Personal Philosophy of Nursing€¦ · Personal philosophy on nursing enables a nurse to keep up...

Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

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PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 2

The theory that Describes Nursing in my Way of Thinking

Defining a personal philosophy of a profession, including nursing, enables a person to

uncover their passion towards the profession, providing a mental and emotional connection with

the profession. Such a connection enables one to relate to the values, important skills and other

important traits required for the profession. Personal philosophy on nursing enables a nurse to

keep up with the demands of the nursing profession, such as long working hours and working

under high pressure.

The theory of human caring by Jean Watson describes nursing in my way of thinking. In

my way of thinking the primary role of nursing is to provide care to those who need it. Caring

forms the nursing foundation. The human caring theory focuses on care for patients and how the

aspect of caring progresses into better health plans promoting individual health and wellness,

illness prevention and restoration of health. Major concepts of the theory include society, human

being, health and nursing. Society determines the behaviour of a person as it provides values and

goals that are transmitted through the culture. Health entails the harmony and unity of the mind,

body and the soul of a human being, who is valued and should be cared for, understood nurtured,

assisted and given the required respect. Carative factors outlined by the theory form important

values are significant to my practice as a nurse. The factors include sensitivity to ones-self and

others, developing helpful relationships based on trust and driven by caring for humans, and use

of the scientific method of problem-solving systematically in decision making. Other factors

include promoting transpersonal teaching and learning and creation of a healing environment

(Gonzalo, 2020).

In my nursing practice, the greatest responsible if caring for the patient. Such a way of

thinking enables the provision of patient-centred care to my patients. It improves the quality of


care that the patients receive. Caring for patients allows one to fully focus on enabling the patient

to recover and attain their wellbeing. It encourages the use of other strategies, such as patient

education that boosts the wellbeing of the patient. As a nurse, one is able to fulfil other roles such

as advocating for the right of the patient, respecting their dignity, confidentiality and ensuring

their safety. Such care increases patient satisfaction and improves outcomes as patients can take

an active role in their healing process.

How one can utilize the Theory to Organize Personal Thoughts for Critical Thinking and

Decision Making

Critical thinking is a necessary skill for the provision of safe and quality care necessitated

by the growing research body, patient acuity and complexity of care needed by patients. The

critical thinking skills are emphasized by the nursing education, nursing profession and the

regulatory bodies. Critical thinking is defined as a deliberate and nonlinear process of collecting

information for interpretation, analysis, and drawing of conclusions on the presentation of the

evaluation of information that is factual and belief based. Critical thinking influences decision

making as it impacts clinical judgement based on the available evidence, use of intuition, and

recognition of patterns.

Watson theory is founded on humanistic aspects, ethical directions and spiritual

dimension of care given to patients and puts characteristics of individuals into consideration, thus

contributing to holistic critical thinking. According to Watson, caring enhances regeneration of

energy and increases the potential of personal capabilities (Gonzalo, 2020). This leads to self-

actualization at a professional and a personal level. Caring invokes a sense of awareness and

intuition, which are essential in critical thinking and decision making.


Watson’s theory can also be used to organize personal thoughts for the process of critical

thinking and decision-making as the process shares similar and other aspects related to the

nursing process provided in theory. Some of the curative factors stated, in theory, play a critical

role in critical thinking and decision making. One way one can organize personal thoughts for

critical thinking is through information. Watson theory acknowledges the use of the creative

problem-solving process in caring. It promotes creativity arising from the possession of

knowledge. Practice care, as stated by the Watson theory requires critical thinking as the nurse is

expected to develop care plans for patients based on the interpreted results after the collected

data is analyzed (Gonzalo, 2020).

Personal Definition of Nursing, person, health and environment

Nursing

Personal definition of nursing is inspired by other definitions of nursing, the role that

nurses play and personal experience in the nursing field. According to Watson, nursing involves

health promotion, illness prevention, caring for the ill and health restoration (Gonzalo, 2020).

The American Nursing Association defines nursing as protecting and promoting optimization of

abilities and health, illness prevention, alleviating sufferings through diagnosis and provision of

treatment, and acting as an advocate for the patient, families, communities and the population as

a whole (The International Council of Nurses, 2020). Other definitions include the act of

promoting health, illness prevention and caring for the mentally and physically ill, and disabled

people. Personal definition of nursing involves self- dedication to caring for the ill, those affected


by the illness and to promote health. The definition two aspects, which are caring and health

promotion. Caring involves showing concern and looking after others; hence it encompasses

various responsibilities, including issuing medical attention, ensuring safety, advocating, and

upholding the rights of the patients. The nursing need to be a choice made by the individual to

care for the ill, their families and the population as a whole.

Person

Since Watson’s theory influences my way of thinking towards nursing, a person can be

referred to a human being, who according to Watson is a valued person and should be respected,

understood, and nurtured (Gonzalo, 2020). A person is, therefore, an individual or a human being

with certain capacities such as reasoning and morality, and hold legal rights and responsibilities.

