The aim of this paper is to put down my personal beliefs, convictions and values on the noble profession. Before I go further I will like to define Nursing according to international council of Nurses: Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles. (ICN, 2002) Role modeling is the process by which the nurse facilitates and nurtures the individual in attaining, maintaining, and promoting health. It accepts the patient as he or she is unconditionally, and allows the planning of unique interventions. According to this concept, the patient is the expert in his or her own care, and knows best how he or she needs to be helped.(Helen Erickson et al 1983).
As a professional Nurse I model my philosophy in three main roles. They are facilitation, nurturance, and unconditional acceptance. As a facilitator, the nurse helps the patient take steps toward health, including providing necessary resources and information. As a nurturer, the nurse provides care and comfort to the patient. In unconditional acceptance, the nurse accepts each patient just as he or she is without any conditions. I understand that each patient is unique should be treated uniquely and distinct from the other patients even if they suffer from same medical ilneses. The role of family can not be over emphasized in the care of a patient. My Values and Beliefs About Nursing My values and beliefs as an individual are hard-working, compassion dedication, honesty, integrity and team work. These values have been my touch and what led me into the nursing profession as a nurse is expected to be compassionate and always show empthaty to his or her patient or client. I understand the patient and family under my care depend on me so I do my best to provide relevent information as it regards to care and also listen to any complain they have. I try to understand the patient and their family members’ situation.
I am always mindful of the fact that am dealing with people who are in pain, sick or whose family member is suffering. Paying sincere attention and listening to what they have to say helps alleviate some of their anxiety, if not pain. Also, nursing is a profession that involves continuous learning of new technological advances in the field of nursing and caregiving. As a professional nurse, I feel committed to a life-long learning and hands-on experience to make myself a better nurse. Principles That Guide My Nursing Practice One of my principles in dealing with the patients is to try to connect with them as a friendly human being. Friendly conversation with them makes them comfortable talking about their situation. It helps me understand the bigger picture so that I can address their issue in a more holistic way, if possible. For instance, I came across an elderly woman with mental health issues who was frequently being readmitted to the hospital for primarily psychiatric issues.
I learnt from her medical history, and during my conversations with her that she had been through real rough life. Two of her sons as well as her husband had died recently due to drug overdose. Drug issue was rampant in her rural community. Her third son was in jail, and she had no close relative around to help her in any way. Just talking to nurses in the hospital made her feel better and connected with the society. I tried my best to provide her the best care and comfort I could during my shift. I have realized that a nurse contributes to overall healing process far more significantly through their conversations with patients than simply delivering medications. Personally, nursing is my way of fulfilling my promise to my mother to help others. I enjoy taking care of and helping others. Besides getting a paycheck it is kind of a spiritual experience for me (Puchalski, 2001). I feel a great sense of satisfaction when I hear appreciation from a patient or their family member.
Caring for someone becomes a spiritual interaction which provides a therapeutic basis to promote the healing process. It is certainly a different view than when I started in my associated degree program in nursing. At the time, it was about achieving my new skills and learning the ability to provide health care. Now I realize that healing is lot more than just delivering medication. Nursing care involves the patient as a person and not just the health problem that is being addressed at the time. Without getting too personal, a nurse needs to consider the patient’s background, family situation and other factors that may help in nurse’s understanding to help the patient. There are many things in their family or community environment that can have huge influence or implications in the patient’s life, their well-being and recovery. I have come across patients whose living conditions, communities, abusive families etc. were either directly cause of their illness or would be an impediment in their healing.
Another principle that guides my professional practice is collaboration and sincerity. It has more to do with my colleagues in nursing than my patients. “Nurses eat their young” is common expression on how experienced nurses treat new nurses. There has been some research in bullying within nursing community from a micro-sociological perspective and the interactive mechanisms contributing to its causes and continuation within the nursing profession (Lewis,2005). I have personally experienced lack of cooperation and being ridiculed for inadequate professional skills at my workplace as a fresh nurse. I am amazed at the indifference of many experienced nurses towards this kind of behavior towards new nurses who are entering the profession. The new nurses would immensely benefit from the advice and guidance of experienced professional nurses in a profession that can literally make a difference between life and death. Although I still consider myself to be a relatively new nurse, but I am already treating other fresh graduate nurses with dignity and respect. I am determined to make it part of my philosophy to collaborate and help other nurses in any way I can, especially the new graduate nurses.
Cooperation and collaboration should be a key characteristic for any team, but it is even more relevant in the nursing profession. I am always trying to help other nurses in performing their job function in times when they are overwhelmed, which very common in our profession. I notice that not only it has encouraged others to reciprocate, it has also helped foster a positive team environment. Conclusion Nursing is facilitation of healing, helping recover from suffering through the diagnosis and treatment, and caring through understanding of individuals, families, groups, and communities. My core values of compassion, honesty, integrity, understanding, hard work and collaboration with others are my part of my nursing practice philosophy in providing care to the patients under my care. One of my key principle in the nursing practice is to connect with the patients as human beings in order to understand their situation, which provides me with a better opportunity to help them in their treatment and healing process. Genuine appreciation from the patients and their families gives me a deep level of satisfaction. Another rule that I try to follow is to focus on collaboration with my colleagues in nursing profession.
Specifically, I want to help new nurses gain confidence through experience and support from more experienced nurses. This assignment has compelled me to think about and articulate key factors that keep me motivated about my profession. Although I knew in my heart what I enjoyed, and why I enjoyed working as a nurse but I had never thought about aligning my values, beliefs and general philosophy with my profession. Of course, I get a paycheck for the services I provide, but there is more than the paycheck that I receive in turn.
References
International Council Of Nurses. (2012). Retrieved from What is Nursing:
Helen Erickson et al (1983) Model and Role model A theory and paradigm for nursing
http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing
Edwards, S. (1997). What is philosophy of nursing? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1088-1092.
Lewis, M. A. (2005). Nurse bullying: organizational considerations in the maintenance and
perpetration of health care bullying cultures. Journal of Nursing Management, 52-58.
Puchalski, C. M. (2001). The role of spirituality in health care. Proceeding (Baylor Univ Med
Cent), 352–357.
