Personal Nursing Philosophy

Morganne Colburn

Delaware Technical Community College

NUR 300 RN to BSN Transition

Tina Shukla

August 7, 2022

Personal Nursing Philosophy

A nursing philosophy is a personal perspective based on one’s own beliefs, purpose, and

short/long term goals towards education and practice. A nursing philosophy can drive each
nurse’s behaviors and gives a meaningful reason for actions and participation in healthcare.

Nurses help others achieve a better standard of health and use science, physiology, sociology, and

psychology as its foundation. The center of each personal philosophy is beliefs, emotions, and

religion that directly relate to nursing. It reflects family values, education, lifestyle, and choices

that mold each individual’s unique nursing philosophy. It takes a lot of self-reflection and

introspection, but one must first start with why become a nurse and what being a nurse means.

Lifelong Learning

Education does not end after an individual has obtained licensure. Nurses have to learn
throughout their careers to know what encompasses our scope of practice and in turn provide

exceptional quality of care while being the patient’s advocate The medical world is changing

every day and part of lifelong learning is having the determination and patience to continue

education and be ready for those changes within nursing. Examples of some educational

opportunities are degree programs; webinars or seminars; conferences; volunteering; or

certifications such as NIH stroke scale or ACLS (Eastern Illinois University, 2021). Nurses must

have the necessary communication and hands-on-skills to aid in analyzing and critically thinking

in order to resolve issues when caring for patients. Obtaining a BSN can also set someone apart

from others for a job opportunity. Providing safe and effective quality care for a patient, all

healthcare team members must have the necessary expertise within their field.

The goal of healthcare workers is to improve patient outcomes, but collaboration with all

team members is essential by understanding everyone’s scope of practice (Jakubowski, 2018). “A

bachelor’s in nursing focuses not only on building nurses’ clinical skills, but also critical

thinking, leadership, case management, health promotion and more. Studies have found that RNs

with baccalaureate or higher degrees have better patient outcomes, according to AACN” (Lesh,

2016) With better patient outcomes, more lives are saved.

Another important part of lifelong learning are individual classes. At the time, course
work may seem tedious, but it allows students to build skills for an adequate educational

foundation. These skills include: picking out scholarly articles for research; writing; spelling;

grammar; and mathematic calculations. The prerequisite classes for nursing school provide that

foundation. Sociology and psychology are also very important because we learn about humanity,

such as differences in behaviors, cultures, societies, and thought processes. For example, after

taking sociology and psychology, individuals are better prepared for bedside nursing

communication and able to better communicate with patients in an open manner.

Nursing school is no walk in the park. It was very difficult and there were many days
people wanted to give up and quit. But people persevered and today can contribute to patient

safety and care. Each medical professional is on their own educational journey, but by

combining individual journeys, together an interprofessional team is developed for adequate

patient care.

Nursing Theories and Research

There are so many nursing theories that have developed over time as the medical world

continues to change and evolve. Part of nursing is continuing to have an open mind using

research or theory about how to approach every patient’s care differently depending on that

patient’s emotional, physical, and cultural needs. Nursing research theories are vital tools that

shape and mold care. By applying evidence-based practice, patients are provided with the best

quality of care. One very important role of nurses is to help patients learn how to care for

themselves and to make better choices regarding their health. But nurses can only do so much

for a patient, if they are not willing to help themselves. For example, a patient who continues

to come in for diabetic ketoacidosis but refuses to follow a better diet for their diabetes is not

helping themselves and therefore does not limit their hospitalizations. Patients participating in

their care and making healthier choices, can prevent many different health problems. One

nursing theory that parallels this thought process is referred to as the “Health Promotion

Model” developed by Nola Pender, a nursing theorist. Effective nursing requires application
of knowledge, skills, and compassion to be able to care for patients in an effective and

efficient way. Nurses must be able to make clinical decisions based on research evidence

(Gonzalo, 2021). The main purpose of a nursing theory is to improve practice and further

nursing to rely on theoretical principles to develop and implement a plan of care for a patient.

The Health Promotion Model (HPM) was developed to prevent illnesses through each

patient’s behavior and choices (Petiprin, 2019). Pender developed HPM after witnessing first-

hand that some medical professionals were only intervening after patient’s developed

illnesses. Pender believed an individual’s quality of life could be improved through education
to prevent such illnesses by promoting healthier lifestyles. The five key concepts to the HPM

are person: environment; nursing; health; and illness. Individuals typically seek to regulate

their behaviors such as emotional, physical, and cultural needs by interacting with their

environment to transform overtime (Petiprin, 2019). Health professionals contribute to a

patient’s interpersonal environment as an influence. There can be both direct and indirect

psychological, strength, and self-motivational effects on a person engaging in their own

behaviors to aid in health promotion. One’s environment can be manipulated by an individual

to create positive facilitators for enhancing such behaviors. Illnesses can hinder a person’s

positive outlook, so each concept has assumptions and propositions to collectively influence a

patient. Typically, with the patient outcomes health professionals expect, comes a plan of

action that leads to personal implementation of healthy behaviors that can be personalized for

each patient based on their strengths and weaknesses.

Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model shows that part of great nursing care is being

able to thoroughly educate patient’s on their diagnosis whether it be acute or chronic. There is

so much information out there today to aid individuals in taking the initial or reiterated steps

to a better and longer quality of life. Adequate medication administration, medication

compliance, exercise, diet, or smoking cessation are all an important part of that process.

Personal Wellness
 Health professionals play a vital role in stability and sustainability but working long

hours and lack of personal wellness can result in burnout and lower retention rates. Personal

wellness is important because it is the idea of caring for one’s self and being able to maintain an

overall state of happiness. Some people may refer to personal wellness as “self-care”. There are

seven dimensions that encompass personal wellness, and everyone is going to value different

dimensions at different levels. The dimensions are the following: physical; mental; occupational;

social; spiritual; financial; and environmental. A personal wellness plan is a combination of

strategies and goals to reach a level of personal comfort or satisfaction in each dimension. The
foundation of an effective personal wellness plan contains balance. Identifying blockers and what

is out of a person’s control that can hinder achieving well-being is another crucial step of

personal wellness. With nursing shortages today, the demands on nurses are at a high percentage.

Daily contact with patients allows to promote wellness and educate patients regarding their

health and wellness (Porter, 2020). This ties into the Health Promotion Model developed by Nola

Pender because if nurses cannot take the time and effort to improve our own personal wellness

how can we be expected to educate patients on the same thing?

I chose Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model as a basis for developing my own nursing

philosophy. Pender’s focus outlines that each person has unique characteristic and experiences

that can affect their subsequent actions regarding health promotion. There are multiple variables

that can have motivational significance and such variables can be modified by a nurse’s actions

(Petiprin, 2020). The phrase “practice what you preach” comes to mind. If I want my patients to

be successful with their personal wellness to decrease hospital visits and promote their own

health by eating better, exercising, managing their diagnosis, etc., then, as a nurse, I should be

taking those same crucial steps to provide balance with my personal wellness to avoid burnout

and unhappiness at work. Being able to educate someone based on one’s personal experiences

also makes it easier to relate, because I can easily show a patient how I have done so and how I

have gone about it. Not everyone is the same but developing a plan and tailoring it to your own is
not far-fetched.

Conflict Management

Conflict is almost unavoidable in many relationships and careers, but it is part of what

makes one human. If approached correctly, some conflicts and disagreements can be healthy.

Learning conflict management skills such as patience, active listening, negotiating, asserting

feelings, identifying triggers, and showing mutual respect are all examples can all play an

important role in resolution (Doyle, 2020). Poor communication and tension in the workplace

can diminish productivity and increase the likelihood of unhappy employees. There are five
identified management styles for resolving conflicts: accommodating; avoiding; collaborating;

competing; and compromising.

After researching the components of each conflict management style and taking a conflict

management assessment, my personality parallels with the style of collaboration. This style can

be used to find common ground for a solution that will meet the needs of all parties involved and

decrease negative feelings (Amaresan, 2021). Collaboration is a very big part of nursing. Nurses

must be willing to listen to our patients and act as a patient advocate. Sometimes this can cause a

clash amongst colleagues if there is reluctance, but this is where collaboration can come into play

for a win-win solution. Patient care is always the top priority in healthcare and for that to be

possible nurses must communicate with relevant professionals. Nurses serve as a bridge amongst

colleagues. Comparatively, there is also collaboration between the nurse and patients. Together,

the Health Promotion Model and collaboration can help patients focus on short-and long-term

health goals and develop a plan of action for their personal wellness that can also play a part in

decreasing hospitalizations.

Many adults deal with at least one chronic condition and some individuals may lack the

knowledge, skills, or confidence to manage those conditions. Lifestyle modification can be tough

at first, but patients need to be aware of the importance of being active managers of their own
health (Mauksch & Safford, 2013).

Patient Safety

Patient safety and the quality of care in relation to the patient are two major priorities in

nursing. A medical team strives to provide safe environments for patients by avoiding errors as

much as possible (Hunt, 2012). There are standards of care for different healthcare organizations

to prevent or limit such errors. The overall goal is to improve patient outcomes by providing

nurses with the knowledge, skills, and analytical skills to provide safe and effective quality care

which, in turn, creates a safe environment. There are six QSEN competencies that have been
developed as part of pre-licensure: patient-centered care; teamwork and collaboration; evidence-

based practice; quality improvement; safety; and informatics. Most of the stated competencies

are carried out day-to-day but there is a need to further integrate them. Learning and practicing

these in nursing school and mastering them for everyday use as a nurse. Making such

improvements to patient safety starts with awareness.

