Personal Nursing Philosophy

Nursing Autobiography

Everyone has a childhood dream of the career they would like to pursue depending on personal interests and passions. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in a family of five. I am the second of three children and the only nurse in the household. I started my graduate studies at Vancouver School of Nursing in 1954 where I received an RN in nursing in 1970. In 1971, I was awarded a certificate in Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1979, I graduated with a Masters in Psychiatric Nursing at the same university. Later in 1986, I received a Ph.D. in Interpersonal Communication there. I am currently married, have three children, and work as a senior nurse at the Atlanta State Referral Hospital.

My first employment was day-duty nursing in a surgery department at the Vancouver Referral Hospital. At the very beginning, I worked as an RN at the only cardiac critical care unit in the state. My first salary was approximately 300 dollars; it was enough to service the bills. I also assisted in other local healthcare facilities as a childcare assistant and education expert. Besides, childcare facilities requested my training services on weekends, and I worked as a health supervisor in local public health departments and child and aged home facilities. Afterward, I transferred to Atlanta State Referral Hospital, where I was promoted to a senior nurse and the chairperson of the Nursing Association in Georgia. Nowadays, I work as a private consultant for the government, supervise undergraduates, master’s research, and various organizational studies in the region.

Four Metaparadigms

Every profession is guided by concepts, metaparadigms, and theories. A metaparadigm is a set of propositions that guide professional philosophy and phenomena in a particular discipline (Peterson & Bredow, 2013). To achieve the required nursing standards, a nursing practitioner has to follow four basic metaparadigms in the discipline. They act as the backbones in terms of the best practices, making clinical judgments, and motivating them to behave ethically. These universal metaparadigms are person component, environment component, nursing component, and health component.

• Person Component

A person is a central target and user who relays and benefits from healthcare nursing service including the experts involved in medical practice. The subject includes patients with health conditions or persons seeking professional guidance from the relevant officers. The component emphasizes personal healthcare requirements, spiritual fulfillment, and, most importantly, social demands such as family relations and other essential associates regarded as being important in their lives. The paradigm was proved through the realization of people’s uniqueness and the need to accord them the best treatment and care concerning their problems. For instance, cancer patients and common flu patients are treated differently but have to gain maximum satisfaction from the services rendered to them. Their health is based on the interactions they have with physicians and nurses at various levels of treatment.

Watson (2010), through his philosophy and theory of caring science of the person, advocates for services that are based on the spiritual combination of mind, body, and nature. It requires the coordination of three aspects of human life. She advocates for love, kindness, and equality in professional practices. At individual context, this paradigm enables practitioner to handle patients with respect as a source of income and satisfaction. I employ it in my daily duties in order to ensure patients are comfortable and in a position to recover quickly. I base my conduct on the understanding that the healing process is delayed because of stress and low self-esteem. Being a nurse, it necessary to understand a patient’s background and design the appropriate approach.

• Environment

An environment is defined as the area and objects surrounding a person. It is focused on the ways the patient’s health is affected by the conditions around. The environment could be external that include the geographical location, economic and political factors, social and cultural interactions; or internal that revolves around mental and spiritual wellbeing impacting a person’s health. The surrounding can be used to accelerate or slow the recovery process of a patient. For instance, a quiet and serene environment is conducive for people to heal physical and mental conditions. It provides room for energy preservation in curing a disease rather than tries to balance and adapt to the situations.

Calista Roy’s adaptation theory of a healthy environment increases the chances of a patient’s survival and reduces the number of deaths. In my practice, I ensure that the wards and restrooms are well ventilated, quiet, and free from disturbance. It is also important to talk to patients regularly in order to understand their personal issues and background. As a result, mental discomfort and stress are avoided leading to lower chances of death (Roy, 2009). The metaparadigm has changed my perception and assessment of the clients. It also aids in decision making and providing support and advice for the sick and other customers.

• Health Metaparadigm

Health is known to be a general condition of the body and mind of an individual. The genetic situation of human beings exposes them to contracting various illnesses. The principal determinants of the chances of getting diseases are associated with agents that may increase the risks and exposure to the sickness. The health defines the nature and level of nursing care to be provided to a client. Generally, it appeals to the mental and physical wellbeing of a patient.

The metaparadigm has enabled me to understand its meaning and different application instances. I work towards achieving the well-being of the patients. As an educator, I model the component to clients and students in order to establish interactive strategies for being engaged in their daily practices. I challenge the metaparadigm to view and understand patients according to their personal backgrounds.

