Personal Nursing Philosophy

PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY 1
Personal Nursing Philosophy
Korrina Porter RN, RN-BC
Castleton University

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PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY
Abstract
Nursing Philosophy is tailored to each individual nurse and is influenced by nursing theories,
personal beliefs, and experiences during the nurse’s practice. This paper demonstrates my
personal nursing philosophy and how it came to be. In this paper I reflect upon Nightingales
theory of nursing advocacy, as well as explain what a philosophy is and why it is important to
professional nursing.

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What is nursing and how is it defined? One of the most widely recognized definition of
nursing, according to Black (2017) is:
The use of clinical judgment in the provision of care to enable people to improve,
maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best
possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death. (p.90-91).
With this being stated, one would read this and have a small understanding as to what a nurse is
and does; But why do people choose nursing? What drives people to want to become nurses and
what do they build their foundation on? How do individual people “nurse”? Do they all do it
differently and if so why?
As I cannot personally answer these questions collectively in regards to all nurses (as
each individual has their own way of nursing), I can explain to you what principles nursing is
founded on. The foundation of nursing according to Black (2017, p.150), is the concept and sub
concepts of person, their environment and health and that nurses are shaped by individual values,
beliefs and philosophies that in turn are the building blocks of nursing. These beliefs that each
individual holds valuable are what shape and create the philosophy of nursing.
Philosophy is defined in the dictionary as “the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes
of an individual or group; a discipline comprising as its core logic, aesthetics, ethics,
metaphysics, and epistemology” (Merriam-Webster, 2018). Philosophies in general, are
created by people who are searching for meaning or contemplating something at a greater
depth. Philosophy is what guides a person’s actions and thoughts. Each nurse will develop
their own philosophy of nursing based on their own beliefs of what it means to be a nurse and
use that philosophy to guide them in their professional nursing practice.

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Until I took this bachelor’s class, I never really thought about my own Personal
Nursing Philosophy. Sure, I had certain beliefs and values but I never sat down and actually
stopped to think about what principles I based by practice on. Using a guide I encountered in
my reading of (Black, 2017), I followed its format to create my own philosophy of nursing (p.
172). During the course of writing this paper I have gotten a lot of insight as to why I practice
nursing the way I do.
I chose nursing as a profession because nursing is both rewarding and challenging at
the same time. It allows me to work at something I love as well as give back and care for
people. I was inspired by a school nurse who made a huge difference in my life at a very
young age, the difference between where I am now and where I could have been if not for her
influence and faith in me. This single life changing event left a lasting impression and I knew
then I wanted to be a nurse so as I could help make a difference in others lives as well. Nurses
care for people during some of their most vulnerable moments and are trusted to give
compassionate and professional care, as well as being non-judgmental and objective during
their time of need. I believe that the core of nursing is being caring and compassionate in all
nurse-patient related interactions. If nurses are not compassionate or care for what they are
doing or who they are caring for, then they cannot properly care for the person as a whole and
not just as a diagnosis. I strongly believe that the focus of nursing is to assist patients during a
period of illness, acute, chronic, physical or mental, where they are unable to properly and
safely care for themselves, and to assist them in achieving optimal wellness. I continue to
strive to become an expert nurse, knowing that there is always room to grow and learn and
develop further in my professional practice. My personal goals are to provide high quality,
holistic nursing care to my patients by continuing to educate myself as to best practices,