The goal of the Health Promotion Model is for individuals to make informed lifestyle

changes for improved health outcomes in addition to preventing and minimizing disease risks.

The HPM is used in educational practice and research to provide the medical team with positive

resources for patients seeking such health-promotion behaviors. Combining QSEN and the HPM,

nursing staff can be better prepared through education, knowledge, skills, and analytical

capabilities to promote patient safety by reducing common errors made on a day-to-day basis

within the healthcare system such as improper documentation, medication errors, hospital

acquired infections, fall prevention, etc. With the prevention or reduction of common errors

outlined in QSEN, patient safety and outcomes can be improved.

Leadership

“Nursing leadership is the ability to inspire, influence, and motivate health care

professionals as they work together to achieve their goals” (Morganelli, 2021). To be able to rise
as a leader, one must have quality in spirit. Commitment must turn into perseverance, such as

waking up every day for the sole purpose of advocating for a patient’s needs to improve their

health and limit repeat hospitalizations. Being a great leader is outlined by autonomy,

benevolence, nonmaleficence, and justice. By educating a patient effectively, in turn they can

make choices for their healthcare. We must be dedicated to doing good for our patients and seek

the best outcomes. No harm should ever come to patients in any form. Nursing leaders are at the

forefront to increase ethical and critical thinking by using advanced knowledge and technical

skills, as well as social skills developed over time.

As a nurse leader, I would want my morals and values to remain strong as they outline

my character and my goals for the facility, I work in. Being a great leader means listening to

others input, goals, and needs and coming up with a plan of action to carry out responsibilities in

a timely and organized manner that benefits everyone. Patient’s health and safety are a high

priority. I may not be in a position where I am a charge nurse, however I come into work every

day and I am always willing to help others whenever they need it even if I do not have the time

at that moment, lift other team members up when I know they have not had a good day, and

reassure others that they are enough and they are making a difference. I do not know if I ever

want to be in a true role of leadership but what I do day to day is enough for me right now. I care

more about making sure my patients know I care and know I am doing everything I can to make

sure their worries are heard, and their fears are eliminated.

Essentially through combined research on lifelong learning, different nursing theories,

personal wellness, conflict management, patient safety, and leadership and choosing the HPM as

a foundation for my personal nursing philosophy, I am confident that I have made it to the end of

this class more grateful for my position as a nurse and my contributions to the hospital I work in.

Improving my patient’s outcomes and providing them with the education to make a change to

their lifestyle is all I can hope for. Nurses take on multiple roles such as a friend, confidant, and

parent-figure. Nursing is one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs and it takes a special person
to become a nurse. Each patient that comes under my care has a special placed in my heart and it

is my responsibility to do my best to educate, discuss, and medicate my patient to improve their

outcome and discharge them in hopes that they remain true to themselves and work hard to

improve their health and focus on being positive.

References

Amaresan, S. (2021). 5 conflict management styles for every personality type. HubSpot Blog.

https://blog.hubspot.com/service/conflict-management-styles

Angelo Gonzalo (2021, March 5). Nola Pender: Health promotion model (nursing theory guide).
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Doyle, A. (2020). Conflict management: definitions, skills, and examples. The Balance Careers.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/conflict-management-skills-2059687

Eastern Illinois University. (2021, April 12). Being a nurse means pursuing lifelong learning.

https://learnonline.eiu.edu/programs/rn-to-bsn/nurses-pursue-lifelong-learning/

Hunt, D. (2012). QSEN competencies, Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! ,10 (5), 1-3. doi:

10.1097/01.NME.0000418040.92006.70

Jakubowski, T. L. (2018, June 5). Interprofessional collaboration improves healthcare. from

https://nursingcentered.sigmanursing.org/features/more-features/interprofessional-

collaboration-improves-healthcare

Lesh, A. T. (2021). RN to BSN programs benefit nurses and Healthcare. Nurse.com, Blog.

https://www.nurse.com/blog/2016/09/01/rn-to-bsn-programs-benefit-nurses-and-

healthcare/

Mauksch, L., & Safford, B. (2013). Engaging patients in collaborative care plans. Family

Practice Management. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2013/0500/p35.html

Morganelli, M. (2021, June 13). What is nurse leadership? Southern New Hampshire University.

https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/what-is-nurse-leadership

Petiprin, A. (h.d.). Nola Pender- nursing theorist. Nursing Theory. Retrieved August 2, 2022

from https://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/Nola-Pender.php

Porter, P. (2020). How nurses can promote their own wellness in today's environment.

TravelNursing.https://www.travelnursing.com/news/career-development/how-nurses-can-

promote-their-own-wellness-in-todays-environment/