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Professional Nursing Philosophy

Michelle Shores

NUR300 2W2

Ms. S. Bowie

October 10, 2021

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Masters (2020) Caring is not enough. Science is not enough. Nursing is both an art and a

science that is continuously evolving based on research findings, resulting in a deepening and

broadening of the knowledge base fundamental to professional nursing practice. In the practice

of nursing, learning is lifelong. My commitment to lifelong learning will shape who I am as a

professional. Increasing your knowledge is something that every nurse should do. This is one

way to help educate, monitor, and treat patients. Research is always ongoing. New medications,

better treatments, and new evidence-based practice is vital to keeping up with in nursing. I

believe lifelong learning will help me give the best nursing care possible as healthcare continues

to change. This will help me shape my values and beliefs throughout my entire nursing practice.

I believe Lydia E. Hall and her theory of the three C’s will impact my personal

philosophy of nursing. She developed the Care, the Cure and the Core theory of nursing. The

three C’s interconnect with each other (R. Kimball, M. Lee & S. Summers 2020). The core is

the patient who nursing care is directed to. The patient must set goals to help make decisions in

his/ her care with regards to his or her values and beliefs. The cure is the focus of all care from

healthcare professionals, not just the nurse. This includes the interventions for treating the

patient for their illness. And the last C is for care. This is the role of the nurse. Nurturing the

patient with comfort measures, teaching the patient on health & prevention and meeting the

patient’s needs is all part of the nurse’s role. This theory is looking at the patient as a whole, not

just a disease or illness, This takes the patients wants and needs into perspective. The focus of

care should involve all healthcare professionals not just the physician. I believe this is patient

centered care. Lydia E. Hall and her theory will definitely impact my nursing characteristics.

This theory will always remind me to take care of the patient as a whole not just the modern
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medicine aspect. We all deserve nursing care that is nurturing, kind, and compassionate when

we are struggling from an illness or disease.

I believe nursing has core characteristics such as compassion, kindness, knowledge,

honesty, self-discipline, and advocacy. My personal nursing philosophy is to treat each patient

with kindness and compassion, just how I would want to be treated if I was in their shoes.

Honesty is another part of my philosophy. I believe being honest in nursing is one of the

key qualities to have while taking care of people’s lives. You must be honest to the patient and

family members about their disease or illness, that way they can see how important it is to take

care of themselves. The nursing profession is a trusted field and to continue to have patient’s

trust we must be honest with them.

I also think self-discipline is an important characteristic to have while practicing nursing.

You must take good care of yourself in order to take good care of your patients. This is

detrimental. Nursing burnout occurs frequently, now even more so since the Covid-19

pandemic. Self-discipline can attribute to many ideas, but I think if you can take precedence in

your care, then you can do the same for your patient’s. As a nurse you are the patient’s role

model. Self-care is a must in nursing.

The last characteristic I believe is important to my nursing philosophy is advocacy. We

are the patient’s number one advocate. We are there to help keep them safe and watch over them

in time of need. As a nurse, being a patient advocate can help other health care members see the

patient’s values and beliefs. Some patients cannot talk or hear well and having a nurse advocate

for their needs is so important. I want to be able to step up in times of needs to help people who

cannot step up for themselves. I want to be able to keep my patients safe and educate these
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patients when they are unsure what to do with their disease or illness. This is what I strive to

have as a nurse.

Personal wellness in nursing is a vital part to sustaining life and living life to the fullest.

Personal wellness is a personalized approach to becoming the best kind of person you can be.

My personal wellness plan has five components, which is part of my nursing philosophy of self-

discipline. Personal wellness is not just about taking care of the physical aspect of your life, it is

about taking care of the mind, body, & spirit. The five components are your physical, spiritual,

social, emotional, and intellectual (Masters, 2020). These components are key areas of your life

to live the best way you can. As a nurse, you must uphold yourself to these standards in order to

be able to help others when in need. This is an ever-changing process that one can work on

throughout a lifetime.

