Reflecting on my nursing education I realized that throughout the years of nursing school and my two-year practice as a registered nurse I have created a combination of values and beliefs for myself – my nursing philosophy. An interplay of my classroom experience, my interactions with patients, family members, members of interdisciplinary teams of doctors, social workers, nutrition and respiratory therapists – my nursing philosophy represents the growth I have achieved from being a student nurse to becoming a recipient of a “Best Critical Care Nurse” this year. As I continue advancing in my career, my ethics, cultural and critical care competencies will keep growing exponentially.
Nursing is not just a professional choice; it is a life style. Feeling an overwhelming need to help people determines the choice of the profession. I strongly believe that every patient should be treated with respect regardless of their race, age, gender, religious or sexual preference, socioeconomic status or life choices that he or she has made. Each patient has a right to receive the best possible care, honesty and a feeling of safety during my care. Not a single patient deserves to die alone. The critically ill patients, in particular, must receive holistic care full of integrity. The critical care nurse must be able to balance the need for highly technological complex care with human kindness, understanding, cultural competency, safety, privacy, comfort and dignity.
The critical care nurse’s ability to make solid decisions is rooted into a solid foundation of academic knowledge, experience and professional intuition. My main goal is to pursue life-long learning every day – not a day goes by without me learning something new, big or small and reflecting on what has occurred; moreover, I make it my personal goal to share my growing knowledge with as many people as I can reach out to. Educating patients and fellow nurses is something that I value greatly. Integration of evidence-based practice into my clinical experience makes it possible for me to gain positive patient outcomes.
I feel very strongly about creating compassionate and trusting relationship with patients and their families – the concept of patient-centered care is integral in my practice. I make sure to advocate for patients at all times. I represent myself as a devoted and valuable member of a multidisciplinary healthcare team and I am highly committed to helping my patients in reaching their best level of health and well-being.
