Philosophy of nursing

Philosophy of Nursing Leddy and Pepper (2003) defined philosophy of nursing as the intellectual and affective outcomes of the professional nurses’ efforts to understand the ultimate relationship among humans, environment, and health; to approach nursing as a scientific discipline; to integrate a sense of values into practice; to appreciate esthetic elements that contribute to health and well-being; and to articulate a personal belief system about human beings, environment, health and nursing. Hubert H Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center our nursing philosophy is providing an atmosphere of comfort while delivering care to the public we serve, it is our belief that the dignity and worth of individual must be respected and preserved. We further believe that the nursing care must be consistent with and specifically designed to meet the needs of the patient, and his family and the community in which he lives. Our mission statement is ” To provide quality health care in a culturally sensitive manner” (2000). The American Nursing Association is the professional organization for nurses in the United States. It major purpose are to promote high standards of nursing care to improve the quality and availability of healthcare, and to foster the professional development of nurses. Nurses are responsible for promoting excellence in nursing practice, patient advocacy, and for protecting the practice of nursing in all clinical settings. In keeping my job philosophy and mission in mind I believed that I have developed a philosophy that reflects the values of caring, human life and dignity, the environment, health, professional nursing, cultural diversity, and educational achievement. Caring is an essential component of nursing which involves the therapeutic use of self within the context of nursing practice. Caring requires a personal, social, moral and spiritual engagement of the nurse. The nurse is committed to self and others. Caring involves the protection, enhancement, and preservation of human dignity. Therapeutic caring is intentional in nature, and is promoted by an awareness of need, knowledge, use of empathy, and is of benefit to the person. Caring actions do not occur in isolation, but exist within the socio-cultural context of all individuals. I believe in the importance of the relationship between culture and health care, nursing identifies the cultural components that influence how individuals, families, groups, and communities approach and respond to health and illness. Therefore, nursing professionals need to seek, know and understand a variety of cultures that compromise our society along with their values, beliefs and daily living patterns. Patient advocacy plays a major role in my philosophy of nursing. Advocacy is the active support of an important cause. As an advocate for the patient my role is to respect the patient decisions and enhance patient autonomy. My primary goal is to protect the rights of the patients. I must assists patient to make informed decisions, act as an intermediary between the patient and other people, and when needed directly intervene on patient’s behalf. In the ANA Code for Nurses (1997), ” respect- for – persons model views the patient as deserving respect for human dignity and the nurse is an advocate regardless of patient involvement. As an advocate the nurse is mindful of basic human values and acts to protect the patient’s dignity, privacy and choices. The nurse promotes the best interests of the patient to the best of his/her nursing ability”. Supporting the patient in decisions by knowing how to provide support in an objective manner, without showing disapproval or approval of the patient choices. Accept and respect patient’ rights to decide even if the nurse believes the nurse are wrong. In conclusion, my nursing philosophy is caring and being a strong advocate for my patients, so that I can provide quality health care to them in a culturally sensitive manner. References American Nurses Association (ANA). (1997). Patient Advocay. On-line. www. nursing world. org. Hood, L and Leddy, S (2003), Leddy & Pepper’s Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing. 5th Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott. Hubert H Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center. (2000) Policy and Procedure Manual. Los Angeles, CA.