6

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Nurses have the role of offering care to the patient. Nurses have the role of serving their patients, offering them high-quality, safe, and effective care. Many important factors are related to the practice of nursing. Expert nursing care can be delivered to patients with proper knowledge and skills, teamwork, critical thinking for the best care, giving and receiving patient education, and ensuring that the care delivered is based on evidence-based strategies. Nurses also need to assume leadership roles when need be, ensure proper interprofessional collaboration and engage both patients and their family members in the care process. The ANA's code of ethics has set principles that nurses should implement in their daily practices (Ethics. ANA). The American Nurses Association supports nursing practice by developing policies and actions while also establishing the standards and scope of nursing practice that define the nursing profession and what it represents.

Choice of Nursing

Nursing is a perfect choice for me as I love taking care of people and providing them with the opportunity to live healthy and better lives. Nursing offers me the opportunity to learn new skills and acquire knowledge for taking care of me, my family, and society. I also enjoy learning new things, and as a nurse, I keep challenging myself to keep on with the emerging trends in nursing, which helps me provide the best care to my patients.

Nursing is a good opportunity for me as I learn something new every day from interaction with colleagues, the patients, and their families, inspiring me to explore and acquire deep knowledge on the techniques I can apply in providing care to my patients. Nursing is all about helping the patients, saving lives, bringing happiness to patients and their families, and comfort to those in need. I aim at making a positive impact from mental health to care for the elderly and thus improve the lives of everyone. I'm compassionate, have strong values, and enjoy seeing others live well, and thus nursing was a great choice for me.

Essence of Nursing

Nurses require key elements in place that guide the profession of nursing such as the accreditation process, licensure, and certification, and relevant code of ethics. Ethics defines how nurses should act and why. The ethical principles that nurses need to adhere to are the principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. Nurses need to understand that patients have the right to be treated fairly, and healthcare providers need to minimize harm, promote good health towards patients and refrain from maltreatment (The code: Professional standards of practice and behavior for nurses, midwives, and Nursing Associates). Lack of adhering to the code can lead to dismissal from work, lawsuits and thus the need for nurses to be up-to-date with the code of ethics.

The first international code of ethics in nursing was developed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), outlining how nurses should behave ethically in their profession and how they should deal with barriers that may hinder them from fulfilling professional obligations. The Core of nursing is responsible for promoting health, preventing illnesses, alleviating suffering, and restoring health. Political factors play a role in nursing as nurses the federal, state, and local government set policies that govern the practice of nurses. Every state has set policies that govern the scope of practice for nurses and how nurses need to deliver care to their patients.

Beliefs and Values

I believe that it is my duty as a nurse to provide high-quality, safe, and cost-effective care to my patients. Patients are the main consumers of healthcare services, and the nurses have the role of ensuring that disease prevention and health care services are delivered effectively. By offering care to patients, nurses promote an environment in which the rights of human beings, their spiritual beliefs, and their culture are respected. Nurses should thus ensure that care is accurate, sufficient, and timely and patients are active participants in the decision-making process regarding their care. They need to demonstrate the values of respect, compassion, trustworthiness, and integrity when caring for the patient.

The family and the entire community play an important role in the health of an individual. This is because every individual is a member of a family, and they share the same environments. The family members thus have an important role in the health of individuals as they offer spiritual, physical, financial, and psychological support to the patient (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). They thus need to be involved in the care process and patient education to help the patients make the correct decisions. For example, in delivering care to young children or end-of-life care, the patient's families and close friends help them in making decisions.

It is my role as a nurse to ensure that there is effective interprofessional collaboration with co-workers in nursing. This ensures the care process flow effectively, ensuring that all patients are given the best form of treatment. The nurses take appropriate actions to safeguard the well-being of individuals, families, and communities when their co-workers can endanger their health. As members of the team, nurses take appropriate action to support and guide their co-workers, which helps advance ethical conduct. When we work together, we can deliver the best patient-centered care to patients, thus enhancing the health of individuals and communities.

I believe that for me to be healthy, I need to have a state of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. My health is important as I need to be in a good state of health to deliver care to my patients. Some of the measures that I take to enhance my health are being physically active, eating healthy foods, and ensuring measures to improve my mental health, such as healthily dealing with stress. I believe that to offer the best care to my patients and their families; I need to first understand and care for my health.

Vision for the Future

In two years, I want to continue with my education as an advanced practice nurse. I want to have a direction on what I want to achieve by the end of my course and work towards succeeding in my course. I also want to continue with my position as a nurse while delivering care to my patients.

In five years, I want to become a specialist in my area. This is by succeeding in my specialty and thus becoming an expert in my field. I also aim at obtaining professional certification in my area, which will enable me to practice as an expert in nursing. This will be possible after passing my course. I also aim to be in a permanent position in a healthcare institution where I will offer quality and effective care to my patients.

In ten years, I want to be delivering healthcare services in rural areas and marginalized populations. After acquiring my professional certifications, this will help me be able to deliver care at any place in the globe. I also want to be in a leadership position where I will be able to inspire others and act as an advocate for my patients and nurses. This will also help me take part in the policymaking process where I can advocate for changes that will ensure nurses can practice effectively.

Summary

One strength that will help me achieve this is my desire to learn. I have a strong desire to learn new things and thus understand that learning is an ever-ending process. This will help me succeed in my classes and thus attain my goals. The other strength is effective communication skills. Good communication skills are important in nursing as this will enable me to communicate well with my patients and other care providers. The third strength is critical thinking skills. Nurses require critical thinking skills, which can help them make decisions related to patient care. Together with problem-solving skills, I will be able to solve problems in nursing which will help me achieve my goals of being in leadership skills and thus deliver care to all populations.

Some of the limitations that I need to overcome include putting too much attention into detail. This makes me spend too much time on an individual, making it hard to attend to many individuals at the same time. My second limitation is that I get impatient when projects go beyond schedule. As a leader, it is necessary to act as a role model and ensure that projects run effectively. Getting impatient can affect how I lead the team members. Finally, I focus on too many details, making it hard for me to save on time.

References

Reinhard, S. C., & Brassard, A. (2020). Nurses leading the way to better support family caregivers.  OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,  25(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol25No01Man01

The code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and Nursing Associates. Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates - The Nursing and Midwifery Council. (n.d.). https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/.

Ethics. ANA. (n.d.). https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/.

Module 6 Assignment

Take a moment and reflect on the Personal Philosophy of Nursing paper that you wrote in the very first RN BSN nursing course N3345 Transition to Professional Nursing.  Don't worry if you didn't save the paper or cannot find it.  Just think about how you approached nursing when you entered the RN BSN program.

Answer these three questions in a short essay style paper (2-3 pages) plus a cover page (see grading rubric for specifics).

1.  Describe how your 2, 5, and 10 year career plan may have changed since you started the RN BSN program based on  future trends and opportunities identified in your chosen area of focus (administration, education or clinical practice). Be sure to include at least 2 specific examples of how your behaviors, attitudes, and practices have changed and why.

2. How have you expanded or changed your personal philosophy of nursing since you started the RN BSN program? Include insights and at least 2 specific examples of how your behaviors, attitudes, and/or practices have changed regarding role of the professional nurse as a result of the RN BSN program.

3.  Would you describe yourself as a lifelong learner?  Why?

Note:  References are not necessary unless you cite someone else's work or articles.  If there are citations in the paper then a reference page is necessary.  If references are not used, then a reference page is not necessary.