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Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Bianca Morales

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4140: Synthesis for Nursing Practice

Dr. Marcella Williams

October 29, 2020

Honor Code: “I pledge”

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Personal Philosophy of Nursing

In August of the year 2017, I began applying to become a nursing student at Bon Secours

Memorial College of Nursing. Little did I know that my life experiences, upbringing, and

personality would influence my admission into nursing school, my experience throughout and

my personal nursing philosophy. When I first started my thought process on what my personal

philosophy of nursing would be, I began, initially to think about my personal experiences and

what drove me to want to become a nurse. After much thought, I realized that my personal

philosophy of nursing was based on my core beliefs. Reflecting and relating is needed to

understand my own philosophy and how these beliefs affect the way I am to practice as a nurse.

Definition of Nursing

Nursing is described as an art and science by the Bon Secours program philosophy where

I believe nursing is the perfect marriage of the two. It is an art because everyone practices and

interprets their care and experiences differently. The science is an essential part of nursing where

it is important to have a basis of knowledge and understanding of nursing concepts and skills.

Biology, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology are all but not limited to the science

aspect of nursing. The art of nursing is where our unique lens of experience helps us care for

patients in an inimitable manner that helps us express our care for our patients. Nursing is also a

lifelong learning experience and one of the facets of this field that drew me to it. Every

experience we have in nursing is a learning experience. No situation, diagnosis or patient is ever

the same. This creates an exciting career where we are repeatedly shown the extraordinary

experience of being human. In reflection, I found similarities as a nursing student under the

direction of our instructors and being a patient under the care of a nurse. The nursing education

module creates a learning environment that garners individuality, mutual respect between student
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and teacher, and validation. Caring and service are both essential to the definition of a nurse. I

find that without caring there is not service and without service there is no care. The two go hand

in hand for providing the best outcomes for our patients. Care is defined as delivery of what is

necessary for a patient’s health and well-being. It also includes the protection of that person,

their rights and those who are important to them. I remember writing my personal nursing

statement and it asked what I believed service was. I mentioned that I would be amiss to not

mention the sacrifice that my parents made for me as two immigrants parents escaping a civil

war in an impoverished country. A service and sacrifice they made to ensure that my family had

a better life. Nursing is a call to service, it calls us to help those in need and to help those who are

vulnerable. Lastly, nursing can not be defined without health. Health is at the core of what

nursing seeks to pursue. We seek the health and betterment of our patients through our care.

Health is generally defined as the lack or absence of illness. We know this to not always be the

case as many patients suffer from chronic illness. Nursing can redefine the definition of health as

it pertains to each individual patient and their care plan. It is a portion of the uniqueness that

nursing provides to health care.

Personal Philosophy

My personal philosophy of nursing influences my interactions and care of my patients. It

shown through my constant strive to teach and improve a patient’s understanding of their illness,

medications, caring for them, respecting them, and valuing their opinions. Everyone’s individual

philosophies are different and are influenced by their personal experiences. According to Black

(2014), the importance of these philosophies in nursing care is that it helps the nurse in making

important decisions regarding the care of the patient, distinguishing different methods of

interventions, and helps assist the nurse in the evaluation of outcomes. After examining how my
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personal nursing has developed over the length of this program, I found many similarities to the

tenants of of Bon Secours’ program philosophy as nurses are defined as healers, those who

empower their patients, are multidimensional and adaptable. I find these tenants in caring for and

prioritizing care with my patients. Every patient is different and requires an individualized care

plan that serves to promote optimal healing and better outcomes for the patient. This ensures that

the patient is respected and validated. Whether you are a teacher, student, nurse, or patient, the

importance of learning is always evident in all facets of life and we continue to do so throughout

our entire life. Nurse-patient relationships are essential to creating a healing environment and

instilling trust in each other to be able to practice safely. Similarly, my interprofessional

relationships are directly impacted by my philosophy but magnify an aspect of teamwork that

otherwise would be make a nurse’s job impossible. Working with different professionals and

team members to take care of a patient to ensure the best possible outcome for them is

impossible without collaborative team work and effort. Teaching and learning are two aspects of

my personal nursing philosophy that follow into my relationships with the interprofessional

team.

Values and Beliefs

Likewise, values and beliefs directly influence a person’s personal nursing philosophy.

We acquire our beliefs through our experiences, our family and those who have had an influence

in our lives. My values and beliefs have not changed since I began since I wrote my original

personal philosophy paper in my sophomore semester. They have however, been strengthened by

more experiences and the more knowledge I acquired through nursing school. My personal

values regarding nursing care are first and foremost: respecting the patient. Respect to me is that

I advocate for my patients and their well-being and create care that is tailored to them. Respect
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also relates to my professional values and signifies that I respect a patient as a whole-being and

not just as their physical vessel. It is so important to have personal values in nursing as it aides in

a nurse’s work and their dedication to their work. Having a strong foundation of values is also

important for making decisions in nursing care.

