1. Philosophy of Nursing Statement
In order to write a philosophy of nursing, I must first think of the nursing profession as a
whole. I remember hearing early on in life that "nursing is a calling". I believe that. The act of
calling can be broken down into three simple questions: who or what is calling, why are they
calling, and how the recipient responds to the call. On a discussion board regarding nursing
philosophy llgGuide posted “So it is healthy to clarify your philosophy so that you can use it to
guide your choices and live a life of integrity” (para. 3). My heart for nursing is the patient
experience.
As nurses, we answer calls all the time from doctors, patients, families, and coworkers.
However, I was a nurse for three years when I finally realized who or what was calling me into
nursing. On a death bed of a minister, I heard the gospel preached in a way that opened my eyes
to God and His love. The patient's last sermon changed my nursing career and thoughts about
nursing forever. The call was from the scripture Matthew 22:37-39 when, "Jesus said unto him,
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.
This is the great and first commandment and a second like unto it is thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself" (American Standard Version). This call from God changed my philosophy of nursing
from helping people to loving people. Before that encounter, I helped people for myself and to
make me feel good.
The second part of the calling of nursing, to me, is why the calling? The need for nurses
cannot be overstated. There is death, disease, pain, and lack of knowledge all over the world.
Needs for individuals and healing is exceedingly great. According to the Gospels, the description
2. Philosophy of Nursing Statement
of Jesus is that He had compassion, healed the sick, taught information to the people, and helped
their pain. Nurses do the same in their everyday practice. In a way, God calls nurses to carry on
His ministry into the modern world.
The final part of my philosophy and calling to nursing is how the person answers the
call. According to Steven Edwards (1997), one "must take into account the traditional
philosophical problems of personal identity and of the relationship between the mind and body"
(p. 1092). Nurses are very good at recognizing the mind body connection but the nurse's own
personal values must be portrayed and defined to practice the art of nursing. This act comes in
the delivery of care by the nurse. The American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics (2001)
(Provision 6.1) describes to deliver "excellences such as compassion, patience, and skill and are
the habits of the character of the morally good nurse" (para.56). I am constantly striving to
achieve these characteristics and I am still learning. I make mistakes. Most important I make
regular calls to the Great Physician to receive my orders, sometimes I tell Him when I did not
follow them, then I try again to do His work in my nursing sphere of influence.
3. References
American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/codeofethics
Edwards, S.D. (1997). What is philosophy of nursing? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25, 1089-
1993. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.19970251089.x
llgGuide. (2012, January 1). What is your personal philosophy of nursing? [web log post].
Retrieved from http://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/what-is-your-656245.html
