Running head: PROFESSIONAL NURSING 1

Professional Nursing Philosophy

Joel Pascual

October 4, 2019

NUR 300 – 5W1

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Professional Nursing Philosophy

Every individual has a set of personal principles and values that they live by. It serves as

an intrinsic guide that aids in decision-making. These individuals may also have a set of

professional values, which are formed through personal experience, education, and the working

environment. As a registered nurse, it is vital that I evaluate my personal and professional values

in order to form my own philosophy in regard to the nursing profession. I believe that I must

practice using the ethical principles of nursing. I also will show equality and be empathetic, kind,

and patient to my colleagues and individuals in my care. I will reach out for more education and

learn from my experiences and mistakes. Promoting teamwork and employing effective conflict

management is also a priority in my practice, as well as making sure that I care for myself first.

Correlating these beliefs will allow me to advocate for my patients, make ethical decisions, find

purpose in my practice, set professional goals, and strengthen my commitment to nursing.

Nurses play a key role in the health and well-being of the community in which they

serve. They directly influence the outcomes for every individual in their care. Because of this

great responsibility, nurses have a duty to their patients to practice with ethical principles. I

practice using the ethical principles of accountability, autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, justice,

nonmaleficence, and veracity. Accountability means to take responsibility of your actions.

Autonomy is respecting a patient’s right to make decisions for themselves. Beneficence is taking

positive action to help others and having the desire to do good. Fidelity is keeping your promises

towards your patients. Justice is treating every individual with fairness. Nonmaleficence is doing

no harm to your patient, and veracity is to be honest and to tell the truth (Duquesne University,

2018). I’ve adopted this nursing theory of ethical principles in my professional values as they

correlate with my personal principles.

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Some of my personal values that I apply in my practice include treating all with equality,

showing empathy, kindness and patience. Registered nurses will meet a number of diverse

individuals in the workplace, including patients and their family members, as well as staff. They

must be tolerant and show respect to others that are of a different race, ethnicity, culture,

socioeconomic status, orientation, and gender. I personally believe that every individual is equal,

and we must strive to treat others as such. I try to embrace the differences in people that make

them who they are. Showing this respect to patients and coworkers will help to form a good

rapport and establish open communication.

I must show empathy towards my patients and their families. My patients may be in the

lowest part of their lives. They may be struggling with a diagnosis and trying to cope with a

debilitating illness. Putting myself in the place of others allows me to form an alternative

viewpoint. I treat my patient with respect and help to preserve their dignity as a result. Other

values that are important to me are kindness and patience. Showing your patients and their

families these qualities in their time of need can help to comfort them. This is especially

important when my patients have terminal diagnoses, or when they pass. Making a good

impression on the patient’s family can help to give them a sense of peace in their troubled time.

Nursing also requires that I am competent in my practice and that I perform safe, and

collaborative care. This requires constant education and learning in order to improve. I believe it

is important to reach out for higher degrees and certifications if possible. Doing this will help me

to expand my knowledge base and gain skills that will be useful in my career. Performing

research and finding evidenced-based practice is also important in order improve patient

outcomes. Nursing practice is always evolving, and reformation of current practices may be
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needed if there is evidence to support a change (AMSN, 2019). Joining committees and groups

that can perform quality improvement can help drive advancement within my organization.

Besides reaching out for more secular education, looking for experience and learning

from my mistakes is equally as important. Always being willing to learn in the workplace will

help me to gain more experience. This will allow me to refine my practice. I will always make

mistakes since I am imperfect, but it is important that I am able to create a positive experience

from a negative situation. Learning is a life-long process, and I must embrace this in order to

better myself and improve my care.

In my position, I will work in conjunction with other healthcare disciplines to coordinate

my patient’s care. This may include physicians, mid-level practitioners, dieticians, physical and

occupational therapists, and pharmacists among other professionals. I will also come in contact

with other nurses from different specialties, nursing administration and management, as well as

nursing aides and unlicensed assistive personnel. It is vital that my colleagues and I work as a

team. Helping others as much as necessary as well as knowing when to ask for help is important

to provide safe and efficient care. Having good teamwork will help build a rapport with staff and

in turn will reduce the strain of high patient loads (Maryville University, 2019).

Working with many individuals in the workplace, each with unique personalities, can

sometimes lead to conflict. This is especially true within the nurse-physician relationship. There

needs to be open communication for adequate collaboration. If I have conflicting viewpoints

with one of my colleagues, I must be assertive yet therapeutic in my response. I must be able to

look at both sides of a conflict and be willing to reach an agreement in order to benefit the

patients that I am caring for. Having effective conflict management is critical in nursing.
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The last value that is important to my practice is the concept of self-care. Nursing is a

difficult profession. In many workplaces, you are required to be physically, intellectually,

emotionally, and mentally competent in order to provide safe and effective care. Long hours and

heavy patient loads can lead to burnout and high attrition rates in many facilities. Increased work

requirements in a limited amount of time can also lead to improper use of body mechanics and

injury as a result. Knowing my limits of what I can do at work is important. I must set aside

enough personal time to rest and recover. This includes taking adequate vacations, enjoying

association with family and friends, as well as having time alone. I must also be aware of proper

body mechanics and lifting techniques, as well as using assistive devices to reduce the strain on

my body when necessary. These concepts will be imperative to maintain longevity in my nursing

career.

In conclusion, it is important that I my practice using all of my personal and professional

values in nursing. This includes using the ethical principles of nursing, showing equality,

empathy, kindness, and patience. I must also strive for more secular education and learn from my

experience and mistakes. I will try to promote teamwork with my colleagues and ensure I

employ effective conflict management skills when problems arise. Last but not least, I will

ensure that I have adequate self-care. Using these principles and concepts will allow me to have

a fulfilling career in nursing and help to make a positive change in the lives of my patients.
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References

AMSN. (2018, July 27). Evidence-Based Practice. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from

https://www.amsn.org/practice-resources/evidence-based-practice.

Duquesne University. (2018, July 17). Nursing and Ethics: Duquesne University. Retrieved

October 1, 2019, from https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/nursing-and-ethics/.

Maryville University. (2019). The Five Benefits of Teamwork in Nursing: Maryville Online

Nursing Programs. Retrieved October 2, 2019, from https://online.maryville.edu/nursing-

degrees/top-5-benefits-of-teamwork-in-nursing/.