Personal Philosophy of Nursing
        A personal philosophy of nursing is defining nursing.  Nursing as defined by the American Nurses  Association (ANA) is the “protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2014).  Nursing is a career one strategically chooses to help and care for others.
        When I was child, I admired nurses who wear the white uniforms and caps that I saw in my uncle’s clinic, hospital, on movies and television. As I grow up, I don’t know what to choose as my carrier.  I like to help people and care my family whenever they sick. I made my decision when I was hospitalized for my abdominal pain and the care that I received from the nurses.  I began to understand that a nurse was an individual that could make a difference in other person’s life.
        When I start my nursing education, I realize that a nurse is not only caring the patient but also require the level of medical knowledge.  Since the medical field is continually evolving, nurses must keep current best practices and delivery of patient care.  Nursing care is not just limited to the patient but the family members and other members of the health care team are also the recipients of the care giving by the nurse.  The nurse establishes a trusting relationship with the patient, family and support team and uses the nursing process to achieve patient, family goals.  The nurse is clinically competent and exhibits caring behaviors which are guided by ethical principles (St. Mary, 2014).
        A nurse must be able to apply classroom knowledge and skills to work place in order to be effective as a nurse.  A good nurse must think holistically, constantly anticipating the need of patient and also able to prioritize health care issues with the patient.  Along with the prioritization, nurse must be skilled in time management to achieve adequate care of the patients. A nurse needs to have an overwhelming amount of compassion and caring for the patients and their families and also their emotional needs.  Respect, advocacy, honesty and privacy are four issues that any human deserves and are especially important in the health care setting.  According to the ANA, the nurse promotes for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.
        As a health care provider, encouraging screening and early intervention can reduce the number of patients with illnesses. We will have a healthy society, if we do our job to the best of our abilities.

References

American Nurses Association, (2014). What is Nursing?.  Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/especiallyforyou/what-is-nursing

St. Mary’s Health System, (2014).  Philosophy of Nursing.  Retrieved from http://www.stmarys.org/philosophy-of-nursing