Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER 1

Amber Rose

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

October 15, 2017

Synthesis

I pledge
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 2

What is nursing?

When I was a little girl, my dream was always to help people. Like most children, I

started off wanting to be a doctor. As I got older, I realized school took forever and nurses were

way smarter. After my transition from the Marine Corps, I still found myself passionate about

wanting to help people. Once I got accepted into nursing school, I had to ask myself what exactly

is nursing and why do I want to do it? As a novice nurse, I defined nursing as the care of those

who cant care for themselves. I ultimately wanted to fix people and get them better so they

could live a better life.

Since my time at the college of nursing, my definition of nursing has been refined and

elevated. At the college of nursing, I have been exposed to many tenets of Bon Secours nursing

philosophy and what nursing really means. The three tenets that speak loudest to me are nurses

are lifelong learners and researchers, adding to and applying new evidence to the practice of

nursing globally, health is created through the harmony of mind, body and soul and self-care and

self-reverence are requisites to caring for others. I chose those three tenets because they speak

loudest to me and I believe if a nurse wants to be successful, he or she needs to take these to

heart.

Personal Philosophy

In nursing, my personal philosophy parallels that of the golden rule. I will treat others

how I expect to be treated despite how others may treat me. The other part of my philosophy is

grounded in self-care as well as the previous philosophies I have learned from my time in school.

If I dont care for myself how can I effectively care for others?

In todays world, it is easy to get caught up in the chaos that constantly surrounds us. It is

imperative that we take a breather, gather our thoughts and proceed on with our day. When we
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 3

take the time to get ourselves together, it puts us in a better head space. When were in that better

headspace, it becomes easier to treat others with the respect they deserve. I know it seems to be

such a clich answer or one that lacks gusto but it is extremely important.

As a student, I always believe in advocating for myself and treating others how I should

be treated. Last semester, there were some issues with the financial aid department and I chose to

escalate my concerns until the appropriate measures were taken. As a student, most of us depend

on the monies received through grants and loans to help meet any financial obligations. I wanted

to let my concerns be known without causing a stir so I used my personal philosophy to get

handle this situation. I took time to think, I researched the situation and advocated for myself and

my cohorts.

Along with the golden rule, my nursing philosophies still ring true. I have to be an avid

lifelong learner as a nurse. Nursing is constantly changing and is constantly molded by new

evidence based practice. Once we have the evidence and technology we need to help those who

need it most, we must be able to translate that into saving patients and helping their families. I

believe each tenet of the philosophies I have listed, personal and professional, are key to

becoming a great nurse.

Nurse Patient Encounter

During my time in immersion, I had the opportunity to be a part of the code team and

experience a Code S. The patient, who had a previous CVA, was obviously showing signs of a

stroke. You could tell she wanted to speak so badly but the words just couldnt come out. During

this chaotic time, her family stood around in disbelief and shock. They didnt know what to do

and to see all these medical professionals rushing in and out and screaming out orders was

extremely overwhelming. As a student, I wasnt much help to the nurses during the code. Since I
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 4

wasnt immersed in the code, I was able to catch a glimpse of the familys faces. They were

scared out of their minds and it was all too much for them.

At this very moment, I was able to use my personal philosophy and help these patients.

Initially, I had to think, what would I want in this predicament. I immediately took the family out

of the chaotic environment and brought them to a calm area. I began to explain to the family that

although it may seem chaotic, this chaos is needed to save your family members life. Once I

explained everything to them in calm manner, the expressions on their faces relaxed. Keeping

them abreast and educating them while offering them snacks also helped.

I also made sure to emphasize to the family that getting rest and making sure their

personal lives were taken care was also a priority. Once they saw we had everything under

control, they were more comfortable leaving their loved one in our care. I also took the time to

take a breather once the chaos died down. I wanted to make sure I had a clear head and I also

wanted to educate myself on the situation I just saw. It is always important to emphasize self-

care. This ensures we can have clear heads. After I took some time to gather my thoughts and

come down from the chaos, I was able to ask my preceptor about the situation in its entirety. I

didnt want to let this patients incident happen in vein, I wanted to learn more so I could be sure

of how to handle this situation if it were ever to arise again.

