A solid personal philosophy is important for any nurse, willing to establish and develop as a professional in one’s field, provide the highest quality of care to patients and promote their well-being (Marchuk, 2014). My nursing philosophy combines the knowledge of medicine with compassionate and relational attitude towards every patient. I believe that the purpose of nursing consists in providing care to individuals who require assistance and support in maintaining both their physical, psychological and spiritual health. This paper objects at discussing my personal nursing philosophy, the theories and views that influence it and the ways how it affects my nursing practice.
The main doctrine of the nursing field grounds on the four major concepts: the patient, health, environment and the nursing profession. In order to describe my personal philosophy of nursing I will give definition and concentrate on each concept from this paradigm.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"The Theory of Human Caring".
I view a human being ( a patient) as a unique creature, possessing its personal beliefs, values and highly adaptive to circumstances, that can be, however, easily destabilized by an illness affecting him physically, psychologically or spiritually. I truly believe that every patient should get the high quality care, irrespectively of one’s origin, convictions, social or financial status. Every patient seeking medical help is a personality with one’s own values, beliefs and practices that may differ from those of a nurse and that should be respected in any case.
A crucial aspect of nursing consists in caring for the whole patient, with one’s complex needs, paying attention to the physical, mental and psychosocial aspects. Treating only a physical illness is not enough, since there may be certain hidden psychological wounds that, if not addressed, will hinder the process of healing. For example, a patient has been injured in a car accident, while his best friend did not survive. In this case my task as a nurse consists in helping the patient recover from the physical injuries, as well as coping with emotional wounds, such as grief. It is important to be aware of the fact that grief can significantly affect the patient’s physical and psychological recovery, show caring, understanding and compassionate attitude.
I regard the concept of health as the sense of well-being, perceived by an individual. I believe that good health may be achieved through harmony of the mental, physical and spiritual states of a person. For example, a woman who has been a victim of violence with no physical wounds, but suffering from fear, confusion, shock and anger, may not be considered healthy, as long as her psychological concerns are not addressed.
I see environment as a crucial factor that promotes or interferes with individual’s well-being. Both physical (temperature, quality of water and air, pollution, epidemics of flue, etc.) and the nonphysical environment (culture, family, job, society, healthcare, housing, etc.) are important. People are constantly affected by the changes in environment, as they live in close interaction with it. For example, hospital room of a patient should be regarded as his own personal space (environment that can affect his health). Thus, it is important to protect patient’s privacy and comfort in the room, regularly aerate and make sure there are no disturbing factors.
I view the last component of the paradigm, nursing, as a practice of supporting, caring, assisting patients and their families, maintaining and recovering health. A nurse has to be kind, compassionate, gentle and calm with her patients. The task of the physician is to diagnose and treat illnesses, while the main task of a nurse consists in caring.
The theory of human caring, elaborated by Jean Watson is a powerful tool, enabling nurses to provide a high quality care to their patients. It focuses on the necessity to care about the whole individual, paying attention to the his mind, spirit and body in order to promote the healing process at an optimal level (Watson, 1994). According to Watson, caring may be viewed as both science and art that help patients achieve a harmony on both the physical and non-physical level. Jean Watson’s theory is grounded on several main assumptions. The practice of caring is assumed to be central in nursing, while every nurse is supposed to possess consciousness and moral commitment in order to protect human dignity and promote healing (Morrow, 2014). Nurses should also have the skills and abilities to accurately bond with the patient. The knowledge required to establish the bond may be obtained through studying humanities, other cultures and exploring one’s own beliefs and values (Watson, 1994).
The Theory of Human Caring includes 4 major concepts: the human being, health, environment and nursing. The human being, or the patient is viewed as a “valued person to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood and assisted…..a human is greater than the sum of his or her parts” (Watson, 1994: 14). Jean Watson regards health not only as a high level of overall mental, social and physical functioning, but also as absence of illness, or certain efforts that lead to recovery from the illness. According to the theorist, environment should be comfortable for the patient, as it directly affects the process of healing. She believes that nursing is about preventing illness, promoting health, and caring for the sick person.
Since a lot of my ideas were inspired by Jane Watson’s views, my personal nursing philosophy has numerous similarities with the philosophy of this theorist. The first and the most important similarity, in my opinion is that we both perceive a person as a complex creature, who’s needs are not limited to the physical aspect. Like Watson, I believe that every individual deserves to be valued and respected. I agree that typical hospital environment may be confusing and uncomfortable for a patient. A person may become stressed and anxious, which can has a negative effect on the process of healing, thus it is very important to make the patient’s stay in the hospital settings as comfortable as possible. I support Watson’s opinion that health is a complex concept, where components need harmony and completion. I agree as well that caring is of a high value and importance in nursing. Addressing the patient as a whole, curing his mind, spirit and body is the main objective of a nurse.
The impact of the above mentioned philosophical similarities that I share with Jane Watson on my nursing practice is immense. These help me indicate priorities when providing care to a patient, paying attention to their psychological and spiritual concerns, additionally to the physical care. These remind me that each patient needs to be treated positively, get unconditional support and encouragement to facilitate a better and faster recovery.
My personal philosophy of nursing concentrates on four major concepts: person, environment, health and nursing. I believe that providing a high quality care to a patient is the most important task for those who chose this profession. My views were significantly influenced by Jean Watson’s theory of human caring that offered me a perspectives on nursing and its commitment to provide compassionate caring to humanity and society. Learning this theory gave me a deeper, philosophical, moral and knowledgeable approach to sustaining the nursing profession dignity.
