A philosophy describes or states the principles and concepts of a particular type of knowledge as well as a point of view for how this knowledge changes or develops. Therefore, the philosophy of nursing examines the relationship between what is known or can be known about the principles in nursing as well as how nursing develops. Nursing philosophies can be personal or universal. Personal philosophies are developed based on the nurse’s values, morals, logics and, ethics. Universal philosophies belong to groups such as organization, hospitals and, universities.
For me and many others, the overriding principle of nursing is that it is the science of caring which is needed by all sentient beings at one time or another. With caring as the chief concern of nursing, as a profession the ethics a nurse has developed must coincide with the value of providing care that is adequate and relevant to patients. My nursing philosophy guides my practice and pivots off of the axiom to treat patients with dignity, respect, and compassion while increasing my knowledge for self-development in order to provide competent quality care with integrity of the patient’s holistic needs. With all of this said, my philosophy of nursing is that it is a dynamic process of self-development which includes an increase in my ability to be compassionate as I learn new skills and perfect previously acquire skills in order to attend to patients’ needs.
Nursing if done right, is a profession that requires mindfulness and the ability to sacrifice for the good of others. These are not necessarily attributes that are in abundance in our modern world. However, mindfulness and the ability are some of the essential elements of caring and this, is what nursing is all about.
When I reflect on my ability to be caring, I know that this is why nursing is my chosen vocation and lifestyle. Despite the current trend of the conception of self-actualization as the results of self centered pursuits, humans like many other sentient beings are social and need each other for physical, psychical and spiritual survival. This is why caring will always be needed. I feel proud to be a nurse because I know that in my small way, my everyday actions as a nurse are maintaining the integrity and continuity of human interaction.
