A nursing philosophy is an important mission statement comprising the central values, beliefs, and professional goals against which a nursing professional guides his or her patient care decisions and depicts his/her personal and professional motives, ethics, and values in his/her practice. Development of a nursing philosophy consists of understanding why nursing is important to an individual and identifying personal strengths along with values that define patient care approaches.
A nursing philosophy will motivate a nurse to keep going during the most trying times in their career. It guides role selection and further education in the profession. The philosophy must be regularly re-examined to find out whether it has grown with their maturity in their career and changing needs of the patient. Examples of nursing philosophies mostly include patient-centered care, advocacy, and continuing professional development.
An explicit nursing philosophy in a nurse explains the commitment to deliver quality care and professional excellence. It guides how nurses relate to patients, work collaboratively with the healthcare team, and strive for service development in health care. Thereby, this defined nursing philosophy shall help a nurse progressively work through their careers to create a positive impact on patient results.
What is nursing philosophy ?
A nursing philosophy is a statement that encapsulates values, beliefs, and goals concerning patient care and their profession. It mirrors personal ethics and motivations to guide how one provides compassionate and effective care. A nursing philosophy would identify the reasons for the existence of nursing, the strengths that one possesses, and a number of core values which form one’s approach toward health care.
Nurses apply this philosophy to professional challenges and to decisions made throughout their careers. Revisiting the philosophy from time to time will help it to grow with experiences and needs of care for patients. A clearly stated nursing philosophy espouses the responsibility of a nurse to high-quality care and excellence in his/her profession. It affects how a nurse shall behave with patients, work with groups or teams involved in health care, and even help in improving services associated with health care. By defining their nursing philosophy, nurses can serve their patients better and move towards their careers.
Why is nursing philosophy important ?
A nursing philosophy acts as a guide while carrying out their duties in caring for patients; therefore, every nurse’s action and decision in delivering patient care should revolve around the center of values and beliefs. This keeps the nurse focused, hence ensuring consistency in the delivery of quality care to patients all the time. It also motivates nurses to get through tough times by having a clear philosophy of nursing. Being reminded why they became a nurse helps them remain dedicated and persistent. This motivation enables them to keep providing a high level of care in spite of circumstantial odds.
A nursing philosophy also goes a long into career development. This makes nurses be in a position to make informed decisions about education, certifications, and job opportunities. Alignment of the philosophy with the career choices places the nurse in a position to achieve personal satisfaction and professional success.
Writing a nursing philosophy: a complete guide
A nursing philosophy is set by core values one possesses as a nurse. Here is a complete guide in writing a nursing philosophy.
Understand Your Motivation
Begin writing a nursing philosophy by reflecting on why you chose nursing for your career. Review the experiences and people that inspired you to nursing. Knowing your motivation helps you shape a personal and meaningful life.
Identify Your Values and Strengths
Second, identify the values and strengths that guide your practice. Consider such qualities as empathy, integrity, and teamwork. Listing such values and strengths creates a clear and focused nursing philosophy.
Set Your Professional Goals
Ultimately, create professional goals within your nursing philosophy. Consider what you want to achieve with your nursing practice—maybe further education or bettering care for patients. These will set the way for what you do and the decisions you make as a nurse.
Examples of nursing philosophy
Here are some examples of nursing philosophy
Patient-Centred Care
An example of a nursing philosophy is paying attention to and working on patient-centred care; this theory concentrates on individual patient needs and preferences. Nurses who subscribe to this philosophy work at establishing strong, supportive relationships with patients. They try to ensure that care given to each particular patient is tailor-made to their specific health goals and values.
Advocacy and Integrity
Another nursing philosophy example is one that embraces advocacy and integrity by protecting patients’ rights and defending ethically high standards for the profession. A nurse who follows this philosophy acts as an advocate for her patients and safeguards their voices and opinions. They promise a high standard of ethics and truthfulness in their interactions.
Lifelong Learning and Growth
A nursing philosophy example can also be based on lifelong learning and professional growth. According to this view, value is put on further education, learning from experience, and openness to new evidence-based practices. As a nurse with this kind of philosophy, one would seek to remain abreast of the evolution of medicine and try to enhance his practice over the years.
Tips and tricks for nursing philosophy
Here are some tips and tricks to Create an Incredible Nursing Philosophy That Expresses Your Values and Goals.
Keep It Personal and Authentic
In creating a nursing philosophy, let it be something that describes the personal values and beliefs you have regarding nursing. The authenticity shows in the writing of a statement that clearly defines your person as a nurse. The concentration will be more toward your experiences and what drives you to make it unique and original.
Be Clear and Concise
Keep your nursing philosophy plain and simple. Avoid jargon and complicated words. A straight and uncomplicated statement is easily understandable and memorable. It will be good enough to have a couple of sentences that will primarily provide some key values and goals that deal with professionalism.
Review and Revise Regularly
It is during this phase that one needs to review their philosophy of nursing regularly and make relevant changes to keep up with any career and experience evolution. Revisions will help reflect new insights or changes in professional focus. This practice will keep your philosophy relevant and effective throughout your nursing career.
Bottom line
A nursing philosophy can be understood as a summative statement defining a nurse’s beliefs, values, and goals for delivering care to patients; it guides decision-making and serves to express personal ethics in the nursing profession. Defining your nursing philosophy guides compassionate and effective patient care. A clearly defined nursing philosophy adds to focus, consistency in the delivery of care to patients, and finding meaning during rough times in one’s career. It helps a nurse make informed decisions regarding her career. Keeping the philosophy personal, straightforward and simple, one would be well on the way to developing an effective philosophy. Review and change it every so often, so that it remains pertinent and relevant to your practice.
FAQs
A nursing teaching philosophy is a personal statement that describes how you teach nursing students. It states the central beliefs concerning teaching and your goals for student development, teaching methods you use, and how to engage and support learners. This philosophy demonstrates your commitment to the nurturing of critical thinking, professional growth, and effective learning
The nursing moral philosophy entails principles that guide moral decision-making in nursing. It is powered by values such as respect, justice, and truth-telling while offering care to patients. This philosophy guides nurses in making ethical decisions, maintaining professional standards, and ensuring compassionate care.