• Nursing Component

The nursing metaparadigm involves the provision of quality healthcare services to people for the maximum wellbeing of the community. The component is based on the practices from patient’s arrival, reception, therapy, and nursing intervention as well as the qualities of nurses concerning the judgments they make. The nursing practitioners have the mandate to give the recommended care as well as promote and preserve patients’ dignity. One of the primary purposes of a nurse is to aid patients through professional relations and examination of their environment to improve the personal health and welfare of the caregiver. It is guided by the standards of human autonomy, the decisions they make, and the duties assigned.

Nursing metaparadigm advocates for critical thinking that I value and apply in my daily activities. It guides me through decisions and making judgments according to evidence-based practices with the clients for maximum health in various contexts. I participate as an active partner in healthcare activities and other daily conducts across my profession. These events provide power and confidence to motivate and encourage patients who share personal experiences, help to solve problems and use technical skills for healthcare advancements. I also embrace teamwork and collaboration with physicians, patients, and the local community in providing the essential services and improving the welfare of the society. My primary values are diligence, commitment, and control of practices in terms of delivering quality services to all patients.

Two Practice-Specific Concepts

A concept is a complex perception of the nature of the world. Concepts help us to develop a mental image of an issue under consideration. Besides, different theories are drawn up by concepts and models (Watson, 2010). Some of the concepts are health promotion and evidence-based practices.

• Health Promotion Concept

Nurses play critical roles in providing wellness to a community. Health is a state of complete mental, physical, and social efficiency through strength and ability to perform (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013). In promoting patients’ wellbeing, I engaged victims of chronic diseases such as cardiac arrest, diabetes, and cancer. The victims may succumb to the epidemics; but being a nurse, it is my duty to engage the patients into prolonging their lives and to prevent loss of hope. Empowering these patients in enabling them to accept the prescribed treatment processes, medication, and relieving the worries and mental agony is also very important.

• Evidence-Based Practices (EBP)

These are practices that have been recommended and guided by previous studies and proved to be useful. Patients prefer and trust such evidence-informed practices, and they believe they are the best. In my nursing profession, my decisions are guided by available research evidence.

List of Propositions

Propositions are the statements that propose relationship between arguments and form the building blocks for theories. They include:

1. Positive image and good healthy behaviors makes it possible for people to promote their wellbeing.
2. People can modify their environments to promote healthy living and hasten the recovery process.
3. It is important to consider human aspects such as intellectual, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social wellness while providing care.
4. Stress may slow or disrupt the recovery process whenever conflicts arise between nurses and patients.
5.  Nursing involves a combination of patient care, clinical setup, and possible factors that impact people’s health.

Philosophies and Theories Consistent with the Concepts

The health promotion concept is based on the theory of behavioral change. It suggests that it is essential to develop activities that aid in healthy living for people who develop behaviors compromising healthy living. It works best when combined with Pender’s health promotion model (Srof & VelsorFriedrich, 2006) and evidence-based practice concept that relies on the Hopkins model of EBP. It is a practice question, evidence, and translation approach to the decision-making process in nursing.

The concepts were developed to create perfection in nursing care. They were also designed to identify the best practices in the field. Transcultural concepts determine how nurses should interact with other cultures. The health promotion model develops practices that ensure a healthy community. The role theory is created to operate certain tasks and enables nurses to act according to their responsibilities assigned in society. Besides, the change theory helps nurses to apply new techniques in order to succeed in the organization.

The nursing theories and concepts are research-guided and proven through several studies. For instance, Stevens (2013) conducted research on the impact of EBP on nursing. His research focused on the Hopkins’ recommendation for EBP and behavioral theory of health promotion.

The role and change theories guide nursing practices and behavior. Change theory helps me to improve my approaches to problems or yield unexpected results whenever there are delayed outcomes. Role theory helps me to understand my responsibility at the Atlanta State Referral Hospital. These two models are critical in assisting me to deliver quality services and satisfy all the patients and management requirements.

Conclusion

Nursing is a complex discipline that is based on theories and concepts that guide nursing practitioners. As a senior nurse, I have the mandate to understand and exhibit knowledge of all the metaparadigms in the field, its ideas, theories, and philosophies to achieve the prime goal of nursing practice, which is to deliver quality care to all patients.