Personal Philosophy of Nursing Nursing is one of the most difficult careers. Nurses must possess a number of important traits including empathy, respect, and professionalism. We must be tenacious, patient, and optimistic. Every nurse is different, just as every patient is different. Every nurse has their own reason as to why they chose to become a nurse. Becoming a nurse is not for everyone. You must be prepared to work long hours. At times the job is physically and emotionally draining. Nurses miss out on holidays, birthdays, and many weekends with their family.
We have to deal with upset patients and demanding family embers. There are many days when I work twelve or even sixteen hour shifts without even one lunch break. Nursing is one of the most difficult careers, but in my opinion is also the most rewarding career. I am proud to be a nurse, but I know this job is not for everyone. Choice of Nursing I wish I could say I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, but this is not the case. As a matter of fact, I was eighteen when I graduated high school and I still had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I was not sure if I even wanted to attend college.
A few months after I graduated high school I learned my grandmother was sick. I decided I was going to quit my job and move to Texas to help take care of her. So in November 2010, here I am in a new state two thousand miles away from home and the only person I knew was my eighty year old grandmother. I soon enrolled in a community college to keep myself occupied. I knew my grandmother was in good hands when I was not home; we constantly had occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and nurses in and out of the house daily. This is when realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I had such admiration and appreciation for every single health are worker that I came into contact with for the next three years. They were all wonderful to my grandmother but her nurse was exceptional. She was gentle, kind, and thoughtful. She had so much patience with my grandmother and made such a difference in our lives. It was then that I knew I wanted to help people. I wanted to take care of them and advocate for them just as my grandmothers nurse had done for her. Becoming a nurse was the best decision I have ever made. I know if I can provide comfort and care to my patients every day my life’s purpose will be fulfilled.
Essence of Nursing According to the National League of Nursing the four core values of nursing are caring, integrity, diversity and excellence. I believe the core of nursing is and always should be the patient. Patients should always be the top priority; they are people like you and I. Nurses should care for the patient by promoting health, healing and hope. Nurses should have integrity by respecting the dignity and morals of every patient. Nurses should be diverse by affirming the differences of ideas and values of every patient. Nurses should possess excellence by committing to continuous growth and improvement.
Ibelieve that the focus of nursing is to advocate, have compassion, and respect patients and their family. It is my duty to make my care centered upon the patient’s needs and wishes. Nurses have not always had the power in health care as we do today. “Sociologists describe power as the ability to impose ones will upon others (Manojlovich). ” Nurses have gained more autonomy through the years. It is up to us to empower each other and to empower our patients, because “powerless nurses are ineffective nurses (Manojlovich). ” Beliefs and Values It is impossible for me to say what I believe about patients ecause every patient is different.
I strongly believe patients are and always will be my top priority. My patients have feelings, beliefs, and morals just like you and I. Being in the mental health field it is important that you gain the trust of your patients in order to be able to care for them and have them be an active participant in their care. Since many of my patients do not have a clear thought process on admission, it takes days for me to build a trusting relationship with them. Once the patient and I have built a rapport it is easier for me to talk to them and elp them gain insight into their mental health.
Patients are more involved in their care and willing to take their medication when they have a nurse who not only cares about the medication aspect of nursing but also the patient’s feelings and beliefs. I believe it is important for patient’s to be informed and be active in their care, and I hope to have a collaborative relationship with my patients so that their needs and wants are met. Every patient’s family is unique and they respond differently to health problems. Many of my psychiatric patients do not have family that is involved in the patient’s treatment.
I believe this is why so many of my patients are noncompliant with treatment after being discharged from the hospital. For those that do have family involved in their care, I have noticed have a better outcome. These patients are more likely to attend follow up visits and be compliant with their medications. It is imperative that the structure and style of the family is assessed in order to articulate an effective teaching plan. It is also important to give the family an opportunity to express how this illness is impacting their lives. Family support is critical for patients managing chronic mental illness.
It is my duty to teach family members the communication skills and provide them with the tools that they can use to encourage patients to remain cooperative and compliant with treatment. Those patients with supportive family are more likely to follow their self-care regimen and maintain their health. Day in and day out I am honored to work with some of the most extraordinary health care providers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. In the beginning of my career my fellow nurses, social workers, mental health counselors and physicians were all knowledgeable mentors.
