Philosophy of Professional Nursing Essay

Nursing as a profession includes a comprehensive strong set of principles, which should be understood and learned by each person, who decides to work in this field. Nursing philosophy, in my opinion, is not merely a philosophy of carative process, but also specific view on the patient. The present paper is designed to discuss my own approach to my profession and the related beliefs. Nursing first and foremost refers to health care, so the major value in this profession is health. I define this term as a state of physical, psychological and spiritual well-being. Individuals not always pay attention to their health, even though it substantially influences the quality of human life, so competent specialists are needed to help them understand the importance of health and lead them on their paths to positive individual and social functioning. As a nurse, or health care provided, I normally use Dunn’s approach to health as to maximum wellness, which can be described as â€Å"integrated method of functioning which is oriented toward maximizing the potential of which the individual is capable within the environment where he is functioning† (Smerke, 1989, p. 154). Individuals tend to engage in energy exchange with their environment and also seek to achieve balance in this process, or simply adapt to the environment. Although individuals strive to achieve balance and maximum functional status, they also actively seek new experiences that may disturb their balance at least temporarily† (Smerke, 1989, p. 155). This means, it is also important to deal with the roots of health dysfunctions such as lifestyle, habits, negative influences of the closest environment, job stress and so forth – I believe, each nurse is supposed to provide recommendations concerning the elimination or minimization of negative external influences and the development of healthy lifestyle, which increases productivity and both physical and psychological balance. Thus, it is necessary to take a holistic approach to health (Andrews and Amphlett, 1995), which would include both the satisfaction of health-related needs and attention to the patient’s individuality, as the final goal of nursing is the maximization of well-being. Speaking about the view on client within the philosophy of professional nursing, it is important to note that the patient â€Å"is a human being who has dignity, worth and the right to quality nursing care delivered with competence. The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the dignity and uniqueness of every individual with attention to the cultural and ethnic diversity of patients and their significant others† (Smith, 1995, p. 11). Individuals operate in dissimilar environments, so different issues might influence their health. Attentive listening and compassion within the basic nursing care might have really therapeutic effects, which will appear motivating to both nurse and health care service user. In addition, mutual understanding between the patient and the nurse are necessary to develop a true partnership in the relationship (Andrews and Amphlett, 1995), this aspect especially relates to the work with children, who often have fear of health services, hospitals and specialists in the corresponding uniform and thus refuse to cooperate. The respect for patient’s dignity includes non-judgmental approach to the client’s lifestyle and cultural sensitivity. The nurse is not entitled to be a spiritual teacher, and should be tolerant enough to avoid accusing patients of their health problems, such professionals, as I believe, should rather inspire patients to develop healthy habits rather than demonstrating strong dissatisfaction. Nurse’s role is not limited to the assistance in carrying out doctor’s orders, as they are often supposed to make their own decisions, as the number of unpredicted and unexpected situations is huge in the sphere of health care. I deem, nurses should also be advocates for patients, as they deal with service users much more closely than doctors and thus are welcome to suggest certain changes in the process of health care and discuss them with therapists (for instance, therapists not always notice that patients also require professional psychological counseling, so nurse should not hesitate to talk about this situation). I believe, nurses should also provide counseling in health care and, being prepared for work in the globalized society, they should take into consideration the client’s cultural background and their personal values, through which it is easier to articulate the necessity of adherence to certain recommendations. Furthermore, globalization also determines the need for social activity among nurses, as wellness and well-being might be threatened by dissatisfactory living conditions like poverty, against which they are encouraged to act, creating unions and associations. Working in health care teams, nurses also act as managers and team leaders, with respect to their competencies and skills. In the modern society, nursing should rely upon the specialist’s professionalism, or the ability to use the skills, learned in the course of education, depending upon the situation. Professionalism also involves the responsibility for human life and health (Smith, 1993), as nurses often have much freedom in health services and thus should be flexible enough to apply the knowledge of various disciplines where they are relevant. I believe it is also necessary to renew and enrich the knowledge; for his purpose, nursing includes the research of professional literature. To sum up, my own philosophy of nursing was developed to great extent owing to education (including self-training), as it was necessary to find out more about different approaches to health care and select the set of principles, with which I am completely consistent and to which I can adhere as a specialist. My philosophical views, as one can conclude, are comprehensive, as I take into consideration such issues as holism in health care, professional contact with patients, nurse’s roles, multiculturalism and research.