Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER 1

Personal Philosophy Paper

Meghan Bishop

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NURS 4142

Dr. Turner

10/17/17
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Definition of Nursing

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a nurse as one who looks after, fosters, or

advises; a person who cares for the sick and infirm. It further specifies the definition by stating a

nurse is a licensed health care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a

physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting or maintaining health. While the

textbook definition of a nurse is descriptive, the art and practice of nursing often times aligns

with personal experiences. My experience thus far as a student nurse has been aligned with Bon

Secours Memorial College of Nursing tenets. The College upholds the following tenets:

Nursing, Nursing Education, Caring, Health and Service. For the purposes of this paper, I will

focus on three tenets: nursing education, caring, and health.

My education at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing has been truly remarkable.

The tenet of education states that "the faculty respect students individual learning needs, model

the value of caring, and validate students as individuals with intelligence, worth and dignity." I

can personally attest to this statement. Throughout the past three years, I personally benefited

from my associations and learnings from the faculty members and students. These individuals

have shaped my experiences and have helped me understand what it will be like to be a nurse. I

have been shown compassion and the value of hard work which I will apply in moving forward

with my career.

Nursing is a balanced art form, oscillating between caring for individuals and science.

The next tenet states that "caring is expressed through application of nursing knowledge in

practice, critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, assertiveness, curiosity, courage and
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humor." Caring for others is an innate quality that takes patience and selflessness. Nursing

requires full attention to the patient and their specific situation and needs. It does not include

personal judgements. I believe that one of the most extraordinary joys of nursing is caring for

others and aiding individuals to a path of recovery or peaceful end of life.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical,

mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 2017).

Bon Secours tenets state that health is created through unity and harmony of mind, body and

soul. I believe it is critical to keep abreast of the latest health trends in nursing and medicine.

This will enhance patient education and professional collaboration.

Reflect on Philosophy

Understanding and empathizing with a patient's illness and how this affects their personal

life is critical to fully caring for a patient. How would I want to be treated if I were sick and

vulnerable having strangers care for me? My personal philosophy of nursing is what guides me

every day in my practice. I believe establishing rapport with patients and their loved ones is the

first step in delivering quality care. In the realm of acute care, hospitalization can be frightening

for many individuals. The thought of the unknown is daunting. Communicating with patients on

how they feel about their hospitalization and their disease may open up doors for opportunity in

educating and promoting good health practices. Communication with coworkers proves

important in order to successfully do your job. I have learned that part of nursing is

collaboration, whether that is with your patient, a fellow nurse, or their providers. Treatment

plans are truly a team effort among disciplines.

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I believe every nurse has a special calling. While I am still figuring my special calling, I

am confident it will come in time. I am passionate about the field of nursing which includes both

the science and the art and how that impacts and enhancing patients' lives. The daily care of

patients is important to their recovery of their illness. However, providing healthy living

guidelines to include diet, exercise, and preventative care may help patients avoid unnecessary

future hospitalizations. One of the roles of the nurse is to provide healthy living education

guidelines.

Example of Nurse-Patient Encounter

I have been placed on the Neuroscience unit at Memorial Regional to immerse this

semester. The unit cares for many stroke patients. Last week, an 84 year old male was admitted

to the unit for TIA with his family by his side. He had fallen earlier in the night and about five

hours later is when his wife decided to bring him to the hospital. After getting the patient settled

and speaking with the family, I thought it was important to find out a little more about how they

would like their stay to be at the hospital and what they knew about stroke. The wife explained

to me that many of the physicians her husband with her had worked with in the past had spoken

in big medical terms that they didnt understand which frustrated her. I could sense she was

scared and I let her know that we would deliver the best care for not only her husband but for her

and their family as well. She was so appreciative of this. Engaging and communicating with

family members makes all the difference when delivering quality care. It offers a sense of

comfort. Throughout the day, I found that the wife became more inquisitive about stroke. We

went through the stroke packet together and I pointed out important warning signs she should

look for in the future. Educating patients and family on warning signs of stroke will prompt

faster delivery to the emergency room for treatment. At the end of shift, the wife communicated
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with me how grateful she was for all of the support and help she received throughout the day

from me, along with the rest of the staff of the unit.