Over time these mentors have grown to become some of my closest friends, together we are one big family. I believe it is the mutual respect we all have for each other that allows us to work so well as a unit. Together it is our duty to create a positive environment and calm milieu for our patients. We work as a team to allow our patients to receive the best care and maximize the patient’s outcome. I am thankful for everyday that I am allowed to go to a job where I receive an abundance of encouragement and support from my co-workers. Sometimes I am so busy taking care of others I forget to take care of myself.
I am by no means an unhealthy person but I know there are many things I can do to increase my health and well-being. Becoming a nurse makes one acutely aware of how unhealthy America as a whole is living. As a teenager I as well was living an unhealthy lifestyle. I was smoking cigarettes, eating fast food, staying out all night, and living a sedative lifestyle. Since then I have stopped smoking and have been nicotine free for over 2 years. I have seen many patients suffering from diabetes, causing them to lose limbs and even their eyesight. I have focused on eating healthier and I love to cook. It saves me money and calories.
I no longer go out drinking with friends. I make sure to always get a full eight hours of sleep. I do not have much time to go to the gym between working a full time job and going to school. However, I do get exercise multiple times day while taking my dog for a walk. I will continue to strive to be the healthiest me I can be by making mindful, healthy choices. Vision for the Future In two years I see myself continuing my education. By then I will have completed my Bachelors program and be enrolled in a Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center; my first priority is doing my ob to the best of my ability.
I believe it is of the upmost rs program. I plan on continuing my career at importance that I master my job as a nurse, and that I am able to build my foundation in my nursing career. By this time I hope to become a preceptor for nursing students to be able to share my knowledge and experience. I was extremely fortunate to have exceptional preceptors and training, I would love to be able to be that mentor for a nurse at the beginning of their career In five years I see myself progressing in the mental health field and at Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center.
By this time I believe I will have finished the NP program, and I will be working as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. I would like to have profound knowledge of nursing by way of a nurse practitioner, so that I can serve people with more innovative skills. I find the mental health field interesting and motivating and although there are many challenges ahead, I am eager to see where the future takes me. In ten years I hope to have my own practice as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. I envision myself caring for not just adults but also for children who suffer from chronic mental health llness.
I hope to spend ample enough time with my patients daily. One of the biggest complaints I hear from patients is that their psychiatrists does not spend enough time with them. I plan on assessing and acknowledging my patients wants and needs as to gain a good rapport. It is hard to predict the future but ten years from now I plan on being in the field I love and caring for and advocating for the patients that need me. Summary I believe I have what it takes to succeed and be an exceptional nurse in the professional world. A strength all nurses must have is communication skills.
Communication includes not just speaking but listening as well. I believe communicating is the way to gain trust and rapport with patients. It allows the patient to follow directions and comply with treatment. Great nurses must also have empathy for the suffering of patients. I believe I have the strength of kindness allowing me to have compassion and provide comfort. This also allows me to advocate for my patients needs and wants. Nurses must also be able to form interpersonal relationships between doctors and patients. This allows me to work well with other nurses, doctors and mental health counselors.
I also possess the quality to be able to respond quickly to emergency situations. I am able to keep a calm attitude and respond swiftly in a crisis. Most importantly have respect for people and rules. I am able to remain impartial and be mindful of confidentiality. These are all qualities of an extraordinary nurse. As a new nurse with less than one year of experience I face multiple limitations. Firstly, right now being a nurse with only an Associate’s degree, I face limitations in the work force. The majority of the hospitals in Hampton Roads are requiring nurses to possess a Bachelor’s in nursing in order to be employed.
Another limitation is that I have far less experience than nurses that have been practicing for years, which means I also lack clinical experience. One major setback for me is that I am a psychiatric nurse. I have no medical experience. I am afraid that if I continuing working in a mental health hospital I will forget all of the clinical experience I learned in nursing school. I know these are simply current limitations and I will overcome them. There is nothing stopping me from achieving my professional goal of becoming an extraordinary nurse.
