1

Nursing Philosophy

Yitsi Perdomo

Benjamin Leon School of Nursing, Miami Dade College

NUR 2811C: Professional Nursing Leadership

Giannina Santos, DNP, APRN, NP-C

Dec. 9, 2020
 2

Nursing Philosophy

A metaparadigm encompasses a set of concepts that provide structure and describe how a

discipline should operate. In nursing, there are four domains that make up the metaparadigm.

These concepts include person, environment, health and nursing. The domains assist institutions

and nursing professionals develop a nursing philosophy. A nursing philosophy is a statement that

summarizes the values, ethics and beliefs regarding the professional practice of nurses.

Definitions of four domains

According to Teichman, a person can be identified as a human being (Teichman, 1985).

According to the World Health Organization [WHO] (2020), nursing encompasses autonomous

and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well

and in all settings. It includes the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of

ill, disabled and dying people. This organization also defines environment as, “all the physical,

chemical and biological factors external to the human host as well as factors impacting related

behaviors” (WHO, 2020). Furthermore, the definition of health is defined as a state of complete

physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO,

2020).

Personalized definitions of four domains

Like Teichman, I also believe that the most general definition of a person is that they are

a human being. Human beings have a unique relationship with their environment. Their

relationship is unique because in many ways people influence the environment and in others the

environment greatly influences them. I have always been interested in the concept of nature

versus nurture. This concept compares how individuals are influenced by their genetic makeup
 3

versus external factors, otherwise known as their environment. The relationship people build

with their environment will affect their health in many ways. For instance, obesity in the United

States is at an all time high. Many studies have concluded that one of the reasons for this

increase is availability. Fast food chains have drive-throughs conveniently placed in all parts of

cities across America. This is a prime example of how external factors in the environment of a

person can directly impact their health. Other factors in the environment of a person can also

contribute to their mental, emotional and social well-being, not only their physical. For this

reason, my philosophy as a nurse is to care and advocate for any person who is in need of aid in

order to promote their physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing. I believe that as a nurse,

I have an obligation to provide holistic care for my patients.

Analysis of two institutions

Miami Dade College Benjamin Leon School of Nursing bases its nursing philosophy on

providing care for individuals and groups across a multitude of healthcare settings. They

consider nursing to be a discipline whose goal is to provide a safe and effective care environment

and promote physiologic and psychosocial integrity to meet patient needs. MDC College of

Nursing believes that nursing focus should include data and rationales of care based on

informatics and critical thinking (MDC, 2020). According to their philosophy, nurses should

develop fiscal accountability as well as professional and personal accountability in order to fulfill

their nursing roles (MDC, 2020). Mercy Hospital’s nursing philosophy aims to adopt Evidenced-

Based Practice in order to provide quality care for patients, as well as to develop their nursing

profession. They believe that nursing is the combination of technology, commitment, respect,

compassion, creativity and caring. This hospital’s nursing philosophy places great emphasis on

the need for the nurse to engage in lifelong learning as well as taking accountability for their
 4

practice and participation in interdisciplinary activities that promote patient care and nursing

(Mercy Hospital, 2017). These two philosophies are very similar in that they both place

importance in providing quality care to patients. Moreover, they are very similar in the ways in

which they provide such care to their patients. Both believe that nurses should act with

accountability towards their practice. They also believe that it is imperative to address more than

patients’ illness, they believe in an interdisciplinary approach to provide the best care for their

clients. These two institutions have fairly similar nursing philosophies and assign nurses similar

roles when providing patient care. The only difference between the two is that MDC Benjamin

Leon School of Nursing further details their beliefs on the nursing education they provide for

their students. Although Mercy Hospital also has a school of nursing, their goals are not included

in their nursing philosophy statement.

Summary

Nursing should include an interdisciplinary approach in which the care for a person is

more than merely caring for a disease. The patient should be cared for in collaboration with other

health care professionals in order to provide the highest quality of care possible. As nurses, we

should operate using Evidenced-Based practice and continue to educate ourselves with new

technologies that arise in the health care field. It is also important that we provide care using the

ethical principles adopted from the nursing community and to carry out our roles with respect

and compassion. This assignment has shown me that regardless of the institution that I belong to,

nursing standards all derive from the American Nursing Association. The ANA develops the

standards of professional nursing practice that apply to all registered nurses. Therefore, all

institutions will have similar nursing philosophies because they must all adhere to these

standards.
 5

Reflection

Writing my nursing philosophy and inquiring about those of Miami Dade College

Benjamin Leon School of Nursing, as well as Mercy Hospital’s, has solidified everything I have

learned about nursing throughout my associate program. These last four semesters have provided

me with detailed information about what to expect in my future nursing career and my role once

I became a registered nurse. The philosophies I learned about, as well as the one I created on my

own, are based on the same standards as those of the American Nursing Association’s. I realized

that as I created my own nursing philosophy, I knew the type of nurse I wanted to be because I

was molded into this nurse by the educational experience I received from my institution. I will

use the tools provided to me by the MDC school of nursing in order to guide my practice as a

registered nurse. Because I now know that every hospital has a nursing philosophy, I will make

sure to do my due diligence and research the institutions I plan on applying to. I want to make

sure that my place of work can uphold to those standards of care that have been instilled on me.
 6

References

Mercy Hospital. (2017). Mercy Nursing Vision & Philosophy.

https://www.cantonmercy.org/nursing-vision/

Miami Dade College. (2020). Student Handbook.

https://www.mdc.edu/nursing/docs/ASN-Student-Handbook.pdf

Teichman, J. (1985). The Definition of Person. Philosophy, 60(232), 175-185.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3750997

World Health Organization [WHO]. (2020). Nursing and Midwifery.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/nursing