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patient safety, health promotion, and communicating with honesty and authenticity. I work
hard at being professional in all interactions with patients and co-workers and not only build
myself up but also support other team members. I will hold myself accountable for my actions
and behaviors both professionally and personally. I will continue to strive to be empathetic,
dependable, ethical, and responsive and to advocate for and with my patients.
One aspect of my nursing philosophy that I am passionate about is being an advocate
for my patients. I have experienced during my 10 years in healthcare, (both as a licensed
nursing assistant and Registered Nurse) that there is a large number of patients who are afraid
of going against what the MD orders and decided. There are many factors that play into this
train of thought: age, gender, race, education, socio-economic factors also play a role. Nurses
do not just advocate for patients in relation to doctors decisions and medications but also we
advocate for patients when other family members who tend to “speak for the patient” or are
just overbearing in nature and making the patient uncomfortable by their actions/behaviors. I
have had to advocate for many patients of all types for each of these reasons and then some.
One of the biggest influences in advocacy was Florence Nightingale. Advocacy is
defined as “the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal” (Merriam-Webster, p. 1.
2018). Nurses are seen as advocates when working to achieve a desired patient outcome and
when patients are unable or unwilling to advocate for themselves (Selanders and Crane,
2012). According to Selanders and Crane (2012), Nightingale laid the foundation of nurse
advocacy and started the expectation of nurses to advocate for their patients. Her theory on
advocacy for egalitarian human rights and advocacy in leadership roles are being looked upon
as helpful in the 21st century nursing practice (Selanders and Crane, 2012). Nightingale laid
the foundation of nursing with her insights on the nature of nursing, a strong education,

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leadership and advocacy. Nightingales devotion to nursing and the advancement of it as a
profession has transformed how nursing is viewed and she “demonstrated that advocacy is
what gives power to the caring nurse” (Selanders and Crane, 2012). The American Nursing
Association views advocacy as a pillar of nursing, and they have programs created to help
nurses to advocate from a legislative and political standpoint. “The American Nurses
Association (ANA) believes that advocacy is the key to advancing nursing, and invites all
members to unite to drive forward health care change” (ANA, n.d). Nightingales influence has
shaped todays nursing practice and the American Nursing Association has followed in her
footsteps towards the advancement of the nursing profession. I feel that advocating not only for
patients, but for the nursing profession as a collective are critical to nursing philosophy. We as
nurses should always strive to do more for patients and ourselves; whether it be helping a patient
say no to a doctor and advocating their desires, or advocating for safe staffing ratios for all
nurses hospital wide. According to Lucatorto and Thomas (2016), “Healthcare organizations
support nurses as advocates for patients when they respect nurses as equal team members and
adopt policy that creates the opportunity for nurses to advocate for patients” (Advocacy and
organizational policy, para, 1. 2016). Advocacy is important to me in my practice as it is crucial
to showing patients how much you care and shows how passionate I am in nursing about
advancing my professional development.
Advocacy is not the only important part of my personal philosophy, it is a tool I use to
help critically think as well as support my beliefs of what nursing should be about. My personal
beliefs have a huge impact on how I care for patients on a daily basis. I believe that patients have
the right to autonomy and a right to have a say in their own care and their beliefs about their
health and what they need may be different than yours or mine. I believe that to be truly healthy,

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one must take care of both the body and mind through physical and spiritual practices. I view
them as interchangeable, if the mind is out of commission (depression, anxiety, relationships),
then it has a greater impact on the body and vice versa; if the body is out of commission (chronic
pain, overweight, disease, and disability) the mind will be too. I believe one must care for all
aspects of self in order to achieve optimum health and well-being. Education, physical activity,
relationships, careers, goal setting, diets, medications all go hand in hand with being healthy or
ill and there is a fine line between the two that I believe creates a health continuum. One person
may be physically ill, but their mind is healthy which in turn with have an impact on that
individual’s attitude or belief about getting better. On the other side I believe that illness is
defined as being both physically and mentally unstable and far off of one’s normal baseline and
the illness makes it increasingly difficult to preform basic care needs and their ability to function
within their normal limits. I believe in a holistic nursing approach in that the body mind and
spirit must be addressed to nurture a person as a whole (Black, 2017, p. 166).
Until I started working and caring in an environment that is created especially for end of
life care, I didn’t put much thought into the spirituality of nursing care. I have witnessed the
impact ones spiritual beliefs have on an individual’s health; whether it be at the end of life, or
during an acute period of illness. In my experience I have found that patients take comfort in
believing in something or someone bigger than them, and I have witnessed firsthand what having
faith can do. Not everyone shares the same beliefs or attitudes towards spirituality, but I see even
the non-believers in religion to have faith and hope in something to get them through a tragic
time or period of illness. Part of my nursing philosophy is to be respectful of patients and their
family members’ spirituality and beliefs and help them express them in any way that I can,
knowing that my patient will have a better outcome regardless if it’s at the end of life or just the