Values and Beliefs

I have always held communication and caring as strong values when delivering care to

patients. However, throughout my time in nursing school, especially my immersion, I have

really learned to understand the meaning of these words. I have learned that communicating

with patients and families difficult at times, requiring patience and investigation. Additionally, I

have learned to cherish every day, because it is unknown what will happen tomorrow. Learning

through patient and family interaction teaches one to be grateful for what they have.

Describe Benner's Theory

It is described that the skill acquisition model is derived from Stuart Dreyfus, a

mathematician and system analyst in reference to the study of chess players and airline pilots

(Benner, 2001). The model explains that a student passes through five levels of proficiency:

novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. It states that each of the different

levels reflect changes in three general aspects of skilled performance. First, is movement from

reliance on abstract principles to the use of concrete experiences in the clinical setting. Second is

the change in the learner's perception of the situation. The clinical problem is seen less as a

complicated puzzle but rather as a complete whole, in which it is vital to pick out only the most

relevant information to solve the issue. The third and last level focuses on detaching from the

observation phase and immersing into the involved performer. The nurse is now fully engaged

in the situation. A series of paired interviews with beginning nurses and expert nurses were

conducted to understand differences between clinical performance and situations in regards to

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the different stages and levels of proficiency. Group interviews, along with individual interviews

were conducted and interpreted using the Heidegerian phenomenology which intends to identify

meaning and content instead of theories. The approach comes from Strauss and Glaser who

formed the grounded theory. The goal of the grounded theory is to attempt to explain how

aspects of the social world work. The interviews then presented situational dilemmas and noted

differences in the levels of proficiency among the nurses. Overall, the research was able to

identify the learning and teaching needs for nurses at each proficiency level.

Skill Acquisition Model

It seems I am caught in the middle of stages, wavering between advanced beginner and

competent, dependent on the situation. Benner emphasizes that the Dreyfus model of skill

acquisition is a situational model rather than a trait or talent model (Benner, 2001). However, I

believe that I am more so an advanced beginner on the brink of competent stage of my nursing

career. There are qualities in both categories that suit my skill level. Benner states that the

competent nurse may lack speed and flexibility of the proficient nurse, but does have a feeling of

mastery and the ability to cope with and manage the many contingencies of clinical nursing

(Benner, 2001). The competent nurse is able to be efficient and encompasses organizational

skills in her day to day planning but may fall behind on time. She also states that the advanced

beginner needs help in priority settings and their care of patients needs to be backed up by nurses

who have reached at least the competent level of skill and performance to ensure that important

patient needs do not go unattended because often times the advanced beginner cannot yet sort out

what is important. Often times I can sort out what is important, but I need help with time

management when things get too hectic. Every day is a new learning opportunity to gain

knowledge on advancing my nursing practice.

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Moving Forward

My first goal in moving forward in my nursing practice is to graduate and obtain my first

job as a nurse. This will be the base of knowledge I will require in order to move to higher skill

acquisition. In moving forward with my nursing practice, I undoubtedly will be propelled by my

experiences to reach higher levels in skill acquisition. Benner describes experience not as

passage of time or longevity but rather theory through encounters with many actual practical

situations that add nuances or shades of differences to theory (Benner, 2001). Analyzing and

discussing my experiences as a new nurse will help me reach higher levels of thinking. In time,

my skill performance will advance. My last goal is long term. I would like to go back to school

to obtain my Master's degree. This will advance me to the expert level of nursing. Through a

new job, lived experiences, and furthering my education I will excel in my nursing career and

meet higher skill levels over time.

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References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing

(commemorative ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Constitution of the World Health Organization: Principles. (2017). Retrieved October 15, 2017,

from http://www.who.int/about/mission/en/