Running head: A PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Exploring the Purpose of a Nurse: A Philosophy of Nursing

Kristina Kenning
University of Saint Mary
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Exploring the Purpose of a Nurse: A Philosophy of Nursing

As nurses, we have one of the most difficult and multifaceted professions in health care.

We are patient educators, we are care managers, we are personal care attendants and we are

discharge planners. We assess, plan and implement care plans. We recommend and initiate

treatments. We have countless jobs and our role is indispensable in the healthcare

community. To attempt understand the true purpose of a nurse, I have drafted a nursing

philosophy which speaks to the nursing profession on a universal level. My personal philosophy

of nursing can be summarized with the statement that we must be competent, compassionate

healthcare professionals whose primary goal is to promote the health and well-being of our

patients through patient-centered care. This philosophy has been developed by reviewing the

several learning exercises studied in the Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice course given

by the University of Saint Mary. Each of the major elements of this philosophy will be analyzed

as it applies to my own nursing practice, after which I will demonstrate how this philosophy fits

within the metaparadigm of nursing and how it is congruent with the Code of Ethics for Nurses

set forth by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Competency

One of the major components included in my personal philosophy of nursing is

competence. This element is also contained within Sister Simone Roach’s 5 C’s of Caring

(1992). In her book The human act of caring: A blueprint for the health professions, Roach

defines competence as “the state of having the knowledge, judgement, skills, energy, experience

and motivation required to respond adequately to the demand of one’s professional

responsibilities” (1992, p. 61). Yet, as nurses, we need to do more than simply meet the

requirements of our profession. We need to hold ourselves to the highest standards and be on a
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constant search for ways to improve care. I believe that to be competent, we must be armed with

the latest and best information available to care for our patients. In this way, the idea of evidence

based practice and an appreciation for scientific research is included in this component. Some of

the ways we can achieve true competency are through attending conferences, reviewing research

articles and pursuing advanced degrees.

Compassion

It is my belief that in order to be a good nurse, it is necessary to be a compassionate

nurse. Compassion “involves being close to patients and seeing their situation as more than a

medical scenario and routine procedures” (Davison & Williams, 2009). In our work as nurses we

interact with people on a very personal level. Often, we see them at their most vulnerable, and it

is important that we understand this and work with them to reach their ultimate health goals.

Although the link between nursing and compassion may seem logical, in practice, it is easy to

lose focus on the compassion component of nursing care. In their article published in Nursing

Times, Davison and Williams (2009) describe how technology and the demands of the nurse

today detract from quality interaction with patients. When working as a nurse it is essential to

keep in mind that we are working for our patients, not for technology. In my philosophy of

nursing, the element of compassion truly is a fundamental aspect of nursing practice.

Focus on Patient Centered Care

At the end of the day, we are nurses because we care for patients. Whether the patient is

adult, child, a school or a community, we are here to help our patients reach their optimum or

desired level of health. It is vitally important that we as nurses keep our patients at the heart of

our care. The decisions we make and the changes we implement all impact our patients and we

need to be mindful of how our choices affect their outcomes. The Quality and Safety Education
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for Nurses, or QSEN, institute defines patient-centered care as “recognizing the patient or

designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated

care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs” (Cronenwett, et al., 2007, p.

123). Focusing on patient-centered care is a major component of my nursing philosophy because

I believe the patient should always be at the heart of our practice.

Metaparadigm of Nursing

My nursing philosophy fits within the metaparadigm of nursing as each of the four

components of the metaparadigm; the person, environment, health and nursing, can be defined

within the context of my philosophy (Masters, 2015). For the first, the person, my nursing

philosophy defines this concept as the recipient of care. As I state in the above sections, the

patient can be an individual, or the patient can refer to a larger community. My nursing

philosophy encompasses the second component of the metaparadigm, the environment, as the

nurse works towards promoting the patient’s health. To accomplish this, we can refer to Florence

Nightingale’s Nursing Model and work to improve both the external environment of the patient,

such as temperature, as well as the internal environment, such as medication and fluids (Masters,

2015). The idea of health and a health goal is encompassed within the third component of the

metaparadigm of nursing, the component of health. The fourth component of the metaparadigm

is the nursing component. This component is defined by the first part of my nursing philosophy

which states that we must be competent, compassionate nurses with a focus on patient-centered

care. In this way, my nursing philosophy fulfills the four principles of the nursing metaparadigm.

Code of Ethics

In addition to being congruent with the metaparadigm of nursing, my nursing philosophy

is also compatible with the Code of Ethics for Nurses set forth by the ANA. Provision 1 states
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“the nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and unique

attributes of every person” (ANA, 2015, p. 1). This is congruent with the first part of my

philosophy which states we must be competent, compassionate nurses. Being compassionate is a

fundamental component of the character of a nurse. Provision 2 states that “the nurse’s primary

commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population”

(ANA, 2015, p. 5). This corresponds to my own view of the patient which states that the patient

should always be the main focus of our practice. In this way, my nursing philosophy is congruent

with ANA’s Code of Ethics for Nurses.

Conclusion

A nursing philosophy is generally very broad and addresses the overall ideas and purpose

of nursing (Masters, 2015). My philosophy accomplishes this as it defines, in a broad sense, what

a being a nurse entails (compassion and competence), as well as who we serve (the patient), and

finally how we serve them (through patient-centered care). Although every nurse has a different

focus or work environment, I believe that this philosophy can be applied in any care area and can

work with any population. Throughout all my learning experiences in the Foundations of

Advanced Nursing Practice course, I believe that one element remains at the heart of every

nursing theory or philosophy, and that is the element of caring. My philosophy embraces this

idea and encourages nurses in every healthcare setting to keep the patient, and the high-quality

care we provide them, at the heart of our practice.

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References

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses. Silver Spring:

Nursingbooks.org.

Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Barnsteiner, J., Disch, J., Johnson, J., Mitchell, P., . . . Warren, J.

(2007). Quality and safety education for nurses. Nursing Outlook, 55(3), 122-131.

Davison, N., & Williams, K. (2009, September 14). Compassion in nursing 1: Defining,

identifying and measuring this essential quality. Nursing Times. Retrieved from

https://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/specialisms/management/compassion-in-

nursing-1-defining-identifying-and-measuring-this-essential-quality-/5006242.article

Masters, K. (2015). Nursing Theories: A framework for professional practice (2nd ed.).

Burlington: Jones & Barlett Learning.

Roach, M. S. (1992). The human act of caring: a blueprint for the health professions. Ottawa:

Canadian Hospital Association Press.