Nursing Philosophy

A registered professional nurse (RN) is a licensed health professional who has autonomous, dependent and collaborative roles in the care of persons of all ages as well as patients with varying health statuses. The registered nurse uses the skill of caring and the knowledge of healthcare to concentrate on the quality of life of the patients they come across. In order to do this, registered nurses must be efficient in assigning nursing diagnoses and in assessing responses to the treatment of a patient’s, family’s and/or community’s health problems.

Because nursing is a very important part of the health care system, it is crucial that we as professionals remain abreast of all that this career demands. My philosophy of nursing reflects mainly on the core values of caring which include compassion, quality, and respect. It also reflects my belief in competent nursing skills and efficient care for all patients. I believe that the focus of nursing must always be providing effective care that is in the best interest of all patients and families. The need for caring is apparent as this is known to be a “profession of caring”. It is after all, the very thing that influences the need for nurses as well as a career in this field.

As nurses, we are responsible for diagnosing and treating a patient’s responses to diagnosed health problems, performing health assessments to identify new symptoms, teaching and counseling patients about maintenance of health and prevention of other illness/ complications, executing medical regimens as prescribed by some other licensed professionals, and contributing and consulting as a member of an interdisciplinary health care team. We must always work within our scope of practice and therefore must remain aware of what this actually is. Nurses must continuously incorporate theory and evidence based practice in order to make certain that we are striving to provide enhanced care. We must stay well-informed of nursing material and data. We must also remain aware of new research and advances in this career. In this way, nurses can continue to proficiently provide care. Nurses are responsible for thinking critically at all times which I believe is heightened by awareness and understanding. We must always utilize the nursing process to assess, plan and evaluate care of our patients. We are accountable for keeping them and their families well informed and knowledgeable about what is going on in their care. Nurses should always be committed to enhancing the well-being of clients by working in a way that benefits them at all times by caring in a humanistic- altruistic way.

As nurses, we must be empathetic and culturally competent. We must work in a way that honors the code of nursing at all times. We must provide care and do no harm to patients. We must advocate for them and their families. Nurses must work together and be able to act as a team at all times with other disciplines. We must include patients as well as the family in the care that we deliver and always work in a way that respects and honors their rights. We must continue to be a human with an extra caring touch, and must always do all that we can possibly do for our patients by first caring for ourselves and fellow nurses and respecting them always.