nurses use Evidence based

practice to provide the best care possible for their patients. Evidence based practice is practice

that has been proven to provide good quality care for patients. Evidence based practice is used to

make sure we are being safe for our patients. The medical field is always trying to create new

ways that we can provide safer care for our patients. Informatics is essentially monitoring

charting. Charting is a great way to maintain safety for the patient and the medical staff. Charting

that is on the computer helps to provide holistic care because more than one medical professional

can see the chart at the same time. It also always for patients to have access to their chart through

other programs. Online charting systems that allow the patient to view their chart allows the

patient to be more involved in their care. Quality improvement is a way for facilities to improve

what needs to be improved for the patients safety. The medical field is always evolving and

trying to figure out ways to make healthcare safer and provide holistic care for the patient.
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Leadership

Providing holistic care means we must advocate for the patient and the family at all

times. Sometimes there are situations when the doctor caring for the patient will not listen to the

nurse and the nurse has to advocate for the patient. I once had a situation when my patient was in

respiratory distress and I knew that the patient need to be intubated and sent up to ICU. My

patient had been becoming more acidotic on my shift and was retaining a significant amount of

CO2 even after being on the bipap for a while. This was during a night shift. On night shift we

are supposed to call the hospitalist for everything that happens with the patient. I called the

hospitalist and he absolutely refused to come see the patient and he told me he would think about

if they were going to intubate her. So, I called the pulmonologists and the pulmonologists came

and saw the patient right away and made the decision to intubate the patient in the ICU. As a

nurse if I would not have called the pulmonologists or did not grab my charge nurse for help my

patient could have coded because of respiratory distress. But I advocated for my patient and I

received the result I knew the patient deserved. This example is a great way to show I became a

leader in my profession and I how advocated for my patient. More situations like this will

continue to happen in the future. It is always important to remember in the medical field that our

patients come first and we must take care of them as a whole.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my nursing philosophy to live by is to always provide holistic care for all

of my patients. Providing holistic care for patients means that we will care for not only the

patient physically but emotionally, spiritually, and their loved ones as well. Every patient is

unique in their own way and we must remember to care for them differently. As medical

professionals we are leaders and role models. We must remember to care for ourselves outside of
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our careers so that way our patients believe they can look up to us. Continuing education is

important so that way medical professionals can be experts in their profession. It is important

that we know what we are talking about so that way our patients will listen to us and we can

properly advocate for our patients.

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References

Nursing Theory. (2016). Jean Watson-Nursing Theorist. Retrieved from: http://www.nursing-

theory.org/nursing-theorists/Jean-Watson.php