Kimberly Willett
10/17/17
I pledge
PERSONAL NURSING PHILOSOPHY 2
Many nurses can affirm they were called to serve and inspired but a desire to help others.
I remember answering the calling to nursing and feeling like my purpose finally made sense.
From the first day I decided to dedicate myself to service and attend nursing school, my desire
has never dulled but I have changed personally. I have developed my own definition of nursing
and a personal nursing philosophy. There are key values and beliefs that I use as my compass
through this journey. Through these three short years in school, I have gained perspective,
experience, and unforgettable patient encounters. Much has changed and in the spirit of nursing,
things are always changing, including ourselves. The goal is to keep advancing in my level of
skill acquisition and establish steps that will help me reach that goal. In this personal philosophy
paper, I will discuss how I define nursing, my personal philosophy, changes in values and beliefs,
and patient encounters. Lastly, I will examine Patricia Benners Skill acquisition the stage I best
relate to, and three steps I will make next to advance in my nursing journey.
Defining Nursing
I believe that nursing is equally part science and part the art of caring. Nursing in its
earliest years started not as a job sought after to make a financial profit from or to lead the way in
scientific research, but to genuinely heal and comfort those in need. Nursing has evolved into a
respected profession and driven by evidence-based practice. This profession at its core is not
only a science, but also an art, despite the evolution. The art of caring is caring for the whole
person, using compassion, creativity, and a nonjudgmental attitude. In the art of caring, each
encounter with an individual is as unique as a piece of art because each individual requires
tailored holistic care. Nursing requires just as much knowledge and skill as it does compassion
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and servant leadership. The article, Art, Science, or Both? Keeping the Care in Nursing
specialized knowledge and skills. Therefore, nursing functions do not define the
(Jasmine, p. 415).
thinking and interpersonal skills, curiosity, and courage. With nursing being both a science and
an art, nurses are dedicated to lifelong learning to adapt to an ever-evolving profession, system,
and client needs (BSMCON philosophy statement, 2017). There are many perceptions and
definitions for nursing, each holding merit, but I define my practice as artfully applying science
Personal Philosophy
that is compassionate, safe, and current with evidence-based practice. It is important that we treat
ourselves and fellow nurses with the same compassionate and respectful care. I believe this is
imperative because nursing is a team effort and we cannot deliver quality care if we ourselves are
suffering. If we practice self-care and supported by a team, we are better equipped to provide
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quality care that patients deserve and desire. These qualities are reflected in my nursing practice
I believe compassionate care is my strength and I realize it can make the biggest impact
on others. I like to convey compassion in multiple ways because compassion is limitless. For
example, I offer simple nursing presence or therapeutic touch. As humans, we need to be able to
communicate with others, to interact, and to feel understood and cared for. Many patients lack
that vital interaction in the hospital setting and it has a huge impact on their outcomes and patient
satisfaction. Therefore, I make a point to always talk to vented and sedated patients to promote
dignity, instill hope and to be nurturing. When I talk to vented and sedated patients, I also hold
their hand. Holding their hand provides that feeling of connectedness and feeling cared for. I
have actually had a patient say they remember me and how much it meant to them that I was
Safety in patient care is as important as compassionate care. Patients and their families
trust us to do no harm and to protect them from preventable injury and death. As a student nurse,
I ensure safety by always-double checking medications not only when I pull medications but also
before I administer them. Before any procedure that I am unfamiliar with, I always ask for help
and supervision to safeguard against unintentional harm. Safety hits homes for me on a personal
level because my paternal grandfather died because of a preventable medical error in the
duplication of a medication he was given before a procedure. As a nurse, I will always to the best
of my ability protect my patients and provide them with the safe care they deserve.
With an ever-changing profession and active research, it is the responsibility of the nurse
to be up to date with current evidence-based practices. Nursing is a very innovative field that is
geared towards improving efficiency and quality of care. I carry out this perspective of my
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philosophy by constantly researching new articles and attending skill fairs. Recently I have been
interested in improving communication and care for those whose primary language is not
English. I have read various articles about quality improvement for those that do not primarily
speak English. The majority of the research suggests that those whose primary language is not
English, report lower quality of care compared to those whose primary language is English.
