Personal Philosophy of Nursing

NURS401: Professional Development

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to enable the student to discover his or her personal philosophy
of nursing, as it exists at the beginning of the academic journey toward the BSN.

Approach to Assignment

I approached the assignment by remembering why I wanted to become a nurse in the first place.
This paper made me reflect on my personal values and interest by asking me to elaborate on my
definition of nursing, which is making a difference in my patients lives. it also required me to
compare to another nursing theory and I used Nightingale’s principles to help add to my
reasoning.

Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio

This paper should be included in my Portfolio because my Portfolio reflects on my nursing

career and experiences; this paper also includes my values and beliefs as a nurse. This paper is
important to me because if I get burnt out as a nurse, I will think back to my values and beliefs as
a nurse to remind myself why I chose this career path.

Critical Thinking

 Uses nursing and other appropriate theories and models to guide professional practice

I reflected on my personal nursing philosophy and included Florence Nightingale’s theory

to help support my philosophy. I mentioned that she was the first person to propose that nursing
required specific education and training. This is important because it is necessary to understand
someone’s sickness, how to care for them, and considerations to watch out for after interventions
are done. There should be a rational for an intervention.

Nursing Practice

 Implements nursing care practices as appropriate to provide holistic health care to diverse
populations across the lifespan

In my paper, there is a section for nursing relationships in cultural aspects. I gave an example
about an American nurse taking care of a Muslim patient. It is important to practice nursing care
to provide holistic care for the patient, such as dietary knowledge, relations between a woman
and a male healthcare worker to provide high quality care to all patients.
Leadership

 Articulates the values of the profession and the role of the nurse as member of the
interdisciplinary health care team

I stated in my paper that nurses work with an interdisciplinary team that includes doctors,
pharmacists, physical therapist, dieticians, and more. Each person in the interdisciplinary team
must make the best judgment for the patient to get them discharged sooner and in the safest way
possible. For the nurses’ part, they should treat the patient as more than just a number and that
the nurse should connect with the patient on an interpersonal professional level to develop the
best care strategy and to build a rapport with them.

Professionalism

 Applies an ethical decision-making framework and legal guidelines to clinical situations that
incorporate moral concepts, professional ethics, and advocacy for patient well-being and
preferences

Florence Nightingale’s principle of cleanliness is mentioned; examples include washing

hands many times before, during, and after patient care. It is important to do this to prevent
spreading contagious germs to this patient and prevents it from spreading from one patient to
another. Personal cleanliness in a nurse is important because it can prevent healthcare acquired
infections.