Nursing Philosophy

Merriam-Webster defines a philosophy as “the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc.” In the definition of philosophy, “meaning” is a recurrent theme. Philosophy gives insight into the meaning of “why” certain things are, providing a framework.

My philosophy regarding nursing involves several key words: compassion, safety, honesty, competency, advocacy, support, and holism. Nurses should act competently and safely, guided by knowledge and honesty. Nurses should also be confident advocates for their patients that are entrusting them to help them in their time of need. Nurses should support their patients both physically and psychologically, or in a holistic manner.

Some ethical values pertinent to nursing that I hold include beneficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity. Nursing should engage in beneficence, doing what’s in the best interest for the patient. Justice involves equality, providing equitable access to nursing care. Fidelity is another key principle in which loyalty, fairnesss, and advocation take part. Veracity refers to truthfulness, disclosing pertinent information and respecting confidentiality. These principles go hand-in-hand to make for nursing care that is not only competent and safe, but also driven by positive moral standards that elevate care.

My beliefs and values coincidentally mimic most of the nursing ethical principles. I believe in honesty, with no compromising of the truth. I believe in justice, fairness, and equality- that all people should be treated the same regardless of class, race, background, etc. In addition, I believe in advocacy for what’s right and speaking up, in a respectful manner, when it becomes necessary. Moreover, I believe in being and doing good. I believe that we should act for the benefit of ourselves and those around us, not be mistaken for selfishness. I adapt a proactive mentality and lifestyle instead of a reactionary attitude. The difference is that I believe in control of my actions and words, whereas reaction depends on external forces that we cannot control, diffusing responsibility and accountability for what we do.

In addition, some of my influence includes a work called “Meditations,” by Ancient Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius suggests “we are made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth [and] to act against one another then is contrary to nature,” encouraging both altruism and inter-dependency (167 AC). Another passage reads:

“Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is akin to me, not only of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in the same intelligence and the same portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him.” (Aurelius, 167 AC).

In summary, Aurelius encourages full responsibility for his actions and the pursuit of the greater good over one’s own. Aurelius encourages not judging and emphasizes perspective to remember what matters and to accept the situations of yourself and others. He emphasizes action versus reaction.

In summary, I believe that nurses should adopt ethical principles to guide their practice. To take it a step further, nurses should be practicing these ethical principles in every day life as well. This ensures authenticity and yields better results, strengthening morality. Nursing is a human study as much as it is a technical study in patient care. Strong ethical principles are necessary and to be able to identify your own values will guide safe, competent, successful, patient-centered care that goes beyond administering medications.