Values and Beliefs

My values and beliefs of nursing have definitely changed. Before, I thought it was

rainbows, band aids and Tylenol. Now I know its rainbows, past medical history, comorbidities,

socioeconomic class, education level, a collaborative effort of medical professionals and so on. I

now realize that taking care of the person holistically will always produce a better outcome. As I
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 5

grow in life and in my career, I understand that my values and beliefs may change. I believe that

staying open to those changes will ultimately make me a better person as well as a better nurse.

Benners Theory

Benners theory is a guide to clinical competency in nursing. The model describes a nurse

from the very beginning of her career to the end. They model is composed of the novice, the

advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert. The novice nurse is described the beginner

nurse. The novice nurse is an individual new to practice, has no real experience in the medical

field and is probably a student. The advanced beginner, generally a new graduate nurse, is new to

practice but has been exposed to the acute and chronic health care setting. These nurses have a

lot of knowledge but lack a lot of experience. Unfortunately, the lack of experience outweighs

the knowledge these nurses have. The next nurse Benner speaks about is the competent nurse.

The competent nurse is one who knows what to do but lacks the time to do it. These nurses are

beginning to master skills and situations but have yet to master how to do it quickly. The nurses

tend to have great organization skills and tend to plan their day. The proficient nurse is well on

her way to mastering her craft. She is able to see past the surface and look at this situation as a

whole. The proficient nurse learns from every experience and treats her patient holistically. The

last nurse mentioned is the expert. The expert nurse is the nurse that gets things done. They are

so comfortable in their practice and they always know how and when to get things done. They

have a fine-tuned intuition based on their vast knowledge and experience.

Skill Acquisition

Obviously, I am an advanced beginner at this point in my nursing career. I know a lot

about nothing and have no real experience. I can recite things from a book but am not at the point

where I can spring into action without a lot of fear taking over. I have had some experience in
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 6

long term care facilities as a certified nursing assistant. I learned some basic skills such as

ADLs, communication and time management. Once I was accepted into nursing school, I got a

job in an acute care setting. There I learned how to work collaboratively and how to spot an

emergent situation. Although it may bother some, I like being an advanced beginner. An

advanced beginner has no room for complacency and is always yearning for more information.

3 Things

As I move throughout my nursing career, I hope to get better and become more proficient

in my craft. In order to pursue this, I have identified three things I will do to help me attain these

goals. The first goal is to be a lifelong learner. As a student and future nurse, it is important for

me to understand I dont know everything and my best ally will be evidenced based practice and

those seasoned nurses around me. I should also seek help from my coworkers and managers to

ensure I am adhering to all policies. The next thing Id like to work on is my teamwork.

Although I believe I am a great team player, I want to be an even better team player. As a former

service member, I learned that team work is the most important component of any job. As a

nurse, teamwork is taken to another level, you are dealing with peoples lives and being aware of

everyone on your floor, not just your assignment is important to ensure a positive outcome for

patients. As I go through my nursing career, I am sure I will continue to groom this skill and

become the best team player. The last thing Id like to work on are my assessment skills.

Fundamentally, assessment skills are the core base of being a nurse. Assessment skills help you

take care of your patient, look for any baseline differences and are can save a patients life if

done correctly. As an advanced beginner, my assessment skills are not up to par and need a lot of

work. As I move throughout my career, I hope to learn how to fine tune from the expert nurses

around me.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 7

Conclusion

As I conclude this paper, I realize I have so much work to do. It doesnt matter how much

I have learned in school or how many skills Ive done in the lab or if I pass the NCLEX, I need

to always be ready to learn and put in the work. I also wont discredit what I have learned so far.

I have gone to an incredible school with an incredible curriculum and awesome staff that have

taught me so much. I look forward to learning and becoming a phenomenal nurse. I also know

that it will be my job to help groom the nurses to come after me. I cant wait for my future.