The definition is wide enough to include persons who may have lost certain capacities and are

entitled to their legal rights. A person is, therefore entitled to treatment that upholds their dignity

at all levels.

Health


Personal definition of health is also influenced by various definitions and the existing

critiques. The World health organization defines health as a state in which an individual has

attained physical, mental and social wellbeing and not just the absence of disease. The definition

differs from the traditional models, biopsychosocial health model and other definitions that

defines health as the absence of disease. The approach given by the WHO definition of health

has been termed as unhelpful as it classifies many people as unhealthy (Svalastog, Kristoffersen,

& Gajović, 2017). Personal definition of health is the absence of diseases and a state of physical,

mental and social wellbeing characterized by healthy relationships, positive emotions, and other

sustainable characteristics.

Environment

Watson defines environment as the society (Gonzalo, 2020). Other existing definitions

from Merriam Webster dictionary include objects, conditions or the circumstances surrounding a

person; socio-cultural conditions that influence life; factors such as physical, biotic and chemical

factors, which act upon an ecological community determining survival (Tsekos, & Petsiou,

2018). Personal definition of the environment is the entire set of factors surrounding individuals


impacting their survival. Individuals view their environment as all factors surrounding them such

as other people, institutions, and other factors of legal, political and economic surroundings.

Nursing Beliefs and Values that Guide Personal Practice

Values and belief provide a framework for evaluating activities that influence personal

goals and functions. For nurses to fulfil their role of caring for patients, their actions must be

guided by values that enable them to act ethically, especially when confronted with ethical

dilemmas. Compassion is the value that guides my practice. Having compassion towards the

patients have proven effective in fulfilling my role as a nurse. With compassion, it becomes

easier to treat patients with dignity and grant them the privacy they require. Being compassion

has enhanced the listening skills; hence I can pick up some unspoken concerns that may be

affecting the health of the patient. Compassion to patients increases the participation of patients

in their health as they easily open up on and ask questions concerning their treatment plan.

Patients always look satisfied with the care offered and interacting with the patients in a

relationship based on respect and concern increases their willingness to corporate to the

treatment plan.


The value of accountability also guides my practice as a nurse. With the emphasis being

on providing quality care, being accountable for every action is significant in achieving quality.

The nurse has a role in providing safe care to patients. Being accountable enhances keenness and

creates pressure for one to well updated with recent standards, new practices, and other

expectations hence chances for medical errors and other unethical acts are reduced.

Accountability has also been helpful in the utilization of resources. Accountability has increased

the sense of responsibility and trustworthiness, facilitating the delivery of effective and efficient

care. In clinical decision making, accountability is always the driving force, and it facilitates

taking all factors into consideration before making any final decision. The value has been

effective when administering medicines, recording patient information, and in providing patient

with the necessary information.

Communication Style

Communication is an essential aspect of healthcare. As a nurse, one has to establish

effective communication with the patients and with other health professionals. Communication

determines major clinical decisions and judgement made in diagnosis, treatment plans and other

areas of care delivery. Proper communication enhances teamwork, collaboration and


coordination. It saves time and costs since unnecessary delays are prevented. After carrying out a

self-assessment, the results indicated that my communication style is style 3. I tend to focus on

people, their needs, motivation, values, expectations, being sensitivity, self-development,

corporation and feelings.

Strengths and Weaknesses Associated with the Communication Style

Before the self-assessment, I never understood why it is easier to connect with some staff

members and patients and difficult with others. Major strengths include the ability to connect

with people, especially when working as a group. The communication style is effective in

improving morale, and it increases engagement levels in various activities. It also results in

increased efficiency as people can easily connect and create a pool of resources and ideas.

Weakness includes it may cause a delay as people may concentrate too much on the people and

how they feel and fail to achieve the set objectives. Apart from being distracted, being emotional

can hinder the purpose of the communication being fulfilled. Some aspects, such as sensitivity

and empathy, may become barriers to effective communication.

Impact on the Ability to Collaborate


The communication style enhances my ability to collaborate with as part of an

interdisciplinary team since being able to connect and build a good rapport with the team

members. I find pleasure in working in such a team, becomes motivated, and my productivity

increases in such a setting. I can learn from another professional. Being able to listen to others

and being sensitive and patient with others helps one to establish relationships that are based on

respect and mutual trust. Although the communication style boosts my ability to collaborate

with others, it may become exhaustive focusing on people depending on their communication

style and their behaviour.


References

Gonzalo. A. (2020). Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring.

Svalastog, A. L., Donev, D., Kristoffersen, N. J., & Gajović, S. (2017). Concepts and definitions

of health and health-related values in the knowledge landscapes of the digital society.

Croatian medical journal, 58(6), 431.

The International Council of Nurses. (2020). Nursing Definition

Tsekos, C. A., & Petsiou, T. (2018). Environment and Philosophy: The Aesthetics and the

Natural Environment.

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