Philosophy of Nursing - Personal Statement Example

? Personal philosophy of Nursing Personal Nursing Philosophy I have been in the nursing practice for 20 years. During this period, I have gained a lot of nursing experience that has elevated my philosophical understanding of numerous health care practices. Notably, I have gained extensive experience in the provision of care and support to patients without harm. The practice has also taught me the importance of being client centered and goal focused. Within the 20 year-year period, I pursued a Nursing Degree in a Health School. Additionally, I worked as a nurse as I studied. The experience gained through practice has made me recognize numerous programs that are essential in preparation of patients towards medication services. In addition to taught skills, I have acquired extra knowledge that has enhanced my nursing expertise. For instance, education and practice have equipped me with clinical leadership and professional research skills. These are vital skills in the nursing profession and healthcare provision (Sharon, 2003). I have also acquired exceptional abilities and skills in the design, organization, and implementation of goals and objectives in healthcare provision. These skills focus primarily on the provision of nursing services to patients. Furthermore, nursing profession has directed my scientific and artistic expertise towards qualitative and quantitative provision of healthcare. The expertise and experience acquired within the 20 year-period has broadened my knowledge in nursing practice. However, it is vital for me to highlight my career objectives and mission in the nursing profession. Therefore, this essay aims to explain my future career objectives and mission in the nursing profession. Moreover, it aims to support my philosophical dispositions in primary healthcare provision. Harmlessness Essentially, it is crucial to note that there should never be harm in the provision of primary healthcare and nursing services. This knowledge is an inherent responsibility and an important aspect in the nursing profession. It is quite unthinkable to leave a client under insufficient care. One of the best-appreciated definitions of nursing is provision of informed care for the well-being of others (Swanson, 1993). According to Swanson, invoking speech, thoughts, and actions form the basic component structure of caring for patients (Swanson, 1993). Therefore, it is my obligation as a nurse to exercise absolute care towards my clients’ well-being. Notably, the attitude towards the public and clients should be warm and caring. It is appropriate to assess the conditions of clients through the establishment of all issues that relate to human beings. For instance, it is vital to communicate with patients appropriately. This can only be achieved through proper channeling of messages to be communicated to patients (Sharon, 2003). Nurses are expected to conduct therapeutic procedures required to identify conditions that need stabilization. They are expected to examine the outcomes of therapeutic actions in order to accomplish the goals of enhancement of well-being of clients. Over the years of nursing practice, I have learnt that delivery of healthcare is in itself a cause of death in many countries. The delivery of healthcare services is sometimes enshrined with the possibility of human error that can result into death. Errors can result from both commission and omission because of loopholes in redress of conditions that can be treated and solved. Injuries and eventual deaths can occur because of such blunders (Philips and Bredder, 2002). Nosocomial infections are likely to occur in hospitals in cases where health practitioners do not disinfect and clean their hands before handling patients. Therefore, the safety of patients is essential in hospitals. The protection of patients requires maintenance of basic safety standards. Several researches have indicated that errors in the prescription of medication increase the number of fatalities in hospitals (Swanson, 1993). Data have shown that numerous deaths occur after the admission of patients in trauma rooms. Unexpected deaths are a clear indication of inappropriate and inefficient care on clients. This project was facilitated by the inadequate attention to clients or patients who require close attention. In addition, there were insufficient fiduciary concerns, improper nursing conclusions and judgments, errors in medication of patients, inadequate patient intervention, and lack of prevention of casualty (Philips and Bredder, 2002). Errors in the documentation of patients’ records and mistaken orders of those who provide healthcare services within hospitals also seem to be the driving factors. In my nursing career, I witnessed cases were lawsuits were instituted against individual nurses or hospitals. These lawsuits developed due to negligence and errors that are believed to have resulted in casualties or deaths (Swanson, 1993). Therefore, I believe that healthcare should cushion the fundamentals of human life and administration of proper care in order to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries. The foremost principle that nurses should have is not to harm patients. Harmlessness helps me to understand the roles of nursing towards the creation of an excellent and professional philosophy. Patient care should be done with the goal of producing positive outcomes. Thus, based on my professional life as a nurse, I will value the lives of others always. Moreover, I will protect the lives of my patients from receiving or getting injurious treatments. Client Centered Care Client centered care is based on delivering a program meant to incorporate patients’ cultural view as they respond to medication and healthcare services. It is an essential practice in taking care of different healthcare needs of patients, as opposed to using a single program to respond to medical needs of the sick (Philips and Bredder, 2002). According to Joseph Campinah Bacote, such a program should include a cultural competence model and respond effectively to cultural diversity that emanates from immigration of people. Furthermore, he developed a tool that enables nurses to undertake self-tests. Self-tests allow nurses to develop and re-examine applicable constructive cultural knowledge including dispositions