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beginning. And even if I do not personally accept someone else’s beliefs I can be sensitive and
respectful of them. The same is true for cultural beliefs in my practice. I strive to make my
patients comfortable in the hospital and part of that is accepting and being open to their cultural
needs. I had a patient once who only spoke Hindu and she had a hard time communicating even
the simplest needs as to wanting a glass of orange juice and water. I took the time to find the
appropriate words in Hindu to express both of these and wrote them in Hindu on the cups and
educated the LNA and on coming RN of what the words meant so that the patient could ask
without feeling embarrassed or ashamed that she could not speak clear English. To this patient it
meant more than words could describe and put her mind at ease. In my practice we help many
patients at the end stages of life and keep them comfortable until their last breath. I like to be
culturally sensitive to what the patient and their families request as to rituals and such reflections
of their cultural practices during end of life care. I feel I have a responsibility as a nurse to
support both the patient and their family in coping during these times.
We have a responsibility as nurses to be professionals, leaders, ethical, educated and
collaborative with other healthcare workers. As I practice my nursing philosophy I must show
my patients that I am competent in providing quality care. This means that I am competent in my
field of nursing, I am educated on the latest policies and procedures and make ethical decisions
in my care. Patients need to be able to trust their nurses, this is why professional nurses follow
the Code of Ethics introduced by The American Nursing Association. According to Black,
(2017), Ethics is a term used to reflect on what actions an individual should take (p.126). Ethics
are based on morals about what is right and what is wrong. I think nurses are trusted because
they are ethical in nature, practicing with Principalism- it uses ethical principles such as

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beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, fidelity and veracity in the process of dealing
with ethical dilemmas (Black, 2017, p. 134).
Another important factor in nursing philosophy is ones educational goals. I believe that it
is crucial for nurses to continue education whether it be getting another degree from an institute
of higher education, or continuing education credits from employers or online. Nurses serve
patients best if they are experts in their field and can be a resource for the patient. Patient
education is an important part of the nursing role and to properly educate them on the latest
information, nurses must make educating themselves a priority.
I strongly feel that nurses should be able to take on leadership roles and responsibilities
on a day to day basis. It not only promotes confidence in one’s nursing abilities, but also holds
you accountable for your actions and allows you to hold yourself and colleagues at a higher
standard. Being a leader, whether it is being relief charge of a unit, or stepping up and running a
code situation shows ones growth in their own personal professional development. I think it is
always important to grow professionally and to be a role model for the behaviors that other
nurses should be reflecting.
In conclusion, I have learned a lot about the type of Nurse I am and have gained insight
as to how I developed my own philosophy of nursing. I have learned a lot about myself and
nursing theories I didn’t even know I was mimicking in my practice. All in all this paper has
given me a chance to reflect on my nursing philosophy and to see where I stand in regards to my
own strengths and weaknesses in my practice. I have many areas to improve upon, and a lot of
theorists to guide me in shaping my nursing foundation. If anything this has provided me with an
opportunity to grow and continuously shape my nursing philosophy and to expand on it as I

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continue my career. I believe it has opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities and a major change in
how I practice professionally.

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References
Advocacy. (2018). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/advocacy
American Nursing Association. (n.d). Advocacy. Retrieved on September, 28th, 2018, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/
Black, P. B. (2017). Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges (8th. Ed).
Elsevier/Saunders: Missouri.
Lucatorto, M. A., Thomas, T. W., Siek,T.(September30,2016) Registered Nurses as Caregivers:
Influencing the SystemasPatientAdvocates. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing Vol.21, No.3. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol21No03Man02
Philosophy. (2018). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/philosophy
Selanders, L., Crane, P., (January 31, 2012) the Voice of Florence Nightingale on Advocacy.
OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 17, No. 1. DOI:
10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No01Man01

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