This document is a philosophy of nursing paper written by Steven Appelhof. It discusses nursing as involving problem solving, ethics, personal connections and caring for patients seeking help. Nursing requires a mix of didactic theory, experience, and personal problem-solving skills. Nurses have direct patient care and personal connections. The paper discusses the importance of viewing patients holistically and maintaining their quality of life through safe and effective care. It also discusses the level of interaction nurses have with patients and how they are considered one of the most trusted providers. The author discusses how their personal experiences and family history led them to pursue nursing and how they aim to provide the best quality of life for their patients.

1. Philosophy paper
Appelhof, Steven
NUR470A
Dr. Bobst
September 18, 2015

2. Philosophy of nursing 2
Nursing for many years has been an in depth and complex mixture of problem-solving,
ethical and moral influences as well as personal connections in caring for another human being
who seeks our help to reverse their illnesses. The skills for nursing do not come from one
singular resource, as it is a mix of many things. Didactic theory, experience with application and
previous encounters, and the use of personal problem-solving intellect all combine to make a
successful, efficient and safe nurse (2014, Marquis & Huston). As nurses, we are the front line
career that has the direct administration of care and personal connection to the patients.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) nursing is defined as, “Nursing is
the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and
injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and
advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.” (2015, ANA).
Nursing for many years has been a profession in which we come along side our patients for
anything they may need and not just physically. We are to view our patients as a whole
individual and we must remember that the one we are taking care of is someone’s loved one.
Safety and effective healthcare is the objective that nurses must pursue in order to assist our
patients in leaving in a much better state both physically and mentally to overall improve that
patient’s quality of life. A healing touch does not stem only from medications and surgery. A
nurse’s touch can change the patient’s outlook over an entire situation thus improving the quality
of life and even the length of their life.
One thing that differs between nurses and the rest of the medical staff includes the level
of interaction between nurse and patient. As the nurse, we are to follow through with many
orders from the doctor and it is our job to educate about what we are administering, we must do
it safely and also teach post treatment care. The nurse carries out the therapeutic treatment and

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this is incredibly important because since we are so involved with the patient and we know
exactly what is going on with the status of the patient and make very important life saving
decisions. Because of this high level of interaction and personal acceptance of the patient, we are
called on as someone to listen to their story and personally get to know the patient on a level
where the rest of the medical team does not. This is why nurses are considered one of the most
confided in and trusted healthcare providers in the medical profession. To be a nurse is to be a
healer of the mind, body and spirit. Ethical principles have been inducted by society as to what is
to be treated as the “norm” and “right thing to do” which also enforces positive treatment for
patients (2014, Burkhardt, MA & Nathaniel, AK).
In personal reflection of who I believe I am as a nurse, I believe I am someone who will
do anything within my power to be in pursuit of my patient having the best quality of life
possible. I am a firm believer in a smile being able change someone’s life even for a second and
this is an amazing philosophy for me as a person but especially as a nurse. I tend to go the extra
mile for people I care about and I care so much about those who seek my help especially in the
hospital setting. I have made so many great memories with patients and their families in which
they cannot be replaced in my life and heart.
Coming from a family of nurses, I understand what it is to give your life and attention to
others. My roots in nursing began from the time I was sixteen years old and in high school. My
older brother suffered from a traumatic brain injury in which he was rushed to a hospital out in
the Desert, which gave him 24 hours to live because of the severity of the injury. The medical
staff did everything they could to keep him treated and comfortable. Miraculously, after two
weeks they were able to stabilize him to be transferred to hospital closer to home. This is where I
saw the dark side of the medical field. There was very little activity in his brain and he was still

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comatose for months. After a certain point, the entire medical team began to take less and less
care of him and if it were not for my mother and sister being nurses, fighting the medicinal
boards and being at the hospital around the clock to make sure he was taken care of he would not
be with us today living, breathing and recovering.
The reason I am who I am as a nurse is because of one male nurse who worked in the
intensive care unit that cared for my brother as if he was his own flesh and blood. The nurse
could not imagine this kind of incident to happen to his child and he treated my brother with the
care as if he was not comatose and actively awake. I have vowed to be like this one nurse that
did what he could to care for my family in our time of need. If I was not needed to care for
someone then they would not be on my floor in the rooms I am assigned to so I have a job to do
and promise to keep to help everyone who needs me.
Humanbecoming has been a very influential part of my journey in which I would not
have the same views and values that I currently do. Humanbecoming theory has taught me to
holistically view my patient more than just their disease and illness processes. A person’s
physical health is only one portion of the entire human being and we cannot ignore the other
sections or else the quality of life will decrease and if that were to happen then we are not
effective with our care. A person’s mental and spiritual health has major roles to play in a
patient’s quality of life. If the patient is emotionally depressed this will hinder the physical
healing process. Maintaining a healthy working environment also affects other nurses who will
affect their patients mental feelings based on their treatment from the nurse (2010,
Kupperschmidt, Kientz, Ward, Reinholz).
Parse has many different ideas behind her theoretical standpoints on the view over the
world of nursing. One of her core concepts includes a concept called, “Enabling-Limiting”. This

