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Weekly Reflection Assignment- Week 1

Noor Alshoibi

Department of Nursing, Wayne State University

NUR 8620: Foundations of Nursing as a Discipline

Dr. Nancy M. George

August 31, 2023

Thesis Nursing is a vast and holistic service that improves the life of the population it

serves.

Premise 1 From this philosophy of nursing, stems the goal behind every action we perform

as nurses.

Premise 2 To fulfill their obligations to bettering health of populations, nurses use this

philosophy to perform research, advocate for patients, and perform routine tasks

at the bedside.
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Contrary to common belief, nurses do more than simply following commands ordained

by physicians. I believe nursing is a vast and holistic profession that aims to improve all or some

aspects of the life of the population it serves. This internal goal serves as a driving force behind

every action we take as nurses. We improve our populations health in many different ways such

as through research, advocacy, and routine bedside tasks.

In general, nurses are members of the society who share one common underlying

purpose; the betterment of the lives of those we serve. Having a purpose is important in nursing

as it guides decisions, influences behavior, offers a sense of direction, and creates meaning

behind the work we do. If we do not feel that we are achieving our purpose as nurses, which is

improving the lives of others one way or another, we would not have any fulfillment from our

jobs and may not continue in our journey to serve others.

Furthermore, through the diverse populations present in society, this field renders the

need for nurses who are specialized in serving various populations across the lifespan, and at

different points along the care spectrum. The care spectrum could involve assessing and treating

patients but could also involve research of the illness to provide better options for treatments.

These various needs are matched by an array of nurses who serve their communities through

different avenues in order to provide care that is specialized and provides optimal quality of life.

Some of the ways in which nurses aim to improve the lives of the populations they serve

are through research, advocacy, and bedside nursing tasks. Each of these areas all serve the

purpose of nursing, which is to improve the lives of the population we serve. For example,

through research, nursing theorists can identify gaps in knowledge and offer ways to address the
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needs present in society. Through advocacy, nurses will ensure their patients’ safety and ensure

appropriate actions are taken to maintain safety and quality of life. Last but definitely not least,

through bedside tasks such as medication administration, nurses are the essential members of the

interdisciplinary team that maintain life and/or quality of life.

In brief, nursing can be defined in many ways, however nursing sums up to a holistic

service that looks after the improvement of lives of others. The betterment of the lives of others

is the driving force that generates the work performed by nurses across the globe for all

populations. This purpose is achieved through many avenues such as research, advocacy, and

bedside nursing.