in responding to culturally sensitive cases (Swanson, 1993). It is clear that understanding patients’ cultural beliefs is essential in the provision of appropriate and adequate healthcare services. The mobilization of speech and thought play prominent roles in shaping nursing practices. These have helped in development of my personal philosophy in nursing. A client-centered response considers not only provision of the appropriate healthcare needs but also the requirements at a personal or individual level of the patients (Masters, 2009). Communication is the basic key that coordinates thoughts, speech, and actions. These are essential in the completion of patient care process. Provision of healthcare services aims to protect people from chronic illnesses that can worsen their health situations (Mundinger et al, 2000). The features of such illnesses require early identification so that they can be handled before they escalate to levels difficult to contain. Therefore, I support my notion of supporting clients’ well-being not only as a necessity but also for ethical reasons of protecting lives. These beliefs are intricately associated with the values espoused by the works of Drs. Virginia M. Conley, Sharon A. Cumbie, and Mary E. Burman. They engineered the integration of patient care into management of chronic diseases. They developed a mechanism that can be applied to improve access medical care. Additionally, the mechanism they developed promotes management of chronic diseases in healthcare provision (Masters, 2009). Client centered care model espouses the ideals of focusing on patients during the care provision process. It does not give much attention to illnesses or diseases. Nursing As both a Scientific Discipline and an Art As a nurse, I have dealt with ethical cases, as well as holistic health-illness issues. Ethics defines the relationship between my professional responsibility and the well-being and care of clients. As an art, my responsibilities include provision of satisfactory services to clients. The responsibilities include proper attention and recognition of clients as essential parts of the society (Swanson, 1993). Moral and ethical issues also define the ideal relationship that the nursing occupation has with other professions (Silva & Ludwick, 2005). Scientifically, ethics and morals demands require a professional nurse to have the technical skills and knowledge to respond to theories of practice. Natural sciences help nurses to understand the medical needs of patients after detection and recording of conditions of illnesses is done. Hence, it is my responsibility to respond to clients’ medical demands. Technical skills enable me to deal with patients effectively. My goal in nursing is to utilize my knowledge, competencies, and skills to help patients achieve quality healthcare or peaceful death. My personal philosophy in nursing has several key concepts and principles that guide my treatment practices. Nurses are expected to possess adequate knowledge, be honest with patients, communicate effectively, be a voice for the voiceless patients, listen keenly and be able to create a trusted relationship with patients and their families. Additionally, it is essential to create a safe and clean environment to encourage the well-being of patients. This completes the communication structure of thought, speech, and actions thereby providing the desired results. Education process is a continuous and elaborative structure that would enable me as a nurse to develop value added skills requisite for effective healthcare provision. It is my social responsibility to protect life, do no harm, and ensure justice and fairness in the provision of healthcare services. Failure to address these values results into inappropriate response to clients’ medical concerns (Silva & Ludwick, 2005). Evidence based practice requires the application of my technical skills as a qualified nurse capable of using research resources to solve problems. Through the years of my experience, research has been recognized as the best way to respond to serious and puzzling healthcare issues that require deep understanding and clarification (Mundinger et al, 2000). Response to treatment of clients should not only be based on traditionally available knowledge but also include issues that are raised through various research works. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in response to certain chronic conditions are entirely based on studies that support evidence based nursing approach (Masters, 2009). Therefore, my philosophy in nursing also depends on understanding of evidence before the adoption of an intervention method. Conclusion In conclusion, my personal philosophy in nursing practice has been well elaborated. The principle of harmlessness to patients enables me to provide adequate and effective healthcare services to my clients while considering every aspect of keeping them safe and free from unwarranted injuries. Negligence and poor response to patients’ health demands often cause unexpected deaths. Negligence and poor response to patients’ needs also cause alarm to nurses. They interfere with ethical requirements in the nursing profession. Hence, clients and their illnesses both need equal attention. Therefore, my nursing philosophy is to consider these two issues. References Masters, K. (2009). Role development in professional nursing practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Pub. Mundinger, M.O., Cook, S.S., Lenz, E.R., Piacentini, K., Auerhahn, C. & Smith, J. (2000). Assuring Quality and Access in Advanced Practice Nursing: A Challenge to Nurse Educators. Journal of Professional Nursing. 16:322-329. Philips, D. & Bredder, C. (2002). Morbidity and Mortality from Medical Errors: An increasingly Serious Public Health Problem. Annual Review of Public Health. 23:135–50. Sharon, T. (2003). Protect yourself in the Hospital: Insider Tips on How to Avoid Hospital Mistakes for Yourself or Someone you Love. McGraw-Hill. New York, N.Y. Silva, M.C. & Ludwick, R. (2005). Ethics: Is the Doctor of Nursing Practice Ethical? The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing: Journal of the American Nurses Association. 11(2):EthCo-01. Swanson, K. (1993). Nursing as Informed Caring for the Well-Being of Others. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 25(4):352-7. Read More