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idea includes enabling the patient in making an educated decision by providing information on
the topic as well as projected scenarios both good and bad if the patient were to make one choice
over the other. This has been specifically important and conducive to my learning and growth as
a young nurse because this gives the patient the most knowledge about a serious decision that
could be very beneficial or detrimental. Patient education is incredibly important and Parse has
taken that into consideration.
Biblical principles have been embedded into my being through so many teachings and
situation where experience was the only way to learn. Throughout my life, my family has been
through a lot of different situations where people have not treated us how we would treat them.
The things that got us through those times were the fact that everyone is different and a child of
God. To be able to forgive, forget and love those who have done evil unto us I believe is a great
virtue to have. Grudges are not how happy lives are made on either party’s parts. To do unto
others how you would want to have done unto yourself is how I prefer to live my life (2006,
Miller and Shelly). I would give my life for those I love including my patients. We are all
children of God and we were placed here to live and survive as cohabitants in this world so I
believe it is in my being to treat everyone with love and respect even if they are not family. In
today’s times there is not as much kindness going around and I believe if I am able to make a
difference in someone’s life then I will.
Another principle I take after is from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 and it states, “There is a time for
everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a
time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to
scatter stones and a time to scatter them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

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a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and
a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time
for war and a time for peace.” In this passage it is said that God has a plan for everyone and
everything and everything happens for a reason in its own time. The second passage I also follow
closely to my personal belief system and it comes from Phillipians 4:6-7 which states, “Do not
be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Anxiety and fear of things that you cannot
control can create much unhappiness, uncertainty and depression within a person that their
quality of life actually decreases.
To understand that everything happens for a reason even if it is for a reason you do not
currently understand will give you clarity of mind that you are a piece of a much greater plan and
the current event will lead to something else of greater benefit even if it does not look like there
is a positive in the outcome. We cannot see the future and so it seems bleak without knowing
what is coming your way. Trusting your future, success and happiness in God, releasing the
reigns and constant grip you must continuously have to feel in control will make it so that you
are not overly concerned that it “may not work out”. There is a plan set in motion and it is my
job to do my best and let God do the rest.
In the tough and organized world of nursing, there are those who must rise to be a leader.
No ship will sail without a captain and no organizational chain would be successful without
someone to get things accomplished in the medical field. Personally as a leader I am one who
takes the interests and unique traits of my followers into consideration to make educated

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decisions to better myself, my team and my patient’s lives. In a team everyone must be
effectively utilized to achieve a common goal within a certain amount of time to be efficient.
In the clinical setting it is very important to be apart of a medicinal team to collectively
improve the patient’s potential outcome and quality of life. To be a nurse in that setting I am the
one who is closest and most involved with the patient so it is appropriate to be in a lead position
and collaborate with other medical professionals about the progression of care with this client.
Throughout this program I have met so many different people who have made so many
different impacts on my life. The people I have taken care of both inside and outside of the
hospital setting have taught me so much about what it is I am getting myself into. With each
passing experience and even the smallest of gratitude like a “thank you” has made an impression
on my being that has reinforced what it is to be a nurse and to serve those in need.
The main reasons why I have changed during the program include the personal
experiences that I was fortunate enough to participate in throughout the different rotations. In
relation to the male nurse that took care of my brother like his own child that started my passion
for this career, during the program I was placed in a similar situation in the Pediatric Intensive
Care Unit (PICU) where I was in a reversed role and I was assigned to a patient who was legally
brain dead and was scheduled for organ harvesting. The male nurse that I had followed treated
this patient as if she were still mentally alive and was even talking to the patient explaining the
procedure. This reinforced the values I have always had and I wanted to be the nurse that went
the extra mile even if no one ever saw. The family did see our efforts though and I am glad I was
able to make a difference in their lives even though their family member had already legally
passed away.

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Another situation in which I was able to grow and blossom as a young nurse included
when I was able to take care of another patient who was in late stage Alzheimer’s that came into
the hospital for pneumonia. He was an elderly man who was incredibly nice but was incredibly
tired. When shadowing the nurse, I was able to follow all the treatment protocols and get him
anything he needed in attempts to make his quality of life better whether or not he was able to do
it or not. I gave him the utmost hospitality, friendship, respect and did my best with treatment in
hopes he would recover. It turns out he lived at the site for my Gerontology clinical and he
seemed happier and healthy. I was incredibly pleased to see him in a much better state as a whole
and at this moment I took pride in what I did because I feel as though even if it were a minimal
change, I still did something to get him back to him facility as a healthy loved one of someone
else and I would be grateful for the ones who contributed to the health my of family member
also.
Nursing as a whole takes someone who is specifically cut out to handle the pros and cons
of the career as well as one who is able to truly feel sympathy, understanding and compassion for
their patients. To treat someone with medicine is good but to personally connect with the patient
and become apart of his or her lives and aid in their healing path is someone of Godly nature and
is in a league of their own. I will do my very best to be effective at my job and make it to where I
save lives and make new memories that I can be proud of. To make a difference in the world
even if only one person at a time I will take that over money any day. Money cannot buy
happiness but saving a life and treating others as they should be treated as a child of God can
certainly make a difference in not only the patient’s lives but also my own life.

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Reference Page
American Nursing Association Retrieved September 18, 2015 From,
http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing
Burkhardt, MA & Nathaniel, AK (2014). Ethics & Issues in Contemporary Nursing, 4th edition
Cengage Learning: Stamford, CT.
Holy Bible
Huston, Carol J & Marquis, Bessie L (2014.) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in
Nursing: Theory and Application 8th edition. LWW North American Edition.
Kupperschmidt, B., Kientz, E., Ward, J., Reinholz, B., (Jan. 31, 2010) “A Healthy Work
Environment: It Begins With You” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol.
15, No. 1, Manuscript 3.
Miller, Arlene B & Shelly, Judith A (2006). Called to Care: A Christian Worldview of Nursing
second edition. IVP Academic
Parse, Rosemarie Rizzo (1999). Hope: An International Human Becoming Perspective. Jones
and Bartlett.