In order to understand philosophy of nursing, the nurses should have a basic knowledge about the meaning of philosophy in our world. Philosophy is the study of general system of ideas about nature and human’s reality (Edwards, 1997). Philosophy is different from other area of sciences because it addresses ideas or problems by using critical thinking, process of thought and rational explanations (Edwards, 1997). Philosophy helps to resolve confusion or problem, look for reasons and answers, examine the concepts of worldviews, and criticize conceptual frameworks. Thus, philosophy is a pursuit of wisdom and truth which consist of beliefs, concepts, values, theories, meanings and attitudes of a particular group such as professional nurses.
I believe that nursing is an art of caring for other people’s health. Without caring, the nurse is unable to build a strong trust relationship with the patients. Caring is a center of nursing activities because it helps to develop a therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient. Throughout the nursing career, the nurse will continue applying basic knowledge of science in caring to provide a safe environment for the patient as well as apply current evidence-based practices into nursing interventions. The knowledge of science includes the basic anatomy and physiology, pathology, and a current knowledge of pharmacology. Thus, the nurse requires knowledge of science to perform certain technical skills. As a competent nurse, we always put patients’ safety as a priority. The nurse rechecks the prescribed medications before administering to reduce errors. To facilitate caring process, the nurse would use Watson’s human caring theory to focus on the patient’s care rather than technology. The nurse accepts and treats the patient as a unique self with positive respect for his or her beliefs and values. To promote precise and accurate decision making, the nurses use shared governance which allow them to work independently and collaborate with other members in the units. The incorporation between research and evidence-based practices are essential aspect for development of nursing standard of practices. To reduce stagnation, nursing career requires lifelong education and learning new things such as new technology. Continued education is an important solution for maintaining the nurse’s competencies.
Reference:
Edwards, S. D. (1997). What is philosophy of nursing? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(5), 1089-1093.
