Nursing Philosophy: Health Care

Describe about the Nursing Philosophy for Health Care?

 

 

In the words of Scruton (2005, p.9), we nurses can say that the underlying philosophy of our practice is the motivation that influences our desire to serve the people as nurses. The philosophy of nursing is a thought that govern the nurses to provide their best while serving a person each and every day. Our values and principles of ethics play an important role in developing our philosophy. It is the underlying philosophy that helps us and guides us to practice well and wisely. The philosophy of each and every person is different and is based on what we believe and what we value (God, 2015). These values and beliefs influence our choices at work.

At the centre of the nursing practice are the patient and their family. A nurse should serve a patient regardless of his or her social status, economic background and race. As per the words of Florence Nightingle nursing is a noble profession, a call from the God to provide civilized care to the sick regardless of their condition.

I choose to be a nurse because I think helping others is the best thing that I ever wanted to do and nursing gives me the best opportunity. According to me, nursing is not just a paid job but is a career that is filled with honor, compassion, respect and kindness. It’s not just a profession to me, but it’s a passion that drives me to offer the best possible services to the persons with need of health care.

The best part of the nursing that motivates me to serve the patient is the challenge that a nurse has to face each and every day. Each and every patient is different, their problems are different and as a result the approaches towards each and every patient are different. From each and every case or patient I get to learn something new which enhances my knowledge every day.

I think the best gift of nursing is the smiles that are offered by the relieved patients and their family. It is the blissful smile that I think keeps me going. According to me, nursing philosophy should be based on the truthfulness, patient centeredness, fairness in the service provided, full commitment to the patient and nonjudgmental care.

At the centre of the nursing practice is the patient. It is the responsibility of the nurse to provide a holistic, safe and patient centered care to each person (Marchuk, 2014). Respecting the autonomy and the dignity of the person is the most important part of the nursing practice. Maintain the confidentiality of the patient and providing the patient with proper information and knowledge is another aspect of the nursing philosophy.

The ethical principles, morals and values are different for different persons. As a nurse one should always maintain the professional and personal standard of ethics. But a nurse should not forget that he patients have their own principles and ethics. The healthcare sector is complex that often generates the clash between the ethical principles of the health care providers and the patients (Holt, 2013). The nurses are often confronted with dilemma regarding the decision making about a patient. The dilemma generates due to the clash of the ethical values. In one way, the ethics direct that the nurses should always perform what is best for the patient. On the other hand, if the decision of the nurse is confronted by the objection of the patient, then, the ethical question that arises is whether to do the best thing for the patient or to respect the autonomy of the patient (Kim, Han & Kim, 2014).

Ethical issues are common in nursing practice. But handling the issues with proper care and knowledge is the most important part of the nursing philosophy (Wheat, 2009). The nursing philosophy not only includes the physical care of the patient, but also the mental and emotional wellbeing of the patient. So addressing the ethical issues with proper care is very important.

According to me, the personal philosophy of a nurse always says to do what is good for the patient, but the emotional and mental aspect of the patient should also be considered in order to provide all round healthcare service to the patient. The moral and ethical dilemma in nursing decision making should be addressed with mutual understanding and discussion. The nurse should interact with the patient and his or her family with compassion and provide them the proper information and reasons for the clinical decision and should convince them by making them understand the need of the healthcare situation.

References:

God, S. (2015). Nursing Philosophy - St John of God Health Care. Sjog.org.au. Retrieved 13 May 2015, from https://www.sjog.org.au/careers/nursing_philosophy.aspx

Holt, J. (2013). Nursing in the 21st century: is there a place for nursing philosophy?. Nursing Philosophy, 15(1), 1-3. doi:10.1111/nup.12042

Kim, K., Han, Y., & Kim, J. (2014). Korean nurses' ethical dilemmas, professional values and professional quality of life. Nursing Ethics. doi:10.1177/0969733014538892

Marchuk, A. (2014). A personal nursing philosophy in practice. Journal Of Neonatal Nursing, 20(6), 266-273. doi:10.1016/j.jnn.2014.06.004

Scruton R. (2005) Philosophy: Principles and Problems. London: Continuum, p. 9.

Wheat, K. (2009). Applying ethical principles in healthcare practice. Br J Nursing, 18(17), 1062-1063. doi:10.12968/bjon.2009.18.17.44162