Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement 1

Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement

Evelina Balzhyk

Grand Canyon University: NSG-310

8/2/2019
Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement 2

Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement

Every nurse has a unique perspective of what nursing means. One thing that unites us is

the love for people, and the passion to care. Establishing a personal nursing philosophy provides

a foundation “from which all thoughts, feelings, and actions take place” (DeLaney, 2017).

Knowing what I believe in personally will further help me care for others, as I will have stable

beliefs of my own. Florence Nightingale and my personal beliefs have been great influencers of

my nursing philosophy.

Personal Philosophy

My nursing philosophy arises from a few different ideas, Matthew 7:12 is one of them:

“So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you” (“Matthew 7:12”, n.d.). My

care for patients should be at the quality at which I would want to be cared for. Nursing means

caring holistically, this includes the body, mind, and spirit. It is significant that the patient you

are caring for feels safe and spiritually at peace. This is the art of nursing. Florence Nightingale

said, “Nature alone cures… what nursing has to do… is to put the patient in the best condition

for nature to act upon him” (“Florence Nightingale Quotes”, 2017). The nurse’s role is to

manipulate the environment to encourage and facilitate the process of healing. Florence

Nightingale is a theorist who focused her studies on the environment, Nightingale’s

Environmental Theory suggests that “the environment is critical to health, and the nurse’s role in

caring for the sick is to provide a clean, quiet, peaceful environment to promote healing.”

(Friberg, 2016). Healing happens physically as well as mentally, and the nurse plays a large role

in encouraging this process.

Clinical Experience and Education

My clinical experience and additional knowledge in Level 1 has helped me form healthy

habits which promote patient healing. Being able to put theory to use has been one of the most

eye-opening experiences. Seeing different patients with unique qualities and abilities has helped

me think critically on the spot. Developmental and cultural differences in individuals have been

teaching me how important client-centered care is. Each patient is unique, with a different life

experience, and that is inevitable in the process of care. Promoting a positive and healing

atmosphere is vital in caring. As I was progressing through level one and my clinical experience,

I realized more and more how important communication is. Correct communication sets a first

impression and it provides trust within the patient and nurse; it is also part of a healing

environment. The development of my philosophy progressed greatly while observing nurse to

patient communication at my clinical site. It was evident that great nurses deeply care for their

patients; whether it be a minor tweak to make the patient more comfortable, or simply a word of

assurance, the nurses did everything in their ability to provide a healing and caring environment.

Learning about Florence Nightingale has motivated me to prioritize in nursing and be more

attentive to detail. Nightingale says, “The most important practical lesson that can be given to

nurses is to teach them what to observe” (“Florence Nightingale Quotes”, 2017). Certainly, being

observant of details saves time and potentially lives. Florence Nightingale’s belief that unless

nurses are not making progress they are not growing, has also influenced the way I perceive

nursing care. My philosophy has been vastly developed by my observations throughout the

clinical experience, the care I have seen in nurses, and the knowledge I have received in all of

my studies thus far.

Professional Goals
Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement 4

By the end of my nursing program I would like to be maximally comfortable in any

nursing situation, to communicate with patients therapeutically and with sympathy, and to

prioritize care in patients. I believe these are upon the most important skills to attain as a nurse.

For me, being comfortable in a situation means to think of solutions on the spot, even in an

emergency, it means to stay calm even if things are unexpectedly taking a turn. Anxiety is the

last thing that I would want my patient to witness. Therapeutic communication is also a

significant part of nursing and determines the relationship I will have with my patients. Making

sure that the patient understands all the procedures, is comfortable and getting all the care for

healing, is most significant. Prioritizing the required care for each individual and distinguishing

between the patient who needs most urgent care is a great method to initiate healing. Prioritizing

will also help keep things in order and organized.

Developing my nursing philosophy and professional goals has set me on a much clearer

path with attainable goals. Florence Nightingale has influenced much of my philosophy, as well

as my personal values, beliefs, and experiences. It is important for me to serve people with

compassion and in such a way as I would like to be served. Nightingale once mentioned in her

book,

Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a

preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead

canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of

God’s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.”

