Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Philosophy of Nursing

Name

Institutional affiliation
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Abstract

Philosophy of nursing relates to a nurse’s beliefs, ethics and values concerning their

practice and treatment of patients. Development of a personal philosophy helps nurses to better

carry out service delivery, which in turn benefits the lives of patients they provide care to and

their families. This paper explores the application of philosophy of nursing in practice as well as

important values and beliefs, self-concept, the Nursing Need theory and the impact of cultural

diversity in nursing. The analysis shows that values and beliefs adopted by nurses potentially

shape their workplace behaviors and the kind of care delivered to patients. Therefore, the

philosophy of nursing, when applied in practice, impacts the outcomes of patient care.
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Philosophy of Nursing

Introduction

Nurses have a crucial responsibility of not only providing healthcare services to patients

but also participating in promotion and maintenance of health of the whole society. As a

profession, nursing is established upon the foundation of knowledge, personal values, beliefs and

self-concept (Hood, 2017). Nurses are required to provide better care by considering the

philosophy of nursing. This paper aims at exploring the integration of my philosophy of nursing,

values and experiences in practice.

My Personal Values and Experience

My philosophy is that nurses are tasked with providing holistic, safe and patient centered

care. As an aspiring nurse, I believe that nursing education received in my current institution

combined with clinical experience will equip me with the appropriate knowledge, skills and

attitudes essential for effective delivery of care. My passion for nursing is based on the deep

desire to help people and see patients develop to independence of functions. I greatly value life

and wellbeing and thus, in my nursing career, I intend to use my value for life to maintain a good

working behavior in addition to exercising sobriety of mind throughout decision making process.

My personal belief is that the culture and experiences of one’s life have the potential to influence

their moral behaviors. Further, I believe that these experiences provide important skills and

expertise that nurses can utilize to meet the dynamic health needs of the current population.

Self-concept

Self-concept is a critical factor in nursing since it influences a nurse’s individual

perceptions of the abilities, unique characteristics and behaviors which shape their professional

conduct. According to Sabanciogullari and Dogan (2017), self-concept a major factor that
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influences retention or exit of nurses from the profession. Consistently, my belief is that nurses

that are self-confident exhibit profession competency and more likely to be retained compared to

nurses with low self-esteem, job dissatisfaction and undeveloped self-concept.

Some of the professional characteristics that influence my self-concept as a nurse include

competency, attention to detail, excellent communication skills, established interpersonal skills

and quick problem-solving skills (Hood, 2017). Being an extrovert, I find my strength in the

ability to make friends easily and communicate well with patients, their family and other

stakeholders. One of my main fears is making medication errors that may irreparably harm the

patients or result in loss of life.

Besides, my self-concept is a crucial element in my philosophy of nursing. For instance, I

always dress neatly to not only boost my self-confidence but also uphold good professional

conduct at the work place. Additionally, I respect other people’s opinions, ideas and attitudes

since it is their identity.

Values

Values originate from a person’s underlying beliefs as well as what is considered

appropriate at the workplace or by the society. Gallegos and Sortedahl (2015) contend that,

nurses draw their values from nursing theorists in addition to experiences they gain in practice.

Notably, values gained in one’s experience can remain with them throughout their professional

journey (Pickles, Lacey & King, 2019). Whereas values are important in nursing, there are

instances where my personal values conflict with my professional life. For instance, I value

taking care of patients as a lifelong experience since there are always people with health needs.

However, nurses are prone to burnout and work stress, which may reduce their effectiveness at

the workplace.
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A person’s behavior and decisions are highly informed by their values and beliefs. Some

of the nurses’ core values found in my personal philosophy of nursing includes persistence,

honesty, lifelong learning and kindness among others (Markey & Okantey, 2019). For instance,

nurses that are kind tend to be good listeners to the patient needs, build friendships, provide the

best care and are associated with high levels of patient satisfaction. Additionally, nurses that

engage in lifelong learning have significant accuracy levels in diagnoses, decision-making and

overall care for their patients.

