My Philosophy of Nursing Essay

The main purpose of the paper is to express my personal philosophy of nursing. The paper provides an observation of a framework of my personal practice of nursing and the reasons why I choose nursing as a profession. The issue is extremely important to be studied, researched, and analyzed as it represents the theoretical basis of each nurse and highly supports one’s life philosophy and the system of interaction the nurse has with the rest of the society. Special attention is paid to the attitude that nurses have to their patients, family members, other nurses, and health care professionals as this has the major impact on the nursing practice in general. In order to define a personal philosophy of nursing, it is very important to understand the meaning of the term â€Å"philosophy†. As for me, this issue can be perfectly addressed with the definition that presents philosophy as a specific attitude towards life and reality that evolves according to the beliefs of each nur se (Edwards, 1997). This definition is really useful as it gives the freedom to use my own beliefs and experience to talk about this issue. The real nature of nursing is quite diverse, and it has been always a subject for a discussion among professionals trying to define whether nursing is a science or an art. I see that there is a place for both these terms when we talk about real nursing practice (June, 2004). The attitude towards nursing in my personal life has been forming through the years, beginning with my first dreams of becoming a nurse that were motivated with the desire to wear white uniform like people that I saw on television. However, as the time passed, my vision of nursing has gone through serious changes. I understood that nurse is not just a person in a uniform, but a professional who can make differences in a patient’s life. During the period when I was trying to make my final decision about the future professional career, I was lucky to be able to talk to and followed by real professional nurse that was trying to teach me and my family members how to look after my grandmother. This outstanding experience showed me the real meaning of this profession; therefore, I was able to see what I was going to be in future. As it is known, some researchers see nursing as an art. This tendency began with the first comparisons trying to see nursing as an art in metaphorical sense, not in the way we see fine art. These definitions were present in the works of Florence Nightingale in the end of the 19th century, when the  scientists were trying to adhere to nursing quality. The main issue then was the question whether there is a highest and most desirable level of nursing practice (Austgard, 2006). These thoughts and ideas are now developed in the works of Benner as this researcher also evolves the importance of quality level of nursing and caring (Benner, 1984). It is extremely important to pay attention to caring and the level of interactions between professionals and patents, their family members and the other medical workers. My personal way of interacting is based on the personal experience of taking care of my grandmother; therefore, I try to build my attitude to patients on the basis of trust and partnership. I find these aspects extremely important for the successful nursing practice. The same refers to the attitude I have towards my coworkers. As it can be seen, the nursing practice is an extremely complex issue that requires close attention and proper analysis. It is crucial for every professional to develop one’s own philosophy of nursing. This process is long and can take the whole life. It also requires attention to such factor as the character of interacting with the patients, their family members, and coworkers. This issue is so important, because the successful nursing professional can play a decisive role in patients’ life. References Austgard, K. (2006). The aesthetic experience of nursing. Nursing Philosophy, 7(1), 11-19. Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice (2 ed.). Menlo Park, CA: Addison – Wesley. Edwards, S. D. (1997). What is philosophy of nursing? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(2), 1089-1093. June, K. F. (2004). Towards a philosophic theory of nursing. Nursing Philosophy, 5(1), 79-83.