My values and beliefs impact my style of conflict management. I do not like

confrontation, so if we could collaborate on a solution to the problem together then we both

achieve our goals. This would be called collaborating in Thomas, K.W., and R.H. Kilmann

conflict management styles. This is a win-win style of conflict management (Meier, 2011).

However, conflict is an everyday reality that a lot of people try to avoid. Avoiding is another

style of conflict. This is a non-confrontational approach but, this usually has unresolved

problems. This is not a win-win conflict management style. Accommodating style can also be

used and this is a way to give in to keep relationships but, this breeds resentment. Then there is

an authoritarian approach called competing. This is quick & goal oriented but, this usually

causes hostility. This is not in my personality to do and I find it anxiety ridden. The last conflict

management style is called compromising which is the middle ground approach. The problem

with this style is that no one is truly satisfied with the solutions. This is not a win-win solution
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either. The first struggle is to overcome the emotions that are clouding the ability to reason.

Gathering facts and context is needed to sort through the conflict and help each party find a

common goal. This is not always easy to do but, leaving the emotions out of the conflict is

significant. By doing this, then both parties can discuss sharing a common goal. This will then

facilitate the two parties to collaborate with each other and start problem solving until they can

find a resolution. Learning about these styles of conflict management will help me to

understand that the emotions can cloud the ability to reason. By putting them to the side and

collaborating for a solution is the best way to end conflict. This will impact my role as a

professional nurse.

Safety is a number one priority in the role of a professional nurse. As a nurse, you strive

to make sure the environment is safe for your patients and by doing our best to prevent errors.

The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) is a competency that all nurses must

follow. The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies were developed to improve

patient outcomes by providing nursing students with a solid foundation of knowledge, skills, and

attitude to provides safe and effective quality care (Hunt, 2012). My professional nursing

philosophy incorporates safety by using knowledge as a way to prevent errors and the use of

evidence-based practice to keep patients safe. Patients are included in all decisions and are

provided with compassionate care based on the individual’s values and needs. This is why

kindness and compassion are at the top of my nursing philosophy. Teamwork and collaboration

are also part of the QSEN competency. This can be related to having the knowledge,

compassion and kindness needed to be a professional nurse. We all must work together and

work together with our patients. By being a positive role model and sharing your knowledge,
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you can prevent harm to your patients. Being honest and advocating for what is best for the

individual is another way to prevent errors and keep patients safe.

My nursing philosophy impacts my role as a leader in my nursing practice by reminding

me that everyone is human, and a little bit of kindness & compassion goes a long way. To treat

patients with kindness and compassion as if you are in their shoes makes you realize it could be

your mother or grandmother or a loved one. And how would you want them to be treated while

they are scared and sick? Being a leader takes several qualities. Honesty is essential to be a

great leader in nursing. When your open, truthful and forthright it shows you’re a leader. With

these qualities, knowledge and advocacy will support me to become a stronger leader. Also, to

be able to communicate with all levels of my interdisciplinary team effectively will help my role

as a nurse leader.

My nursing philosophy will grow as I grow throughout my years as a professional nurse.

I am excited to incorporate all of these characteristics, my values & beliefs, and lifelong learning

into my profession. This will not only make me a stronger nurse but will give me the knowledge

to become a nurse leader in the healthcare profession.

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Reference:

Hunt, D. (2012). QSEN competencies: A bridge to practice. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!

10(5),1-3. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NME.0000418040.92006.70

Masters, K. (2020). Role development in professional nursing practice. (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett

Learning.

Meier, J.D. (2011). 5 Conflict management styles at a glance. Sources of Insight: Insight and

Action for Work and Life. https://sourceofinsight.com/conflict-management-styles-at-a-

glance/#comments

R. Kimball, M. Lee, & S. Summers (2020). The truth about nursing: Lydia E. Hall. The Truth

About Nursing: Changing How the World Thinks About Nursing.

www.thetruthaboutnursing.org/press/pioneers/Lydia_hall.html