Personal values determine decisions that people make in particular situations and their

outcomes. According to ANA code of ethics, nurses are supposed to portray integrity at work,

promote health safety and wellbeing and integrate social justice in the practice (ANA, 2016).

Additionally, ICN points out that, the major role of nurses is to determine and implement the

appropriate clinical practice, education, management and research (ICN, 2012). Since nurses

have the autonomy to determine and implement the acceptable standards, their personal values

influence how they make decision.

Culture

Nurses encounter patients that do not share their cultural background. According to Cruz

et al. (2017), nurses are required to provide the best care to all patients and communities

regardless of their age, gender, race, disability and socioeconomic status. Cultural ethnocentrism

significantly affects nurse/client relationships especially when nurses think their worldview is

superior. Ethnocentrism can result in patient alienation, poor communication and inadequate

patient care.

Nursing Need Theory

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The main duty of a nurse is to work towards full satisfaction of the patients’ needs so that

they may regain their normal functioning. Therefore, Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Need

Theory supports my personal philosophy of nursing. According to Ahtisham and Jacoline (2015),

this theory focuses on the importance of hastening the patients’ process of progression to

independence in the hospital. By providing the framework of patient assessment, this theory

emphasizes on the nurses role in assisting the patient to meet their basic human needs.

Consistently, my belief is that nurses are primary caregivers. Additionally, this theory grants a

nurse the autonomy of designing an individualized care in addition to following the physician’s

therapeutic plan. This is again consistent with my nursing philosophy that nurses have a

responsibility of planning and implementing patient-centered care.

Application in Practice

My personal philosophy of nursing has been translated in practice. I do this by striving to

model positive healthy behaviors. Additionally, I engage in teamwork and collaboration, peer

learning and consulting to increase my nursing knowledge and be effective in delivering patient

care. Markedly, when nurses are guided by their values and beliefs, they can easily put humanity

first as stipulated in the Nursing code of ethics. By so doing, nurses can maintain a patient-

centered and ethically sensitive focus that overcomes financial priorities of business centered

healthcare systems.

One of the most significant trends that influence equality in healthcare systems is unequal

distribution of income combined with finance-centered healthcare services. Remarkably, there

are a significant number of people who do not possess the full ability to pay for care due to their

low income. Therefore, the current inequality in distribution of incomes favors only a few people

in the population.
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Conclusion

This paper has critically analyzed my philosophy of nursing and how it applies in

practice. As indicated, values and beliefs of nurses dictate their decision-making and behaviors

in practice. Therefore, nurses are required to observe the code of ethics and work towards being

effective in provision of patient care.

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References

Ahtisham, Y., & Jacoline, S. (2015). Integrating Nursing Theory and Process into Practice;

Virginia's Henderson Need Theory. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2).

American Nurses Association, (2016). Code of Ethics for Nurses. Retrieved from:

https://anacalif.memberclicks.net/assets/Events/RNDay/2016

Cruz, J. P., Alquwez, N., Cruz, C. P., Felicilda‐Reynaldo, R. F. D., Vitorino, L. M., & Islam, S.

M. S. (2017). Cultural competence among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: a cross‐

sectional study. International nursing review, 64(2), 215-223.

Gallegos, C., & Sortedahl, C. (2015). An Exploration of Professional Values Held by Nurses at a

Large Freestanding Pediatric Hospital. Pediatric nursing, 41(4).

Hood, L. (2017). Leddy & Pepper’s Professional Nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

International Council of Nurses, (2012). The ICN code of ethics for nurses. Retrieved from:

https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/inline-files/2012_ICN_Codeofethicsfornurses

Markey, K., & Okantey, C. (2019). Nurturing cultural competence in nurse education through a

values-based learning approach. Nurse education in practice, 38, 153-156.

Pickles, D., Lacey, S. D., & King, L. (2019). Conflict between nursing student’s personal beliefs

and professional nursing values. Nursing Ethics, 26(4), 1087-1100.

Sabanciogullari, S., & Dogan, S. (2017). Professional self-concept in nurses and related factors:

A sample from Turkey. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(3), 1676-86.