Philosophy of Nursing Free Essays

Person/ Family Person is the recipient of nursing care, the main center focus of the nursing practice. Person is all the aspects that create an individual from their family structure and their role in that structure to their life knowledge and their beliefs in all the aspects of their world. Person is not only how someone lives, its how they adapt and adjust to changes in their life, their self concept and their view and interpretation of the world around them. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Nursing or any similar topic only for you Order Now Person is individualized and unique to the individual. It is my belief that defining person is the first step that nurses should implement when deciding the individualized and patient specified care of a patient. Person defines what is real and to the client and how they see themselves and the world. Health Health is ultimate blending of person and environment. It is the result of who you are and how your environment adjusts to your Person. There are all stages of health and even in a dying patient or chronically ill patient there are various stages of health. Health is not necessarily the absence of illness, but it is the potential wellness of and individual. The definition of health for an 18 year old disease free client is not the same as the definition of an 80 year old chronically ill patient. Health is the optimal potential of a client to be the best they can be for the person and condition that they are in. I believe that health can also be determined by an individual and their particular needs as a person and their application to their role in society. Environment Environment is everything around a person that affects who they are and how  they react to situations and changes. Environment defines the potential for change and is sometimes the sole factor in determining the potential of an individual and their health. If a person has a great support system, a positive self perception and is in good health they still can become a victim to their environment. An example would be an elderly person who has been independent their whole life, but has to go into a nursing home due to their decreased mobility related to osteoarthritis. If they are not place in a correct nursing facility then the patient is not going to be in a environment that promotes and accepts their independence and special situation. The definition of Person could be missed in a situation like this and the patient could be placed in an environment that doesn’t promote what is healthy and acceptable to that person. It is my belief that Environment is the blending of person and health and all of the internal and external factors that affect a patient and their overall concept of these factors. Nursing The central reason for the existence of nursing is to help those who are in need. Weather that need be physical, emotional or medical is irrelevant; the need of the individual in nursing is determined by the patient and their unique situation. The recipient of nursing care is all people whom are influenced by the nursing process. The ultimate goal of professional nursing care is to promote specialized, patient specific care that is outcome based and measurable in terms of client benefits that promote health and well being at various stages of illness and wellness. The practice of nursing is very different from other health care professionals because nursing looks at the whole person, their environment and their individual needs as a specialized living system. Nursing is patient focused not condition focused. It is my belief that the nursing process promotes greater health and healing of the individual and the family with interventions and a holistic approach that is client/family specific to their unique situation and value system. How to cite Philosophy of Nursing, Papers Philosophy of Nursing Free Essays Personal Values and Philosophy of Nursing A nurse has to be able to integrate multiple aspects of care in order to build a healthy atmosphere fit for their patients. In order to do this, a nurse must have a strong understanding of their personal philosophy of nursing will all metaparadigm components of person, environment, health and nursing. Without one of these, I believe a nurse will not be able to give their very best to their patient. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Nursing or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to EdD Anne Bishop (1997), nursing is â€Å"at all times an artful practice and applied science that are integrally woven into the fabric of the practice of caring† (p. ). This statement about the components of nursing I agree with. I believe that nursing is not singly a science, practice or art, but it is a combination of all three. Nursing is part of the medical field; its science is knowledge that’s attained through research, development and analysis. With regards to art, nurses must be creative with their knowledge of caring for patients. Every patient’s case is different and not always â€Å"a text book case† so nurses have to be ready and resourceful with thinking of solutions. The main focus of a nurse’s practice is caring. It involves concern and empathy, and a commitment to the client’s lived experience of human health and the relationships among wellness, illness, and disease (Mitchell, 2000). I believe that one day when I become a nurse, to do my job and duties for my patients I must efficiently combine practice, art and science of nursing. Health is a very broad topic involving many different aspects of nursing. Health is defined as a state of wellbeing, in which, one has the ability to function and take care of themselves independently while free from stress and illness (McEwen, 2010). This statement is very important because it is the whole reason why a nurse has their job. If there were no sick people then there would be no need for nurses. Nurses deal with patients that have some sort of an illness; it can be acute or