(“Florence Nightingale Quotes”, 2017).

Caring for others is truly an art, and nurses are the paint brushes creating beauty out of pain.

Despite Nightingale living in a different era and environment, her studies are used to this day for

education and preparation of nurses nationally.

References

BibleGateway. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew

7:12&version=NIV

Delaney, C., & Moore, K. (2017, February). Envisioning Holistic Nursing Philosophy Using Art.

Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29782103

Florence Nightingale Quotes About Nursing: A-Z Quotes. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.azquotes.com/author/10825-Florence_Nightingale/tag/nursing

Friberg, E., Creasia, J. Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice.

[Pageburstls]. Retrieved from https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/9780323299930/

Part 2- Honors Requirement

Interview Questions

1. What is your personal nursing philosophy of care?

Answer: I believe that nursing is more than treating an illness; rather it is focused on

delivering quality patient care that is individualized to the needs of each patient.

2. What was an important professional experience that shaped your understanding of role

and scope of practice?

Answer: Every day is an experience. The more you practice the more you understand the

significance of scope of practice. Every day you communicate with either the HCP, RNs, the

UAPs, and other health care professionals. Everyone has their duty to do, it is beautiful

seeing the result.

3. What made you choose your specialty?

Answer: I wanted to help people in their time of vulnerability. I wanted to see more of what I

had learned. The ICU was the only place where I could learn most deeply about human

anatomy, how the body works, and how everything comes together.

4. What advice can you give me?

Answer: Adjusting to your role as patient advocate and communicator takes time and effort,

but you will experience personal rewards that nursing brings to you. Take time to be present,

to see what your patient is most in need of. Another tip is being a team player, it helps create

a better understanding with other nurses.

Reflection

The nurse’s response put me more at ease as I begin noticing nurses having similar

challenges. It isn’t easy to find the correct communication with each patient, or each nurse.

Sometimes it takes a little to get used to your role and performing it correctly. I see the idea of

client-centered care traced all throughout my nursing experience; it is significant to be aware of

what your client needs at the moment, and what you can do to accomplish those needs. Scope of

practice is also vital in nursing, if people nurses were not assigned roles, care would be delayed

and not very effective. This is where teamwork comes into play. Being in unity with your team is

necessary to able to provide a healing and comforting atmosphere. Communication amongst

health care professionals is the one thing which will be most beneficial not only to the team, but

to the patients as well. Every individual leaves a unique experience for the nurse, and this is

when learning happens most. How to react, how to respond, how to listen, these are questions

that we will be asking ourselves every day and must learn how to deal with. I observed from the

interview that each nurse will be fit for a unique position, some are able to handle trauma, and

others are able to deal more with long-term care. Every nurse specialist is needed to fulfill these

spots, to see success in the team as a whole. Caring is a very general term, it compensates so

much within itself, but it explains what it means to be a nurse. The interview helped me

understand nursing professionalism more, because of the nurse’s personal experience.

Professionalism includes communication, appearance, role, scope of practice, and much more.

As a nurse, I must follow the guidelines of my facility to perform professional behavior, I must

use all of my knowledge to promote a healing environment for me patient. Speaking to a nurse

who has worked in ICU helped me visualize what it is like. Patients are dependent on nurses, and

that is important to understand. Every action of the nurse is significant, whether it be for the
Nursing Philosophy and Professional Goals Statement 9

better or for the worse. The body is fascinating, and every nursing experience provides us with

another opportunity to find out more about the body and to seek better methods of healing. The

advice which the nurse gave me, to be present, means a lot to me. I personally believe that

patients are in need of emotional support more than we think. Being present, participating in

therapeutic conversation, and reassuring the patients about their situation, are methods of

providing support. Sometimes emotional support is all it takes to make a patient smile and to

potentiate better care with more comfort. The interview was overall a great learning experience

for me as I got some of my questions answered by a professional who has been through certain

experiences. There is no doubt every nurse has a different perspective and experience while

working, but there is always something valuable to learn from each of these healthcare

professionals.