My Philosophy of Nursing

To begin with, the term philosophy refers to a human consciousness and knowledge. However, we shall not into this definition provided by philosophers, but into the real world of philosophers who have given us basic theories for our nursing profession. We are aware that Florence Nightingale is the mother of our philosophy (Blais, Hayes, Kozier, & Erb, 2007). Virginia Henderson and Callista Roy are two other major nursing theorists in the profession who have been integral to the development of models of nursing. From them, I understand the expected behavior and practice of a registered nurse in the treatment and care of a patient (Blais et al., 2007). The primary focus from the two is to focus on the patient and his or her environment. I have been able to incorporate these two theories into my routine tasks as a nursing professional as I will discuss by giving examples. 

My role as a registered nurse incorporates not only the two theories, but also many more for appropriate care of the patient. While Nightingale is considered to the founder of modern nursing, I believe that the models developed by Henderson and Roy are less complex and allow me to effectively put into practice (Blais et al., 2007). I have worked in a telemetry unit taking care of patients with cardiovascular problems where I was able to apply both theories. I received a patient from the ER who presented with chest pain and shortness of breath. My initial assessment of the patient during the interview corresponds to the 14 fundamentals needs that Henderson developed (Blais et al., 2007). According to Henderson, nursed should help the individual patients and their families to achieve these fundamental needs (Blais et al., 2007). In the same assessment, I incorporate Roy’s model where the patient is seen as a biopsychosocial adaptive system (Blais et al., 2007). My role is to identify how the individual strives to achieve a balance of these systems and the environment and although, there is no absolute level of balance, he or she should realize a unique level of coping adequately. 

Reference

Blais, K., Hayes, J., Kozier, B., & Erb, G. (Eds.) (2007). Professional nursing practice: concepts and perspectives (5th ed.,). London, UK: Pearson Education.