chronic. Patients trust nurses in their time of need. All the sick patient wants is to get better, whether it is a virus or a deadly disease. The nurse is there to help improve the quality of life of their patients, which could be completely healing them or even just getting rid of the pain. As nurses we must keep in mind the degrees of health can vary from patient to patient and we must always be good supporters no matter what the circumstances. Having a healthy work environment is vital in the medical field and working as a nurse. It is imperative for the health of, not only the patient, but also the nurse and the recruitment and retention of new nurses. Mark Alderson (2006), a nurse from University of New Hampshire, states that â€Å"the environment is both internal and external† (p. 1). This concept I feel to be very true. The internal environment incorporates factors like biological, spiritual, physiological and cultural. This part of the environment helps construct the person’s beliefs and views on the world that assists in making decisions. This can go for the patient and the nurse. When looking at the psychological aspects of treating patients, the nurse must be aware of the environment because it can alter behavior, responses and healing. On the other hand, the external environment includes social, cultural and community circumstances. An example for this is how the nurse is responsible for treating all patients the same. No matter what background the patient comes from, the nurse has a responsibility to create an environment that is the same for every person they come across. Persons are not only the individuals that are being treated for an illness but also the families and communities. I believe that the patients are strongly tied to their family and people that surround them. A lot of the time patients need the support and love of the people around them in order to get through whatever they are going through. As a nurse, you may need to coach a parent on how to help their child get through a traumatic injury. Yes the patient is your main concern, but you are also there for the entire network of support. For me I do not know exactly what area I want to specialize in, all I know is I want to be a nurse. I want to help people when they are most vulnerable. I value the relationship a nurse has with a patient, how trust is put on the nurse and it is the nurse’s responsibility to honor that trust and help them to their best of their abilities. I do know I want to start in the emergency room because this is when people need direct care for an immediate injury or concern. I would be able to be there for the patient in their time of need. References Alderson, M. (2006). Nursing Metaparadigm. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://msrn. wordpress. com/nursing-metaparadigm/ Bishop, A. H. (1997). Nursing as a Practice Rather Than an Art or a Science. McEwen, M. (2010). Nursing Philosophy. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://kweller99. wordpress. com/nursing-philosophy/ Mitchell, S. (2000). Metaparadigm Concepts. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://nursing. pages. tcnj. edu/about/mission-philosophy/metaparadigm-concepts/ How to cite Philosophy of Nursing, Essay examples Philosophy of Nursing Free Essays Every nurse holds her own personal views and beliefs about nursing. These views and beliefs encompass the nurse’s personal nursing philosophy. The nurse may find that her philosophy changes as her practice continues to grow over time. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of Nursing or any similar topic only for you Order Now My philosophy as a new graduate nurse twelve years ago is much different from my philosophy today. I attribute this life experiences and to the growth I have experienced as both a person and a nurse. My personal definition of nursing is based on the nurse being a loving, compassionate, dependable, competent, responsible, comforting and passionate person. A nurse not only cares for her patient’s physical ailments but cares for the whole person and family unit. Nurses promote both physical and emotional well-being. Nurses should be able to recognize cultural differences and advocate for patients in a non-judgmental manner. Nursing is centered on health both good and bad. Nurses often find patients in poor health and work to assist them back to their normal health state. Often times, it is not realistic for patients to be able to return to their previous state of health. In this case nurses help patients adapt to their illness and lead productive lives despite managing chronic illness. Nursing not only consists of health promotion but also of illness prevention. Health promotion includes prevention of illness and also improving patient’s overall well-being. Nola Pender is a pioneer in health promotion and as a nurse I use her Health Promotion Model as a guide in my current nursing practice. To consider one’s philosophy of nursing, one inevitably considers our beliefs about man. I believe man exists as a unique and holistic individual within a culturally diverse society. In my culture, man is expected to be self-reliant and responsible for himself and his family. Self-reliance is attained by the ability to provide self-care. Self-care is the ability to provide for one’s own basic needs. If self-care is not maintained, illness/death may occur. My culture, like many others, considers the sick worthy of assistance. As nurses, it is our responsibility to offer assistance in bringing people back to their normal state of health if possible. Nurses do this by intervening in a manner that is acceptable to patients while also recognizing that patients have certain rights to refuse the care offered to them. It is important for nurses to recognize the many different reasons patients may not accept the care they are offering. Nurses should be non-judgmental and recognize cultural differences so that they may provide culturally competent care How to cite Philosophy of Nursing, Papers