Nurse Patient Encounter

A nurse-patient encounter that I had that has demonstrated application of the Bon Secours

Professional Practice model has been professional excellence (Williams, 2020). I had cared for

patient recently during my immersion experience that came into the hospital due to cellulitis.

This patient had a complex past history with many chronic illnesses and a mental health

diagnosis. In addition to this, the patient was over 600 pounds and in their late 20s. Many times

we pass judgment on people without realizing their experiences and struggles. It is always

important as nurses to never judge our patients and always treat our patients with respect. This

patient later mentioned to me that they had had horrible experiences in health care where many

times they felt judged, shunned, and ashamed. It became my mission to ensure this patient had a

better experience and professional view of health care professionals where he was treated with

respect. Being professional with our patients is one of the four domains of practice in the

Professional Practice Model and one that I tried to apply to this patient’s experience.

Professional excellence encompasses several other components but most importantly, it is about

treating others with respect. Not only is this included in the Professional Practice Model but it

also important for my personal nursing philosophy. Many times we are so busy trying to get

tasks accomplished that we forget this vital component of our care for these patients in their most

vulnerable times. It was important for me to change this patient’s perspective and hopefully I
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was able to achieve that as he mentioned he had never had someone in the hospital see him as

“person” until now.

Change Agent

During our time in the NUR 4140 practicum we have done group work and completed a

project that will help with improving patient satisfaction scores and help the nurse workload

overall. Nursing practice evolves and is constantly changing. This promotes an environment

where evidence-based practice is optimal for the improvement of nursing practice. Through our

time in the practicum setting, although different as it was online, we developed a plan to help be

a proponent of change for a certain aspect of nursing care and ultimately patient outcomes.

Through this, we are able to help and possibly change policies within an institution. Change and

improvement that comes from fellow nurses is vital information that can only aide and help

improve nursing through the health care systems. It is important to have a voice and be heard

about quality improvement. Through this project, I was able to see how evidence-based practice

can begin and follow a nurse on a unit, to her unit manager, hospital management, and local

system.

Skill Acquisition

In Patricia Benner’s book “From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical

nursing practice”, Benner outlines the acquisition model developed by Hubert L. Dreyfus and

Stuart E. Dreyfus where five levels of proficiency are explored. The beginner nurse moves

through five levels of proficiency where the end goal is to have the nurse use their judgment in

high stress situations where bending the rules and adapting is essential for the nurse’s growth and

learning (Benner, 2001). Clinical intuition is a skill that experienced nurses have acquired over

time and practice and is extremely important in determining expert proficiency. Stuart Dreyfus
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outlines five levels of proficiency that are from lowest to highest: novice, advanced beginner,

competence, proficiency, and expertise (Dreyfus, 2004). Upon self assessment and feedback

from my immersion preceptor I believe I am in between the novice and advanced beginner level

of proficiency. This is due to the fact that I am still trying to mainly follow the rules and

protocols in nursing care and am able to “…develop an understanding of the relevant context” as

an advanced beginner. (Dreyfus, p. 177, 2004).

Action Plan for Moving Forward using Benner as a guide

The strategies that I will employ to facilitate my movement to the next stage of skill

acquisition is to ensure that I maintain a love and joy for a job well done as well as realizing the

mistakes that have been made and feeling remorse for mistakes that have been made are

important to advance to the next level of acquisition (Benner, 2001, as cited in Dreyfus, 2004). I

think being involved in committees and unit activities will serve to unify and allow for a

collaborative environment. This will increase work life satisfaction and engagement which then

leads to employee satisfaction. I believe it will also be important to gain support of the unit and

those that are mentors or leaders in the unit. This will help decrease dissatisfaction and a work

plateau. I hope to continue a plan of self- care where I am able to engage in any form of physical

activity twice a week. As a former competitive swimmer, it has always been important to me to

engage in a form of physical activity to ensure mental stability and a method of stress relief for

me. I will plan to continue these activities and do as many of these activities outdoors if possible.

My personal goals after starting my as new graduate would be advance up in the clinical ladder,

learn as much as I can, and eventually become critically nurse certified. I am so excited to being

this new chapter in my life and am so grateful for all the opportunities I have been given
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throughout these last three years. It is a bittersweet moment and I have made memories I will

cherish forever.
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References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice

(commemorative ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Black, B. P. (2014). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (7th ed.).

St. Louis, MO: Saunders.

Dreyfus, S. E. (2004). The Five-Stage Model of Adult Skill Acquisition. Bulletin of Science,

Technology & Society, 24(3), 177–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467604264992

Williams, M. (2020). Profession practice model. Softchalk. Retrieved from

www.bonsecours.blackboard.com
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