Philosophy of Nursing: my Nursing Journey and Experiences

Philosophy of nursing will have a different meaning to every nurse that you may ask. It is a guideline that I or any other nurse will run to when patients need us. I believe everyone should have a personal nursing philosophy that orders your steps. Taking care of the patient does not some up nursing completely. Nursing is being available for patient’s when they need you the most. At times, I have made adjustments to my philosophy as I learned and grew as a nurse. I have had many experiences on my nursing journey and those experiences whether good or bad have all played a role in what I believe to be my nursing philosophy. My nursing philosophies are to care for my patients, advocate and continuing education. I will be discussing more in depth my nursing philosophies and choice of nursing, beliefs and my future endeavors in this paper.

Choice of Nursing

My choice of nursing began in Jamaica. I was born and raised there and as a child I saw that nurses are well respected and most importantly they are important in the care of everyone. In my neighborhood Mount Edgecombe, there lived a nice lady named “nurse”. I never knew her real name, because that’s what I grew up calling her. She attended to me when my mom was not sure how to care for my many wounds or when my mother or father needed medical advice. My love for nursing started there when ‘nurse’ dressed my wound that I got from running around the neighborhood.

As I grew older, my parents moved to the United States and I often fantasized about being a nurse. I often played nurse with my dolls, but time will wait for no one. When I became old enough for college, my parents told me to study Management Information Systems as it was an emerging field. I got my Bachelor’s in Management Information Systems and went back for my nursing degree on my own. I learned to work hard for your dreams. Everything will happen, when it’s your time.

Essence of Nursing

The core of nursing stems from the nurse competency. One of the essences of nursing is that the nurse must be first prepared to take on nursing task that she is skilled to handle. According to D'Eramo (2014), “Health care professionals must have the skills to recognize the need for process improvement, to identify an appropriate intervention, and to evaluate outcomes from tests of change.” In order for this to take place the nurse needs to be knowledgeable. Nurses are responsible for the care of the patient and their many ailments and while also catering to the patient’s emotional needs. According to Masters (2017), “The role of the nurse is focused on assessing and promoting the health and well-being of all humans” (p. 174). As a nurse it is important to help the patient to feel cared for in their time of need. The nurse’s role is to be open and willing to apply nursing skills to help the patient no matter what their background is. I believe that committing to advocating for patients and being someone that they can trust to listen to is far more valuable than the monetary incentives.

Another important factor is to keeping up on education. To care for patients, you have to stay up to date with any changes that are going on. As Master (2017) states, “Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression” (p.187).

Beliefs and Values

I believe that patients want to be heard and shown compassion. It is important to listen to the patient as this gives them a sense of comfort. Our patients are priority. Without them, nurses would have no one to care for. Patients depend on us to care for them, and importantly respect their decisions. I also believe that patient’s respect nurses who advocate for them and are knowledgeable in their field. Showing compassion to patients is something I believe patients also appreciate. A patient may not say you showed them compassion, but your actions should make it evident to them.

The patient’s family plays an important role in the care of the patient. When caring for the patient, I believe as a nurse, you should learn to effectively communicate with the patient’s family. There has been occasions where I was able to find out information that later, helped a patient. Sometimes, family members and significant others may not be willing to communicate with you. However, we as nurses have to remember that the patient needs are first.

Health care providers share a common goal to care for the patients and get them well. When nurses and providers work together, the care of the patient is more seamless. At times, health care providers may not uplift one another. I have seen this when asking for help or trying to consult with a nurse who has had many years working in the field.

I believe that my health is not the best right now. I am working on my nutrition and increasing my exercise. Through the changes I plan to implement for myself, I hope to transition my whole family to better eating as well. I teach my patients to take care of themselves and eat healthy, but I often forget to take care of my health. I am working on it and hope to see improvements in the coming months.

Vision for the future

I hope to finish my BSN next year. In two years I would like to be working on my Family Nurse Practitioner degree. Additionally, I would like to play a bigger role as a nurse. I have been looking into research and clinical trials and perhaps doing some writing.

In five years I would like to be already working as a nurse practitioner and catching up on any missed time with my family. I also intend on being a preceptor for other nurse practitioner students who need experience in the field. I believe never forgetting where you started is important.

My ten year plan is to be working in my career and working on my doctorate if I had not already started. Also, I would like to do some mission work, to help give care to patients in the Caribbean. Since I have roots in the Caribbean, I hope to give back to others as well as the community that helped me.

Summary

I possess determination, strength, and the willingness to learn that will help me reach my professional goal that I have set for myself. I have a supportive group of friends and family, who are my cheerleaders. Also, I have my mind set on achieving my goals and will do my very best in reaching them.

Schedule is a limiting factor for me right now. Between mommy duties and wife duties, I am managing multiple schedules including my own with school. I have been using a calendar more often to help manage my class and the kid’s schedule. This has helped me to get more organized as I work on class assignments. I am looking forward to the big achievement at the end, my BSN.

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