When writing about a personal nursing philosophy you should know what exactly a nursing philosophy is. Nursing is a professional career within a healthcare sector setting that focuses on caring for the wounded or ill and in some cases, such as the labor and delivery unit, you care for healthy patients. You are not limited to a specific criterion for those you care for. You may care for entire families or only one individual from a family. Nursing should encompass the concepts of patients, health, environment, and nurse with the quality of caring. (Ryan, 2016) “Philosophy is the study of wisdom, fundamental knowledge, and the processes used to develop and construct one’s perceptions of life. Philosophy provides a viewpoint and implies a system of values and beliefs. Each individual develops a personal philosophy to give meaning to experiences and to guide behavior and attitudes. Personal philosophies are developed by learning from interpersonal relationships, through formal and informal educational experiences, through religion and culture, and from the environment” (Taylor, Lillis, Lynn, & LeMone, 2015).
Nursing is not just a career that I can achieve, it is also something that can benefit my self-worth. Being a nurse does not only take significant skill, time and education, but it also takes heart. If you are not someone who enjoys helping people and learning new things as you go along, then nursing may not be the right fit for someone. To be a good nurse, it takes a lot of patience, have a willingness to grow and learn, and requires you to be very caring and thoughtful. You must want to help others around you and achieve a love and a drive to succeed in a goal such as helping a patient achieve optimal health or make it through a hardship.
There is a list of specific characteristics that should accompany every good nurse. Communication is one of the key characteristics, since you use it to build a patient-nurse relationship and use it to maintain a solid foundation in your work setting. Attention to detail because, one small mistake can do more harm than help and it’s crucial to keep your patients safe. Empathy, emotional stability and flexibility because, you are in an area where tremendous amounts of tragic and traumatic incidents can happen. A good nurse must be able to handle the pressure while still staying focused and successfully caring for the people around. Problem solving skills and quick response is another characteristic that’s crucial. A nurse must be able to quickly identify a problem and do what’s necessary to correct the problem in a timely and acceptable manner. Time is of the essence in the nursing field. Finally, a good nurse must have respect for others. Respect can go a long way in helping build a relationship that’s trusting and kind, weather that be in patients, their families or coworkers. (Hughes, 2015)
I have worked as a certified nursing assistant for four years now, which has helped me attain information and skills that I will be using once I am nurse. I have experienced the need for loving what you do because, the healthcare field is a hard field to work in if you don’t enjoy helping others. I have worked side by side with nurses of different career areas and I have had my fair share of picking up on who truly has enjoyed their career as a nurse, and those who you can tell just work for the good paychecks.
So why do I want to be a nurse? I want to work in a career that is interesting, changes daily, and has both challenges and benefits. I want to be able to grow, both psychologically and physically, and do something that will make a difference in this world. My ultimate career goal is to work as a labor and delivery nurse or a Neonatal intensive care unit nurse because, babies are a blessing in disguise and are the purest form of a human being. It is difficult to be around babies and not feel like my heart is going to burst from all the happiness I get from seeing their faces lighten up the room and everyone around. I feel like I would love to experience the joy that comes with helping bring that new life into this world or saving that life. To know that I gave my all to help bring someone so special and unique into this world or save them from leaving, would be like winning the lottery every day.
Within the next 5 years, I can hear the announcer call out my name as I’m walking across that stage at graduation. I will finally be able to say, “I did it!” with a look of accomplishment on my face. I can see myself working as a nurse on a mom-baby floor, delivery floor or even on a Neonatal Intensive care unit. However, to get to that point of recognition I will continue in my journey through nursing school. Making sure I take in as much information as my brain will allow me to. A nurse is only as good as those that she learns from and what she will let herself grow into. Nursing school has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do throughout my life so far, but it will absolutely be the most rewarding once I get to the finish line.
Within the next 10 years, I can see myself supervising an entire labor and delivery floor or NICU floor. I plan on pursuing my education and working towards my Master of Science in Nursing degree or possibly toward becoming a nurse practitioner. As a nurse, you never stopping learning. Therefore, to successfully grow you must continue to learn throughout your whole career. I believe that looking into multiple areas of a healthcare job can be highly beneficial. You must experience different areas of an occupation to truly find what you enjoy the most and what makes you accomplish your overall goal with satisfaction.
My philosophy of nursing takes into consideration the key elements of care, wisdom, knowledge and skills that are required to be successful in this journey I have begun. It is what drives my willingness to grow and what shapes my life and the goals I want to pursue. As our knowledge and skills grow, our philosophy will grow as well. By maintaining a solid foundation on what your personal philosophy is, you will have less difficulty working through the many trenches of the nursing field. When we understand ourselves, and our beliefs, values and goals, we will ultimately become a more accomplished nurse overall.
References
- Hughes, L. (2015, April 9) What makes a good nurse? 6 key traits. Nebraska Methodist College Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.methodistcollege.edu/what-makes-a-good-nurse-6-key-traits
- Ryan, L. A. (2016) The Journey to Integrate Watson’s Caring Theory with Clinical Practice. Retrieved from https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/files/PDF/JourneytoIntegrate.pdf
- Taylor, C., Lillis, C., Lynn, P., & LeMone, P. (2015). Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Person-Centered Nursing Care (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer
