Introduction
The personal and professional philosophy of nursing for me has been a teaching we have reviewed numerous times in nursing school, also spoken about in our nursing careers. The philosophy of nursing is an integral part of nursing, where we as nurses are to practice within a personal and professional boundary while upholding the patient as the focus of why we are nurses. And appropriately as we develop in our careers that we gain and utilize these in our professional care of human beings.
Becoming A Nurse
Me on becoming a nurse was not an easy choice I made. I was in the process of wanting to change careers and at the same time I was having my first child. My dad had become ill with cancer, my mom was working in a factory when he was diagnosed. My mom decided to quit her jo and stay home to care for him. The prognosis was not good, lucky if we had a year with him. I was the closest to him, so I was lucky to stay home and quit my job and help. I watched my mother care for him and learn to give medications, give injections with minimal training. After my dad had passed, she had decided to go to take a CNA course and take that route. My mom didn’t really speak English and didn’t go school here in America, but she was motivated and had liked caring for people. She helped me set my path for nursing. Seeing someone with minimal schooling and a language barrier achieve a goal she had set for herself, made me believe that if I really tried hard and set my mind, I too could achieve becoming a nurse even when people stated that I would never make it.
Nursing Theory
The nursing theory I have identified with the most came from Jane Watson. She cultivated the theory that caring, which is manifested in nursing, has existed in every society. However, a caring attitude is not transmitted from generation to generation. Instead, it’s transmitted by the culture of the nursing profession as a unique way of coping with its environment. According to her theory, caring can be demonstrated and practiced by nurses. Caring for patients promotes growth; a caring environment accepts a person as he or she is and looks to what he or she may become (Watson, 2016).
She wanted to maintain on a focus of patient values and nursing not being about an order of things to be done. It was her passion to engage nursing to work as nurses using more of a therapeutic/mindfulness care approach (Watson, J 2009). I have found that reading about her ways of how she approached different ways to care and manage a variety of hospital settings, was to focus on the patient. I must remind myself at times that because things are written that somethings patient healing can become beneficial through a more nurse patient relationship. I rely on myself to try and have a better understanding of patient’s background and understanding of their culture which plays a part in their process of healing.
Changes in Practice
My practice has not really changed over my years of nursing, it has been more of me adjusting to the facilities way of how the nurse work in their environment. It did take me some time into my nursing practice to have a believe in myself that it was okay to question, make a suggestion regarding a patient care. I had to understand that in my field I had to treat the patient with following the protocol. I have learned in having a trusting relationship with the providers helps. In the beginning they would take me a a nurse, provider gives order and she follow’s orders. When I started to question why that way and having feedback of the patient’s whole health history, I could see the providers wanting to now engage in having a regard for my opinion in how to manage and treat the patient. It has at times changed the trajectory of how the provider had intended to treat. Having self-confidence and having a knowledge base has helped my thinking process which has benefited my care towards patient’s.
Why Continue Nursing
Continuing nursing for me has had its times of challenges. I work with a group of patients’ that are very challenging and it has been rewarding. When I was fresh out of school finding my ideal job of working in the ER was not an easy task. I had no experience, not one day in the field until I graduated. I was hired to work with Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients. It took me a good three solid years of understanding and lots of continuing education to have a grasp on that specialty.
Having good assessment skills and being able to build relationships with this population is critical. Most can’t tell you what is wrong, pain is a difficult call to make at times. I really truly think I like the daily investigation part of this specialty when a patient has a slight change and I having work with my fellow nurses/providers to pinpoint at best where the problem is to help find a solution.
Five Years
I have never really thought of where and how far I wanted my nursing career to go until I changed jobs and began work for the VA Healthcare system three years ago. After settling in, I saw all the opportunities that nurses had available to them there. There is always a constant shift in nurses changing jobs, but for the better. The VA encourages its employees to not be afraid and apply for a different job. They are willing to train you for a job with at times no history of working in that field. I know I have my plans of continuing with the VA, I want to further educate myself by obtaining my certification in Peri-operative nursing. Wanting to continue to maintain my nursing practice of treating the patient as an individual person-centered care.
Conclusion
Regardless of where and what specialty nurses are working in, practicing and recognizing that each patient is different, and outcomes will be different. Nursing philosophies are gearing towards the patient-centered care module. I believe nurses have to have the courage and education behind them to speak up to providers, we the nurses are who knows the patient better than them. We have the discussions with family. we are at the forefront of healthcare. Evidence based practices have evolved because nurses now have a chance to participate in making changes. Facilities are now encouraging and pushing for nurses to be the forces that develop nursing philosophies in nursing practice.
The most important aspect of developing your personal philosophy of nursing is that it is a practiced part of your art, and never something that can be ‘finished.’ Your philosophy will begin the day you first think about it and see yourself as a nurse. It will slowly change based on what you practically do on a daily basis in your professional life. Even your personal life will go into molding the type of nurse you are and the philosophy you espouse. With each situation, you will learn, and your methodology will change slightly (ECPI, 2019).