Based on this simple research and personal experience, I have decided that I will continue my
In my immersion experience, I had the honor to care for a new mother as she brought her
child into the world. The goal of care for this patient was to have a natural birth and to have a
healthy baby. The nursing responsibility is to honor that request to the best of our abilities,
providing the care she asked for. Thankfully, no complications arose during her birthing process,
so together; patient, nurse, student, and midwives accomplished both patient goals. This
multiple ways. Throughout her stay with us, we took safe care into the highest consideration. To
safeguard her and her babys safety, both mother and baby were constantly monitored and
reassessed frequently to catch any potential signs of distress. I personally was able to assist in the
compassionate and holistic care of this patient. When she was ready to push, I helped hold her
leg and cheered her on with every push and contraction. I was physically and emotionally present
with this patient, helping to achieve her goal of a natural birth. This experience was a true honor
I wrote a personal nursing philosophy paper at the beginning of nursing school and I
took time to reread a nursing philosophy paper from the beginning of school to compare my
beliefs and values. After some reflection, the changes I have noticed between now and then are
not changes in character and key values, but in approach and attitude. I still value compassion,
integrity, trust, courage, quality care, kindness, and nonjudgmental attitudes. It is not that any
enthusiasm has been lost either, but I have been humbled. The learning I have experienced is
beyond what I would have predicted, and that is how I have changed. True learning is more than
studying the concepts and facts within textbooks. I have learned empathy over sympathy. I have
learned not to listen to respond, but to be present and therapeutic. I have learned the meaning of
servant leadership and have been inspired by it. I have learned that nursing presence is just as
powerful, if not more, than words themselves. I have learned that becoming a nurse is an
honored opportunity in which you are an active part of others lives. I began chasing this calling
to fulfill a self-desire to care for others. The true learning is realizing this calling is not about
Benners Theory
Patricia Benner developed a nursing theory that proposes that through education and
experiences, a nurse can progress into stages of skill acquisition. The focus of this theory is on
how a nurse acquires nursing knowledge and not on the actual nurse. A nurse can gain
knowledge and skills, referred to as the knowing how without learning the theory, knowing
that (Benner, p. 2-3). Learning is beyond the classroom and textbooks, because much of the
essential learning for nurses happens in their clinical experiences. Benner believes that
experience in the clinical setting is crucial for nursing because it allows nurses to continuously
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grow their knowledge base and to provide holistic, competent care to patients. Benner developed
a model based on this skill acquisition. In the acquisition and development of a skill, nurses pass
through five stages of proficiency; novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert
(Benner, p. 13). Based on a nurses education and experience, the nurse fits somewhere on the
I believe I fit somewhere between Novice and Advanced Beginner on Benners stages of
the situation in which they are involved in. Beginners have difficulty in differentiating between
relevant and irrelevant aspects of the situation. Most all nursing students, new graduates, and
nurses returning to practice after an absence are considered novices on Benners scale (Benner, p.
20-22). Advance beginner on the scale is when a nurse can demonstrate marginally acceptable
performance those who have coped with enough real situations to note (or to have pointed out to
advanced beginner is efficient and skillful in parts of the practice area, needing intermittent
supportive prompts from a mentor. For the advanced beginner, they may or may not be within a
delayed time period because knowledge is still developing (Benner, p. 22-25). I see myself as a
novice because I will be a new graduate and there are still plenty of situation I have yet to
experience. I also see myself as an advanced beginner because I have had many experiences
already and I can have acquired skills that are past the novice stage. While I feel I may be past
novice, I also do not feel I have fully moved on to advanced beginner. The best explanation of
where I am on Benners scale is that I am transitioning between novice and advanced beginner.
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plan my next three moves to advance. The first move I will make is to start my career as a nurse
and perform the best I can during orientation. Orientation is for the advanced beginner and is
easily the next step that I can make to move from my transition between novice and advanced
beginner. Orientation is the perfect opportunity to acquire more skills, knowledge, experiences,
and seek the guidance and direction of a mentor. Secondly, to better prepare myself to move to
the next skill acquisition stage, I will continue to seek opportunities for growth through skill
fairs, committee meetings, and working full time to gain much need experience to move forward.
When it comes to gaining experience, it takes time to acquire more experiences and will be my
step that takes the longest. My third step will be learning Spanish that can be accomplished
simultaneously with my second move. I would like learning Spanish to be my third move so that
I may be a translator to help a vulnerable population whose primary language is not English.
Becoming a Spanish translator will contribute to lifelong learning and cultural competence. I will
aim to finish these 3 steps within two to three years. After completion of these three moves, I will
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe nursing is an art and a science, and that as a future nurse, it is my
responsibility to deliver compassionate, safe, and evidence-based care. While my beliefs and
values have not changed since I started school, my perspective and attitude have. Becoming a
nurse is an earned opportunity and an honor to sever others during their time of need. I am in the
transition between a novice and advance beginner on Benners stages of skill acquisition. I have
goals of that will help me grow and move forward, such as learning Spanish. It is incredible to
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reflect and see how much I have changed and the growth I have experienced. Nursing school has
been a life-changing experience for this first chapter of my nursing journey, and I am looking
References
Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. New
https://bsmcon.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-203201-dt-content-rid-
983793_1/courses/201718FALL-NUR4142-
GAGB/Fall%202017/Assignments%20and%20Rubrics/CON%20Philosophy%20Stateme
nt.pdf
Jasmine, T. (2009). Art, Science, or Both? Keeping the Care in Nursing. Nursing Clinics Of