This document outlines a nursing student's philosophy of nursing. Some key points: 1) The student believes caring for patients holistically - not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually - is important. 2) The student's core values of happiness, family, and honesty will guide how they care for patients and advocate for their needs. 3) Human Becoming Theory influences the student to see patients as more than just their illness and help them through life changes. 4) While still exploring their own faith, the student finds biblical principles like treating others with kindness can still guide their practice.

1. Running head: NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 1
Nursing Philosophy
Breanna Hernandez
California Baptist University
Author’s Note
This paper is presented to Professor Bobst in partial fulfillment for the requirements of
Christian Leadership, NUR 470 A, on September 27th, 2016.

2. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 2
Nursing Philosophy
Nursing has changed due to numerous factors such as government policies, economics
and globalization which has changed the way core nursing values are practiced (Holt, 2014).
Caring for patients, individualizing care, and maintaining a patient’s dignity is challenged as
nursing changes but those values are important for patient care outcomes (Holt, 2014). As a
future nurse I hope to instill my values and my nursing philosophy in my practice to care for
patients in more ways than just physically. Our patients need nurses who truly and actively listen
to them and help them evolve not only physically but spiritually and emotionally as well
(Pilkington & Simpson, 2009). Inspiring other nurses as I develop my practice will help to
provide higher quality care for more patients in an evolving area of health care.
My Nursing Philosophy
My personal nursing philosophy comes from who I am and what I’ve defined my values
as. I believe that as a future nurse my values are going to pay a huge part in how I care for my
patients and how I make decisions for them and for myself. Values are defined as “ideals,
beliefs, customs, modes of conduct, qualities, or goals that are highly prized or preferred by
individuals, groups, or society.” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p.93). Defining my values early
on in my career will help tremendously when advocating for patients and other health care
personal. Understanding my values in depth can raise patient wellness in the hospital setting and
outside in the world.
As I worked through what I found what’s most important to me I realized that the same
things could be important to my patients. I believe that my values will assisted in my care for
patients at a much higher level than I had previously expected. My values define how I work,

3. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 3
how I interact with others and they may play a big role in how I make possibly life changing
decisions for my patients or their families (Marquis & Huston, 2015).
The three values most defining of who I am come from what I’ve been taught and what
I’ve experienced. Happiness, family-orientedness and honesty are the things most important to
me and tools that drive the direction my life has taken. I may value my happiness but I also value
the happiness of my patient and their families. The fact that my family plays I big role in my life
will make communicating and involving family in as much patient care as possible fairly easy.
Many families take on the role as a caregiver even though it can be very burdensome as it can be
financially straining, cause anxiety, reduce social lives, and even cause reduce health
(Figueiredo, Cruz & Marques, 2016). Finding the family resources to better both the lives of the
patient and family can be used as an example of how deep my values reach into my practice as a
nurse. If family wasn’t as important to me I don’t see how I would care so much about how the
family functions around the patient. Prior experience as a care giver to a family member has
strengthened these values and opened me up to new experiences that many of my patient’s
families could experience as well.
My nursing philosophy has changed since I first began nursing school and I’m positive
that it will continue to grow. As I practice nursing and as I change as an individual I hope to
create a stronger nursing philosophy that benefits all the people I encounter. My patients deserve
the highest respect and highest quality of care that develops from my own morals and values.
Who I am as a Nurse
The person I am as a nursing student and who I will be as a future nurse is has developed
from my values, experiences and education. These things have influenced how I function in a

4. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 4
nurse role and in patient care settings. The decisions I make are rooted from what I’ve learned in
and out of nursing school.
During my clinical rotations I try to remember that the patient has a life outside of the
hospital. They aren’t just a patient they are a person with values, emotions, jobs of their own.
Their lives outside the hospital greatly influence how they progress in their illness. Including
their outside life in practice can make them feel more comfortable and give them the strength to
overcome their illness.
Treating a patient with kindness and compassion can change their look on being
hospitalized and possibly improve their outcomes. As a future nurse I want to be someone
patients enjoy seeing and being cared by. I want to make it my goal to make my patients feel
welcomed and a part of their nursing care plans. Involving patients in every aspect possible while
maintaining dignity and respect is something I wish to implement.
Caring for patients is more than just physical or task oriented. We must remember that
our patients are people with feelings, values and lives of their own. Honest communication with
patients is important and indicative of better patient outcomes. Making it a priority to get to
know our patients as help them reach their personal goals is part of who we should be as nurses.
How Human Becoming Affects Me as a Nurse
Human becoming has an enormous effect on how I am as a nursing student and as a
future nurse. Human Becoming theory allows me to be as real and raw as I can with my patients.
My patients in turn can open up about their feelings, values, and priorities. When the quality of
life for patients is understood as being effected by the mind, body and spirit we can begin to care
for a patient in more ways than just one.

5. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 5
I now view people much differently when caring for them and my actions as a nurse are
thought out with more detail. I understand that patients express a lot more when we are actively
listening and being truly present when conversing. When we are truly present we discover what
the patient is feeling and how they want to be treated, we are able to increase the quality of their
care over all (Pilkington & Simpson, 2009). Augustus Presence as Parse defines is a very useful
tool to have as a nurse as it helps us truly connect with the mind, body and spirit of another being
(Pilkington & Simpson, 2009).
Another aspect of the Human Becoming theory that affects how I provide patient care is
transcendence. Transcendence is the idea that a person is constantly changing and evolving
(Pilkington & Simpson, 2009). As a nurse I am there to facilitate the changes my patients may
encounter. My actions can hinder the transcending patient so it is very important to be conscious
of it and to help with the changes my patients experience. A hospitalized patient may have
drastic life changing experiences and as I nurse with the knowledge of the Human Becoming
theory I am able to assess my patients and teach them to cope and transition into what may be a
new lifestyle (Pilkington & Simpson, 2009).
How Biblical Principles Affect Me as a Nurse
Biblical principles affect me as a nurse in different ways than most. Because I haven’t
quite grasp or “accepted” God and the concept of religion the way it is used in my patient care
isn’t the same as a Christian nurse would. I am still in the exploration stage of deciding for
myself if God is real. Sometimes I find if I analyze and research about the subject I turn away
from it more and more. At the present time it surrounds me directly when I am at school and
indirectly while I’m working with patients. I always do my best to be transparent with my
patients by explain my views but at times I have had them wanting me to join in on prayer and to

6. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 6
be respectful I do not refuse. If I were ever questioned about God by my patients I do believe that
my peers would be able to assist in answering those questions for them.
Although God doesn’t have a huge part in who I am as a nurse I still do find that some
verses and parts of scripture are universal in teaching morals and values. The most recent
scripture I have come across in the Bible is one that I have learned since childhood as the Golden
rule. The verse from Luke 6:31 states “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to
them likewise”. The importance of this scripture is to treat others as you would want to be treated
and as a nurse I believe it will greatly affect how I treat my patients. I would like to treat them
with kindness, compassion and honesty. The families of patients should be treated with the same
level of respect and importance as the patient as well.
As I grow and transcend personally and in my career I hope to change my views as well.
I wish to one day not be as skeptical of God and truly except him as I believe I will feel a sense
of ease. Being in a state of not knowing causes me great anxiety but I hope to someday
overcome that and be able to use my faith as a tool to care for my patients.
Who I am as a Leader
As a leader in the nursing field I believe that I am and will continue to be someone who
communicates and helps others learn so that they may reach their highest potential (Pullen,
2016). As stated by Pullen “leaders do more than organize, direct, delegate, and have vision;” I
haven’t assumed a designated or specific leadership position during my clinical experience but I
have mentored students and helped them understand concepts that where to complicated. I feel
that my peers should understand the material as well as I because in the end they too will be
nurses and their patients deserve to have the quality of care as mine. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone

7. NURSING PHILOSOPHY Hernandez 7
is patient care wasn’t being effectively given due to something as simple a lack of
comprehension.
I am still identifying my leadership skills and how to apply them as I become a nurse in
the near future. I know that I have the skills to be a great leader I just need to find ways to
implement them and still feel comfortable in that role. As a new graduate I would like to gain
experience before leading any other nurses in administration positions or a charge nurse position.
How I have changed in nursing school
Nursing is a very complex field of study that has molded me greatly in how I view the
world. After learning a great deal during nursing school I have come to realize that my time is
valuable and people are valuable. I now understand that I am not sacrificing my time to care and
help people. Instead, I have come to the realization that it is my privilege to be able to use my
time to assist others at such a vulnerable time in their lives.
Creating relationships with patients while being able to experience the clinical setting has
opened my eyes tremendously to the world and how people live in it. Spending all this time with
clients and studying about various things has made be very conscious of what I do on a daily
basis. I learned that helping people is something I prefer to do with my time but I have also
realized my limited time should go to my family and ultimately my happiness.
Nursing school has also changed me to be more compassionate, to pay attention to detail
and to always continue to learn. For the benefit and wellbeing of my clients it is important for me
to treat them with kindness and dignity. Paying attention to detail can be the difference of life or
death for a patient. Continue to learn by staying up to date with current health practices will
always increase the quality of care my patients. My patients overall wellbeing will always
remain my priority as a future nurse.

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Conclusion
Nursing is constantly changing evolving as new practices are instilled through politics,
economics and globalization (Holt, 2014). The change does not mean that things should shift in a
way that harms caring for patients, individualizing care, or the dignity of a patient (Holt, 2014).
Building a nursing philosophy that has aspects of the human becoming theory, biblical
principles, and leadership skills can help counteract the effects of negative influences that change
nursing. Making my nursing philosophy part of who I am as a nurse will maintain a high quality
of care for my patients as they continue to transcend and become who they are.

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