Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Carrie
Bon Secours Memorial School of Nursing
Transition to Baccalaureate
3240
October 01, 2016
On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment or test, and I
pledge that I am in compliance with the BSMCON Honor System.

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Life is precious, every life. Be non-judgmental and provide the best care possible. Pay
special attention to humans basic needs; air, water, food, shelter, safety and love/belonging.
Make every patient feel like you are invested in their health, thereby encouraging them to invest
in it as well. Treat every person with respect. Carry these practices into your personal life.
Nursing does not stop at the hospital doors, it carries into the community. Nursing is a calling
and thereby spirituality should be considered for both the client and clinician.

My philosophy correlates closely with Hildegard Peplaus philosophy, An interpersonal

process of therapeutic interactions between an individual who is sick or in need of health
services and a nurse especially educated to recognize, respond to the need for help. It is a
maturing force and an educative instrument involving an interaction between two or more
individuals with a common goal (Wayne, 2014). She further expands her philosophy by
explaining the therapeutic nurse-client relationship (Wayne, 2014). It is a relationship between
the nurse and client that focuses on clients needs, feelings, ideas and problems and has one goal
in common. By labeling this connection as a relationship, greater investment is made. Humans
desire that connection as defined by Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs (Mcleod, 2007).
My philosophy also includes aspects of Maslows Hierarchy of Human Need. Basic
human needs are within the first tier; these are physical needs of air, food, water and shelter.
Second is the need for safety and security. The third tier is love and belonging, followed by the
fourth, esteem needs which are self-esteem, self-respect and self-reliance. Patients do not have
the knowledge that we possess, so we are to teach them how to care for themselves or their loved
ones. However, if they are distracted by basic needs, learning will not occur, nor can the fourth
and fifth tier, self-reliance and self-actualization.
However, it is the Nightingale Holistic Theory that best summarizes my personal
philosophy. In Holistic Nursing: Focusing on the Whole Person, Klebanoff states, A holistic
nurse is a licensed nurse who takes a mind-body-spirit-emotion-environment approach to the
practice of traditional nursing (Masters, 2014). She also reports that a holistic nurse is one that
integrates the principles of holistic healing into daily life and clinical practice. She, too, agrees
that nursing is not simply a job or career, but it is a way of life. Nursing defines us and uses, not
only our professional experiences to develop us, but also our personal experiences and values.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING

Florence Nightingale believed that nursing extended beyond the hospitals, she saw a logical
extension of nursing in acute hospital settings to the community (Masters, 2014). She believed
that disease prevention started in the community and that prevention could lead to better
wellness.
Lastly, how does my personal philosophy correlate with Bon Secours values? First,
respect is paramount for every patient. This is how the initial connections with patients/clients
and their families are made. We must show them respect for their basic needs, we must
acknowledge that these basic needs exist and make efforts to meet them. Something as simple as
making eye contact makes that initial connection with people, and relates that we intend to have
a connection with them. Second, is our integrity, which extends beyond facility doors. With
modern technology, information is readily available and social media is the all seeing eye. We
must conduct ourselves as respectable professionals, not the previously portrayed tipsy, selfserving, illiterate, promiscuous losers of the pre-Nightingale error (Masters, 2014). And we
must do so at all times, not only while we are on the job.
Finally, compassion is the foundation of nursing and my philosophy. When asked the
question, Why do you want to be a nurse, most of us answer, because we care about people. It
is with this compassion that we feel for others, that allows us to make connections, deeper
connections than those made without compassion. Compassion gives puts the human element
back into the sometimes, sterile and cold atmosphere of healthcare. After all, we are all humans,
both patients and practitioners. Because I am human, I will one day be a patient too. It is my
strong belief in the verse, do unto others as you would have done to you (Matthew 7:12), that
has guided, and will continue to guide, my personal philosophy and practice.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING

Bibliography
Denehy, J. (2004, February). Articulating your philosophy of nursing. The journal of
school nursing, vol. 17, no. 1. pp. 1-2.
Dossey, B. a. (2013). Holistic Nursing. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Klebanoff, N. (2013, October). Holistic nursing: focusing on the whole person. American
Nurse today, vol.8, no. 10. pp. 8-10.

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Masters, K. (2014). Role Development in the professional nursing practice. Burlington,

MA: Jones and Barlett Learning.
McLeod, S. (2007, September 17). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved from
simlpypsycology.org: www.simplypsycology.org/maslow.html
Wayne, G. (2014, September 2). Hildegard Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory.
Retrieved from nurseslabs.com: nurseslabs.com/hildegard-peplaus-interpersonal-relations-theory